EC City Council to consider paid downtown parking
Agenda also includes acceptance of Outdoor Recreation Plan
The Eau Claire City Council meets this week with its Public Hearing on Monday and Legislative Session on Tuesday. Among its agenda items is action on a recommendation to establish paid downtown street parking beginning June 1, 2026 (see pages 31-34 of the Monday Agenda Packet linked below).
The recommendation comes following a parking study completed in 2024 and several months of consideration of its potential implementation. "After feedback from the business community, the hours of paid parking are recommended to be 12:00 pm to 10:00 pm, Monday – Saturday, and are proposed to take effect June 1, 2026," according to the meeting notice. Street parking would be $1/hour for the core area and 50 cents/hour for a zone farther out. "If approved, the revenue generated by paid on-street parking will be used within the parking fund to improve the financial operations of the fund. A full-time dedicated parking administrator has been requested as part of the 2026 operations budget, which will be presented to the City Council this fall," notes city staff on the agenda item notice.
Anyone wishing to comment on the proposal may speak at the Public Hearing on Monday, or submit written comments to all City Council members at this link. The Council will take action on Tuesday.
The Chamber's Business Issues Agenda includes the following related to downtown and parking:
"It’s important for the city to work closely with the business community to ensure well-managed access and positive visitor experiences. This should include careful assessment of the issues and implementation of best practices, including:
* Improved management of parking: Centralized, customer-focused management of parking resources, better public communication and wayfinding for parking availability, consistent enforcement of parking regulations, and development of an overall plan that ensures adequate parking for visitors and employees without diminishing the attractiveness of downtown as a walkable destination. Consider enhancing parking alternatives like improved transit availability and attractiveness. Urgently address undesirable conditions of the Gibson Street Ramp. Fully engage businesses in decisions about parking regulations and fees. Consider street changes and improvements consistent with the needs to keep the downtown core attractive as a destination."
Tuesday's Business Agenda includes consideration of the proposed Outdoor Recreation Plan, which "includes an inventory of city park and open space areas and a listing of park related improvements that will be considered during the next five years." See pages 99-221 of the Tuesday Agenda Packet linked below for the full proposed plan.
More information:
Eau Claire City Council
• Monday, Aug 25, 6 p.m. Public Hearing Agenda Packet (36 pages)
• Tuesday, Aug 26, 4 p.m. Legislative Session Agenda Packet (469 pages)
Click here to send an email to all City Council members
Click here for individual contact information for each City Council member
Link to videos of city meetings (City of Eau Claire)
City News Updates -incl. City Manager's Weekly Update (City of Eau Claire)
City of Eau Claire Parking Study Findings and Recommendations (Fishbeck Consultants)
Eau Claire City Council to vote on paid parking ordinance at upcoming Tuesday city council meeting (WEAU 13 News)
Downtown parking won't be solved without enforcement, says speaker at chamber event (Leader-Telegram $)
Downtown street parking discussed at Chamber event (WQOW News 18)

Also meeting this week...
Full public meetings calendar
Eau Claire County Committee on Planning & Development
• Tuesday, Aug 26, 6 p.m. Meeting information
Altoona City Council
• Thursday, Aug 28, 6 p.m. Meeting information

New state estimates: Eau Claire's population tops 74,000
Eau Claire county passes 112,000
New mid-census estimates from the State of Wisconsin put the estimate of Eau Claire's population past 74,000 in 2025, an increase of 4,618 residents since 2020 at a growth rate of 6.7%, making it the second fastest growing of the state's top 10 cities (behind only Madison's 7.8%). According to the same data, Eau Claire County's population grew at 6.18%, surpassing 112,000 people. The County was #2 in total numerical growth at 6,536. It was fourth in rate behind Dane at 8.84%, Calumet 8.15%, and St. Croix 6.94%. Chippewa County had the 7th best growth rate at 3.16%, growing by 2,117 to 68,414. Other top-growing counties were Door (3.57%), Brown (3.53%, home of Green Bay), and Outagamie (3.25%, Appleton area). Dane County grew by 49,645 residents to 611,149.
More information:
Population and Housing Unit Estimates (Wis Dept of Administration)
City of Eau Claire continues to grow (Leader-Telegram $)
Eau Claire jumps to seventh largest city in Wisconsin according to new state report (WQOW News 18)

USA Today: Eau Claire #2 in national "Hidden Gems"
Eau Claire continues to gain national recognition for its attributes, with the latest coming from USA Today, which named the city #2 in the country as a "Hidden Gem."
This recognition comes from Wander, a luxury vacation rental service, which analyzed data from Google searches, TripAdvisor, Instagram, and Numbeo. Criteria included dining, museums, safety, cleanliness, and more—and Eau Claire rose to the top as one of only 10 destinations nationwide to earn this honor.
More information:
Eau Claire Named One of USA Today’s Top 10 Hidden Gems (Visit Eau Claire)
Skip the crowds at these 10 American hidden gems everyone should to explore (USA Today)
Other recent recognition:
Eau Claire Cracks Top 50 ‘Best Places to Live’ Ranking (Volume One)
Eau Claire named best city to live in Wisconsin and one of the best in the country (WEAU 13 News)
Wisconsin is the fourth best state to live in for 2025, WalletHub says (Journal-Sentinel +)

Food for Thought...

How Would Your Town Welcome 5,000 New Neighbors? (Asia Mieleszko, Strong Towns) What if your town had to make room for 5,000 new residents? Could your current development pattern handle it?

There’s More Than One Way To Save a Street Tree (Emma Durand-Wood, Strong Towns) Here’s the challenge: most people can easily grasp the ripple effect that happens when a tree is lost. But, what gets overlooked is that a city is a system, too, and within it, every decision has the potential to create unexpected and unforeseen consequences. "Here’s what I want my fellow tree advocates to know: when we say that trees must take precedence over housing, there are environmental consequences to that, too."

Impact Fees On Urban Housing Punish Renters And First-Time Buyers (Dan Bertolet, Sightline) First, adding new homes to urban neighborhoods is a good thing overall, a net positive for people and the planet, not a transgression to penalize. Second, impact fees are regressive because the burden of paying them falls primarily on renters and first-time home buyers. If you’re trying to mitigate an affordable housing crisis caused by a shortage of homes, talking about new housing as if it’s toxic waste may not be the best messaging strategy.

The Best Evidence Yet for the “Housing Musical Chairs” Theory (Daniel Herriges, Strong Towns) The central finding... is that new market-rate housing construction triggers a migration chain which quickly reaches low-income households. This is true even when the initial occupants of brand-new buildings have well-above-average incomes. In plain language: building housing that will be occupied by (relatively) rich people quickly frees up different housing for (relatively) poor people.

More local stories...
Eau Claire Plan Commission green lights new rehabilitation hospital and hotel (WQOW News 18)
Century Code Receives Unanimous Vote from Eau Claire City Council (Volume One)
Upgrades are coming to Carson park (WEAU 13 News)
CVTC welcomes new students to campus (WEAU 13 News)
UW-Eau Claire shares plans to expand health care education opportunities (WEAU 13 News)
Seven faculty and staff honored at annual Blugold Breakfast (UWEC)
BUZZING FOR HELP: Eau Claire’s Community-Led Pollinator Sanctuaries (Volume One)

State and regional headlines...
Competing bills aim to save homeless veteran assistance facilities from closing (WPR)
Bipartisan group of former Wisconsin lawmakers pushes back on mail-in ballot, voting machine changes (The Center Square)
Sara Rodriguez looks to carve a path from lieutenant governor to top job (Wisconsin State Journal +)
Taxable value of Wisconsin property went up 8% for 2025 (The Center Square)
Wisconsin farmers grapple with recent tariffs from the Trump administration (WPR)
UW-Madison’s seven major challenges this fall (The Cap Times)
A mining company is drilling for metals in Wisconsin. Opponents are on edge. (WPR)
Western Tech, Ronald and Joyce Wanek Foundation celebrate grand opening of the Wanek Center of Innovation (Ashley Furniture)

National and economic stories...
U.S. Sen. Slotkin campaigns in Eau Claire for Cooke (Leader-Telegram $)
Newsmax agrees to pay $67M in defamation case over bogus 2020 election claims (AP)
Cable’s MSNBC will change its name later this year as part of corporate divorce from NBC (AP)
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy unveils proposed rule to unleash American drone dominance (satnews)
Van Orden and roadside warriors save 11 year old (Washington Examiner)

Take our Workforce Survey
The Eau Claire Chamber's Workforce Development Committee is committed to supporting businesses facing workforce challenges. We are seeking input in a brief survey to help us gather actionable data to better understand the current Eau Claire Area realities and guide our committee's efforts to connect employers with the right resources.
Would you consider having a representative from your business take this very brief survey? We appreciate your time and valuable insights. Click here to take the survey

Thanks for reading this issue of Business Advocate. If you have comments or questions, contact Scott Rogers, Vice President Governmental Affairs, at 715-858-0616 or rogers@eauclairechamber.org