Donahue talks about PFAS, incorporation

Town of Campbell Board member Lee Donahue visited La Crosse Talk on Monday morning to discuss two important issues for residents on French Island-PFAS and incorporation.

On the first issue, Donahue shared her thoughts on the bipartisan legislation passed last week in Madison that shares a portion of $133 million with the town to help deal with the PFAS contamination in the groundwater.

It is five years this Wednesday that residents had to begin using bottled water instead of their faucets for drinking water.

The town is in the process of putting in a water system. Although Donahue said they’ve had a couple of setbacks, the town’s goal is to get clean water piped to every home on French Island by the end of 2028.

Campbell isn’t the only community in the state dealing with PFAS contamination. Donahue said that while each community is unique, they all share one thing regarding the funding.

“The common denominator is money. And that’s what this bill does, is it frees up money, so no matter what the solution is, it can be the right fit for the right community, ” Donahue said.

Donahue also spoke about last week’s draft decision by the state’s Incorporation Review Board to grant Campbell’s petition to become a village.

One point she made during the La Crosse Talk discussion was that some people believed that incorporating meant connecting to the City of La Crosse.

Instead, Donahue said, it would mean that the boundaries would be set and any annexations efforts would permanently end.

She said they’re planning on informational sessions for residents to give them the details on what incorporating would mean for them.

“Residents can ask all of the questions like how is this going to affect my tax bases? That’s really most people’s concern. How is this going to hit me in the pocketbook?”

No date is set for the referendum, although Donahue said it would likely be in either May or June.

La Crosse Talk airs weekdays at 6-8 a.m. Listen on the WIZM app, online here , or on 92.3 FM / 1410 AM / 106.7 FM (north of Onalaska). Find the show on Apple Podcast , Spotify or here .

Donahue talks about PFAS, incorporation

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