A Fond du Lac business organization is criticizing the city council for not restoring funding in a proposed 2024 budget, the council president says the money is still going toward economic development. Envision Greater Fond du Lac interim president Joe Venhuizen says the council has rebuffed a public-private partnership by eliminating the city’s economic development contribution to Envision. “It’s very disappointing. It takes us down to zero for economic development,” Venhuizen told WFDL news. In 2022 the council cut funding to Envision by half, directing the finances to the Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership. The money was used to fund the director of Small Business and Entrepreneurship and director of Business Client Services. Council president Keith Heisler says the money is instead going into the city’s economic development fund. “You’ve got an opportunity to continue to see some fantastic progress with the department (Community Development) that you’re already seeing progress in, and to be candid, we (council) weren’t really sure what Envision was doing with dollars we were giving them,” Heisler told WFDL news. Heisler also notes that Envision is also already receiving about $275,000 in taxpayer money from Fond du Lac County.
