Central Wisconsin News

The City of Wisconsin Rapids is set to launch its new website, wirapids.gov, at noon on July 30. The city says the redesigned site will improve communication with residents and make it easier to access municipal services. Alongside the website rollout, staff email addresses will also move to the new domain.

Funding for the project was approved by the Wisconsin Rapids Common Council in September 2024. Since then, a team made up of city employees from different departments worked with CivicPlus, a website vendor, to design and develop the platform. Over ten weeks this summer, staff created content for the site based on feedback from department heads, elected officials, community members, and local leaders.

The new website features a homepage calendar that highlights public meetings, bridge lighting schedules, tax deadlines, and City Hall closures. It also offers improved tools for public communication—including a general feedback form and an option for reporting nonemergency issues related to public property—as well as clearer information about permitting processes.

“When I ran for mayor, one of my objectives was to build exceptional customer service and public communications at the City of Wisconsin Rapids. Providing consistent, clear, accessible information and offering simple ways to contact staff are priorities for me, and the new website is an important tool for supporting those priorities,” said Mayor Matt Zacher.

Mayor Zacher continued: “I appreciate the input we received from the public, which helped us understand the user experience. Thank you to staff for providing feedback and information for the website, and, most of all, embracing significant change. Finally, I’d like to thank the staff group who devoted many hours, in addition to their enthusiasm and expertise, to this important project. I am proud of the exceptional work of our staff.”

Residents can learn more about new features or watch instructional videos by visiting either facebook.com/WIRapids or youtube.com/@WisconsinRapidsCommunityMedia.

City officials note that there may be some technical issues during launch. Anyone experiencing problems is asked to use the “Contact Us” form at the bottom of each page or email mayor@wirapids.gov with details and screenshots if possible so that city staff can address them quickly.

For now, visitors using wirapids.org or previous email addresses will be redirected automatically to wirapids.gov as part of a transition period.