City Administrator

ADMINISTRATION

The City Administrator serves as the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of the City of Tomah and is the highest ranking non-elected official of the city. The position is responsible only to the Mayor and City Council for the proper administration of the business affairs of the city pursuant to the statutes of the State of Wisconsin, the ordinances of the City of Tomah, and the resolutions and directives of the City Council.

It is the responsibility of the City Administrator to provide overall direction for the organization of the city in accordance with the policies established by the City Council. Other responsibilities are to serve as the city's Personnel Officer, ensure that city operations are conducted in an economic, efficient, and effective manner, and that elected officials' and citizens' concerns are addressed. This position also develops recommendations to the Mayor and City Council for changes in programs, operations, and policies to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of city government.

Additionally, the City Administrator's office shall prepare, review, and monitor the annual operating budget for the city.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

The City Administrator coordinates economic development within the city and directs efforts to help increase the tax base and employment opportunities.

The mission of economic development is to generate and assist business development, expansion, and retention that will provide job opportunities, increased tax base, and promote quality of life. The City works hand-in-hand with the Greater Tomah Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center.

Why invest in Tomah? Below are some of the strengths of Tomah's local economy:

"Tomah, where the 'I' divides and the people come together." -City Administrator Nick Morales

1. Interstate Access: The City of Tomah sits at the intersection of I-94 and I-90, making it an ideal location as a logistics hub for those companies needing ground lines of supply between Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, La Crosse, Eau Claire, and Minneapolis.

2. Amtrak Train Service: In the heart of the city on the north edge of downtown is an Amtrak passenger rail station that provides residents and visitors the ability to transit from Tomah to anywhere along Amtrak service routes in the United States. Amtrak completed a $5 million renovation of the station in November 2024 that included full accessibility upgrades for disabled patrons.

3. Greyhound Bus Service: Just south of the I-94 off/on ramps is a Greyhound bus station that affords residents and visitors the ability to take advantage of cost effective long distance travel opportunities.

4. Municipal Airport: Tomah Municipal Airport is a fully functioning airfield that is regularly used by corporate executives visiting their factories and distribution centers in Tomah. See below for a list of these major employers.

5. Military and Veteran Services: Tomah is proud to be a military and veteran community that is less than a 20 minute drive from both Fort McCoy and Volk Field, and is home to a Veterans' Administration hospital, the Tomah VA Medical Center. The VA Hospital provides medical services to eligible veterans including, but not limited to, primary care, emergency care, urgent care, cardiology, neurology, physical and occupational therapy, dermatology, endocrinology, mental health treatment, pharmacy, and more. A Wisconsin Army National Guard armory is also active within city limits, and the city is fortunate to have a Marine Corps recruiting substation that serves as a headquarters for the region.

6. Top Notch Health Care: In addition to the VA Hospital, Tomah Health Hospital resides within city limits sitting right on I-90. Tomah Health is a certified rural critical care facility providing a full range of medical services to not just the City of Tomah but to the region as well.

7. Lake Tomah: Lake Tomah is the recreational crown jewel of the city. Residents and visitors enjoy water activities during warmer months and ice fishing during the winter.

8. Year-round Sporting and Recreational Events: The City of Tomah is where the interstates divide and the people come together. The city holds an array of recreational, sporting, and hobby events throughout the year that entertain residents and attract tourists. These events include, but are not limited to, the following:

Budweiser Dairyland Super National Truck and Tractor Pull (second largest tractor pull in America)

Downtown Thursday Nights (six consecutive Thursdays in the summer attracting upwards of 5,000 people to the downtown area, main attraction is the Warrant cover band Cherry Pie)

Monroe County Fair (the Monroe County Fairgrounds are within Tomah city limits and maintained by the city's Parks and Recreation Department even though the county seat is Sparta, WI)

Woodsmen youth minor league hockey games

Cran Fest (held in nearby Warrens, results in no vacancy in hotels within Tomah city limits)

Packerland Rabbit Show (statewide rabbit show competition held in city limits twice a year)

Freeze Fest (ice skating show)

City of Tomah Farmers' Market

Strike Zone Bowling Alley

Anytime Fitness

City of Tomah Recreation Station Youth Fun Zone

City of Tomah Senior and Disabled Services

Heart Strong Fitness Studio

9. Established Corporate and Industrial Base: The City of Tomah is proud to be the home for several major companies, several of whom are part of international and national corporate chains including, but not limited to, the following:

Walmart (distribution center and super center)

Cardinal Glass IG (factory, currently undergoing a first of its kind in the world artifical intelligence manufacturing operation expansion)

Toro (lawn mower factory and distribution center)

Kwik Trip (two regular gas stations and a full travel center with CAT scales operate within city limits, with two of these situated across the street from each other, the city is proud to recognize that one of the gas stations is consistently ranked as one of the top five busiest Kwik Trips in the state)

Kansas City Canadian Pacific Railroad (office)

USEMCO (factory for custom pump stations, water boosters, control systems, modular buildings, and steel fabrication solutions)

Allstate Peterbilt (truck repair, maintenance, and sales)

Arena Container (shipping containers)

Old Dominion Freight Lines

Dayton Freight Lines

ACE Hardware

All American Do It Center and All American Steel

Goodwill Retail and Training Center

Starbucks

Jimmy John's

Holiday Inn Express

Hampton Inn and Suites

Quality Inn

Best Western

10. Thriving Small Businesses: The City of Tomah is committed to working with small business owners to help them open or expand their business in Tomah. The city develops a local grant program each year targeting small business owners with the intent of offsetting impacts of tough economic conditions. The following is list that includes, but is not limited to, thriving small businesses within city limits:

Keene's Transfer

J&R Schugel Trucking Inc.

Dywer's Milk Transport

Taphouse Twenty Restaurant

Cranberry Country Lodge

Murray's On Main Restaurant

Tomah Lumber

Cancun Bay Mexican Restaurant

The Break Room Sports Bar and Grill

Jac's Steakhouse

BP Smokehouse BBQ Restaurant

11. Proud Home of Ho Chunk: Rich in culture and history, Tomah is the proud home of several Ho Chunk Nation service buildings and assets to include the Ho Chunk youth community center, Ho Chunk Housing Authority, and Ho Chunk Cinema. It is approximately a 30 minute drive to the Ho Chunk Nation's tribal headquarters in Black River Falls, WI.

12. Higher Education and Vocational Training Opportunities: Downtown Tomah is home to a satellite campus of Western Technical College. The Tomah campus features the Medical Assistant and Human Services Associate programs. The city is also less than a 20 minute drive to the Western Technical College Public Safety Training Facility which features associate degree programs for criminal justices, fire protection technician, and paramedic technician as well as technical diploma programs including criminal justice law enforcement - 720 academy, EMT advanced, EMT basic, and EMT paramedic. The city is approximately 45 minutes from UW-La Crosse, and a little over one hour to UW-Madison and UW-Eau Claire.

The City of Tomah is committed to economic development through the application of Smart Growth Principles:

1. Mixed land uses.

2. Take advantage of compact building design.

3. Create a range of housing opportunities and choices.

4. Create walkable neighborhoods.

5. Foster distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense of place.

6. Preserve open space, farmland, natural beauty and critical environmental areas.

7. Strengthen and direct development towards existing communities.

8. Provide a variety of transportation choices.

9. Make development decisions predictable, fair and cost effective.

10. Encourage community and stakeholder collaboration in development decisions.

With these principles in mind the City of Tomah currently has the following economic development priorities, in priority order:

1. Housing (see 2022 Housing Study in supporting documents at the end of this webpage)

2. Downtown Revitalization

3. YMCA-like Community Center

5. Commercial Expansion

6. Industrial Expansion

7. Daycare

8. AI Datacenter Research and Analysis

9. Workforce Development

The city takes advantage of several economic development tools, resources, and strategic partnerships:

Tomah Comprehensive Plan 2045
5-Year Strategic Plan
Annual Plan and Budget
Tax Increment Financing
Local, State, and Federal Grants
Greater Tomah Area Chamber of Commerce
Tomah Public Housing Authority
Tomah Area Historical Society
Forward Tomah (non-profit focused on job creation in the city)
Monroe County Economic Development and Tourism Committee
Mississippi River Regional Planning Commission
7 Rivers Alliance
Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority
Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation

HUMAN RESOURCES

The City Administrator serves as the city's Personnel Officer and is assisted by the Human Resources Generalist/Payroll Specialist. This is a position that serves as a human resources professional who handles the daily responsibilities of talent management, employee onboarding, administering compensation and benefits plans, and disbursing payroll for the organization.

2025 Employees of the Month:

January Janice Nicholson Municipal Court

February Nicole Jacobs Clerk’s Department

March Paulette Bolton Department of Senior and Disabled Services

April Scott Donovan Department of Public Works and Utilities

May Dave Deprey Tomah Public Library

June Megan Sweda Department of Public Works and Utilities

July Christi Anderson Department of Public Safety (Ambulance)

August Barbara Hendricks Treasury Department

September Rhonda Culpitt Police Department

October Bob Walker Department of Public Safety (Fire)

November Ashley Bankhead Police Department