River Falls reports smaller federal wins — police radios, fire-station renovation and a $4M library grant — while consultants say housing funding remains scarce

At Tuesday's council meeting, Merchant McIntyre highlighted recent federal wins for River Falls and described where consultants will continue to hunt for funding. "We have experienced significant success with the city since we began our partnership in 2022," Tristan Sard said, noting the partnership had secured more than $6.16 million and had more than $50 million pending in various grant requests.

Sard and Fiona Mloud listed specific award and application details: approximately $430,000 in FY26 congressional directed spending for police portable radios and equipment; a $1.44 million FY24 appropriation for fire-station renovation; and a $4 million grant for library renovation that is nearing completion. They also noted a pending $2 million Economic Development Administration application to expand the St. Croix Valley Business Innovation Center and continued pursuit of USDA rural-business development planning funds for downtown business support.

When councilors asked about housing, the consultants said federal resources for direct housing development are limited at present. "In general that is just an area where we currently find the opportunities to be a little bit more scarce," Sard said. The presenters recommended pursuing federal funds that support infrastructure (water, sewer, related site work) that can enable future housing development and encouraged exploring state-level programs. The consultants also said they will monitor HUD and USDA rural-development opportunities on behalf of the housing authority.

Council and staff discussed a possible water/sewer upgrade for a local trailer park as an example of an infrastructure-driven approach to sustaining housing. Presenters said state DNR dam-removal grant money could be used as local match for Corps projects if clarified in writing and that the city has identified some utility money in the CIP that could be used as match for certain phases.

The council thanked the consultants for their work and for bringing a long-term advocacy strategy to River Falls; staff were asked to continue coordinating with the consultants on targeted opportunities and to provide updates as applications progress.