On November 16, 2023, we filed the first of two Open Records requests with the City of Columbus. We asked for all records pertaining to the Dingee Farm. On January 23, 2024, that request was fulfilled in the form of a USB drive containing hundreds of emails.

Third drop - 3/27/24

These documents pertain to a variety of subjects, outlined below.

Mid-march 2023, in which Alder Steiner belittles those who want to save the Farm and refers to a public listening session, proposed by then-Mayor Arnold, as a waste of time. [View PDF]

Late March 2023, in which Attorney Johnson outlines significant legal barriers to any development of the Farm. These concerns have yet to be addressed in open council. [View PDF]

Mid-April 2023, in which then-Assistant City Administrator Brandon Bledsoe broadcasts Dave & Brian’s personal financial information to his buddies, for their amusement. [View PDF]

Late April 2023, in which the City Attorney and City Administrator make cryptic references to local landowner Curt Hanson. [View PDF]

Early November 2023, in which the City receives an appraisal of the Dingee Farm, valuing it at $570,000. [View PDF]

Second drop - 2/6/24

These documents primarily concern the initial purchase of the property but also show two different developers who may be interested in the Farm.

Did the City use ARPA funds or not?

The City maintains that they used Covid-19 relief money to purchase the Farm. This is called “ARPA money” — funds distributed through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), passed during the pandemic. If the City did indeed use ARPA money, the property can only be developed if it is developed for affordable housing. Without subsidies, developers are extremely unlikely to take on an affordable housing project. In the current economic climate, costs to build are high and the limits set by federal law regarding affordable housing are low. The difference is too much - a developer has no economic incentive to build such a development without subsidies.

On to the emails:

Late February 2023, in which the City Attorney and City Administrator establish that the City’s ARPA allocation is $535,903. Keep in mind the purchase price the City paid for the Farm was $560,000. [View PDF]

Late February 2023, in which the listing agent and City Administrator discuss the deal at length. For context, at this time the listing agent was ignoring or deflecting our offers, claiming they needed to hear from the heirs. [View PDF]

Early March 2023, in which the City Treasurer confirms the amount coming from ARPA. [View PDF]

Mid-March 2023, in which the City Attorney suggests a quick sale. [View PDF]

Late March 2023, in which Alder Gray responds to a constituent that ARPA funds will be used. [View PDF]

Again, if the City used ARPA funds to purchase the Farm… as best we can tell as non-lawyer lay people, any housing built there must be “affordable,” per federal guidelines. If they did not use ARPA funds, they must be honest on this with the public.

Two additional developers

We also noticed two contacts between the City and other developers. It does not appear that these developers pursued anything more than initial contact, but we will keep them on our radar for future open records requests.

Early April 2023, in which the City Administrator appears to reach out unilaterally to Eldon Homes. [View PDF]

Early May 2023, in which the City Administrator responds to a query by NAI Madison. [View PDF]

First drop - 1/28/24

These documents relate to two developers who have been emailing City officials trying to get an inside track on developing the Farm. They are Valido Homes and True Realty/Lamps Landing. During our pursuit of the property, some City officials denounced us for daring to speak to anyone in City government. We were told that communicating with City officials directly was unethical despite the fact that we were extremely public at every turn, posting everything online in open forums. Proper procedure, they said, was to speak only to the City through the City Attorney. Yet, when it comes to developers talking with City officials directly, it seems to be “anything goes!”

Valido Homes

Valido Homes has an office in Columbus but is registered in Pewaukee. They build both developments and single-family homes. Here are some examples of homes that they are selling in the area. They communicate regularly, persistently, and directly with City officials. On to the emails:

Early February 2023, in which Valido Homes is asking about ARPA money. [View PDF]

Late February 2023, in which Valido Homes asks to attend a closed session. [View PDF]

Late May 2023, in which Valido Homes is afforded a direct, productive back-and-forth with City officials on the topic of development. We were completely shut out of communicating with the City until we started paying thousands of dollars to an attorney. [View PDF]

Mid-June 2023, in which Valido Homes asks for, and receives, the results of the RFP process before they are discussed at Council. [View PDF]

Mid-November 2023, in which Valido Homes persistently contacts the City Administrator. [View PDF]

Mid-December 2023, in which Valido Homes more persistently contacts the City Administrator. [View PDF]

Mid-December 2023, in which Valido Homes asks the City to bypass the RFP process. [View PDF]

Lamps Landing

This one was a bit of a surprise to us as we had never heard of them. For those who worry about Columbus turning into Sun Prairie, this outfit boasted to City officials that it created the apartment complex across the street from the Sun Prairie Costco. In their emails, which are now public record, Lamps Landing says that this is their plan for the Dingee Farm:

Now to the emails…

Mid-July 2023, in which Josh Lamp and the City are discussing the Farm as if it is still up for RFP, which it is not, at this point. [View PDF]

Mid-July 2023, in which a City staff member connects the Mayor to Josh Lamp. [View PDF]

Mid-December 2023, in which the Mayor acknowledges having seen plans from Josh Lamp. [View PDF]

Mid-December 2023, in which Josh Lamp requests that the City bypass the RFP process. He also acknowledges that both the Mayor and Alder Gray had seen and provided him follow-up on his plans. [View PDF]

Mid-December 2023, in which Alder Gray discusses how to get Josh Lamp’s proposal on the Council agenda. [View PDF]

Mid-December 2023, in which Josh Lamp and Alder Gray arrange an off-record phone call. [View PDF]

Mid-December 2023, in which the Mayor acknowledges hearing from Josh Lamp. [View PDF]

Finally, this is the plan that Lamps Landing has for the Dingee Farm. We certainly don’t think this is an improvement over a historic, 1860s farmstead!