Building the Wall: Inside Menomonie’s I-4 Ordinance

Can a small city build a wall that a big tech giant can’t scale? That was the big question when the City held a special meeting.

On Tuesday, September 15, 2026, the City of Menomonie held a vital special meeting to discuss the second draft of the I-4 ordinance. I was there with my camera to capture the entire two-hour session, which featured Attorney Larry Konopacki answering pressing questions from both the city council and the public. As a layman, I found his thought-provoking insights incredibly easy to grasp. He gave me real hope that the city is building an unscalable wall to protect our small community from big tech giants—while wisely cautioning us not to let fear drive overly restrictive rules that could spark lawsuits. It was an incredibly informative evening, and I’ve condensed those two hours down to a punchy, one-hour film of the meeting’s most critical moments entitled: Building the Wall: Inside Menomonie’s I-4 Ordinance. I made several shorter clips from the one hour film as well. The following is the full film.

Quote from Attorney Larry Konopacki:

“We are right now where you are right now to frame the discussion. You know, we all hear a lot about moratoria, sort of comment about moratoria. I want to be crystal clear: city of Menomonie is far beyond the point of the moratorium. So to do a moratorium would be to go backwards in terms of the city putting itself in a position to control what happens or does not happen. And the reason for that is rest of the counties, cities, villages, and towns that have done moratoria, they still have to do what we’ve already done during the moratorium period. They have to develop an ordinance and make decisions about how they want to regulate and where they want to locate these kinds of uses, if anywhere. You’ve already done that. You did that. You skipped the first step and went right to the step that everyone else needs to still do by creating an I-4 district.” ~Attorney Larry Konopacki

Attorney Larry Konopacki has been working with the city to develop the I-4 Ordinance

Larry Konopacki is a partner in the Madison office of Stafford Rosenbaum LLP, specializing in environmental, agricultural, administrative, and local government law. With over a decade of prior experience as an attorney for the Wisconsin Legislative Council, he has deep expertise in developing state legislation across a broad spectrum of regulatory, economic, and community development issues. A dedicated educator and community leader, Larry taught agricultural business law at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for over ten years and frequently volunteers as an instructor and advisory board member for local legal programs. He holds a B.S. in Natural Sciences from UW-Madison and a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School.

The public shared thier questions and concerns during the public comment part of the meeting. The attorney did make a comment to the following resident that he would catch her after the meeting to answer her concern.

My name is Teri Siebold. “I was hoping to ask a question tonight of the lawyer attorney that’s here as to where he thinks some kind of protection for residents that live within say 1 to two miles or 3 miles of the data center. protection for the property value to make sure that it meets current value when or if someone tries to sell your property after the data center is in place. I’m not sure. I was told that that can’t be part of the ordinance, but I would like to know where is a possible place to put that kind of statement in the data center going forward. Thank you.”

Quote from the mayor of Menomonie

“On Tuesday September 15, 2026 we had a valuable two-hour discussion about the I-4 ordinance. I wholeheartedly agree with the environmental attorney Larry Konopacki, who has been engaged to assist with this ordinance. He noted that we are significantly ahead of nearly every community in Wisconsin in this process. I truly believe that Menomonie will set a precedent for other communities to emulate in the future.” ~Menomonie Mayor Matthew Crowe

A quote from the city administrator

“Although it has taken a long time, I’m very grateful for where we’re at in this process. And again, I would agree with what Larry had said. We’re way ahead of a lot of other communities. So, thank you for that work for all of you as well as members of the public and those that are able to view it remotely. Thank you.” ~Eric Atkinson, City of Menomonie Administrator

Clip from Building the Wall: Inside Menomonie’s I-4 Ordinance.

Another clip:

“Thank you to Mayor Matthew Crowe, City Administrator Eric Atkinson, Attorney Larry Konopack, Council President Cody Gentz (Ward 7), and Council Members Jeff Luther (Ward 1), Diane Edwards (Ward 2), Eric Sutherland (Ward 3), Gretchen Yonko (Ward 4), Abigail Pickard (Ward 5), Leland Schwebs (Ward 6), Camden Hargrove (Ward 8), Chad Schlough (Ward 9), Ryland J. Erdman (Ward 10), and Randy Sommerfeld (Ward 11) for participating in the special meeting regarding the I-4 ordinance on Tuesday, September 15, 2026. Your leadership, dedication, and thoughtful discussion during this session are greatly appreciated as we work together to address important community guidelines and future planning.” ~The Red Cedar Watershed Ledger

In a time when big tech and rapidly changing industries present new challenges for small communities, staying informed is our strongest shield. Understanding the guardrails our city is putting in place is vital for every resident who cares about the future of our home. Don’t miss the opportunity to see how our local leaders and legal experts are working to protect us. You can watch the comprehensive story unfold in the full, one-hour documentary, Building the Wall: Inside Menomonie I-4 Ordinance. If you are short on time, please make sure to check out the series of shorter, focused clips highlighting the most critical breakthroughs and Q&A sessions from that evening. Whether you watch the full film or dive into the bite-sized clips, getting informed is the first step toward safeguarding Menomonie together.

Stay positive!