The Prairie du Chien Common Council held its first post-election meeting on April 14, with Mayor David Hemmer running his last one after 16 years in office.

The meeting was the swan song for Hemmer, capping more than a quarter of a century in service to the city. Before acting as the mayor, Hemmer served 10 years on the city council. Mark Gillitzer is the city's new mayor.

"I enjoyed myself 99.9 percent of the time, and I'm very honored to say that I served for that long... I just want to thank people out there, and we will continue on," he said.

Hemmer read a proclamation commending Mark Bowar for his time on the council. He succeeded Kelsey Ziegler as the District 3 alderman in 2024 and declined to run for reelection this past spring.

"Whereas Mark has provided service and leadership to his community as a member of several boards and commissions, most recently as a member of the public works committee and design and preservation committee, providing an integral voice on behalf of the common council and his constituents in Prairie du Chien," the mayor said.

According to Crawford County's election results, Todd Crotty will succeed Bowar in representing District 3.

Ethics board

The council approved a resolution regarding the rules of procedure for the City's ethics board. An ethics board reviews complaints against city elected officials and workers and can issue opinions on conflicts of interest affecting the city.

City Administrator Chad Abram said he had reviewed the resolution with City Attorney Amanda Tisdale to ensure it follows state statutes. Abram confirmed that the personnel, licensing and insurance committee acts as the ethics board.

According to a memo sent by Abram to the council and mayor on April 9, the resolution is needed to "formalize the operations” of the board.

The memo also says City staff created the rules of procedure draft, which "reflect the best practices, promote transparency and ensure due process for all parties."

Abram's memo further claims that the rules of procedure detailed in the resolution increase public trust, support compliance with state and local ethics requirements, and strengthen accountability among City workers and elected officials.

The committee's chair holds the position as the head of the board, while the committee elects a vice chair annually. The city clerk acts as the board's clerk, and the city attorney works in an advisory capacity.

The resolution defines standards for the City's complaints process, meeting and hearing requirements and recordkeeping and transparency, among other matters the ethics board monitors.

Other business

• The council approved Trystan's Backyard Ultra for Aug. 16 at LaRiviere Park. The race will start at 7 a.m. and continue until only one runner remains. The estimated time for the event is between 12 and 36 hours. According to a memo provided to the council, the event is expected to attract between 75 and 125 participants.
• approved the Ducky Derby for July 11 at the St. Feriole Slough from 4 to 6 p.m. The event is organized by the Driftless Downtown Development, Inc.
• approved MFL Mar-Mac's high school golf team to have "intermittent use as needed" of St. Feriole Island for driving golf balls until May 26. Recreation Director Mike Wallace said the team's coach approached him because the team had gotten too big for the space their school has available.
• authorized Abram to request proposals for a three-year contract to handle the City's informational technology needs. Abram expects to bring proposals in front of the council in the next month.