METRO BRiEFS
by B . C . K ow a l s k i
Mask mandated
The city is considering its own mask ordinance — it’s inspired talk of a lawsuit, and a Trump parade
Wausau’s Mayor, Katie Rosenberg, announced a series of executive orders late Friday that declared a state of emergency in the face of COVID-19, barred firearms and weapons from polling sites and limited capacity in city buildings to allow for six feet of social distancing. At the same time, a special Public Health and Safety Meeting was called to consider a potential ordinance that would mandate wearing masks in indoor spaces within the city limits and impose fines for those who don’t. The moves sparked threats of lawsuits and a parade of pickup trucks bearing Trump flags past Rosenberg’s house Saturday. So far, according to online court records, that lawsuit has not materialized. And neither did the ordinance. The Public Health and Safety Committee Monday chose instead to recommend a
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November 5-12, 2020
▲ M a y or K a t i e R os en berg s p ea k s w h i l e w ea ri n g a ma s k a t a vot i n g even t T h u rs d a y . R os en berg i n i t i a t ed a s eri es of ex ec u t i ve ord ers t h e n ex t d a y .
resolution, to start at the end of Gov. Tony Evers’ statewide mask mandate that is set to expire Nov. 21. The resolution simply asks residents to wear masks but includes no penalties for failure to do so. The decision came after Wausau Police Chief Ben Bliven essentially said he wouldn’t be able to enforce a mask mandate. Business owners can already request law enforcement intervene if a customer refuses to wear a mask, and depending on the situation the offender might face charges of trespassing or disorderly conduct. Public Health and Safety Chair Lisa Rasmussen told the committee that she
has received a lot of feedback on the potential mandate, as have other council members. In her case, the feedback was 3 to 1 in favor of a mandate, and comments sent via the city clerk’s online form were 4 to 1. Committee member Dawn Herbst says she had the opposite experience, with 3 to 1 against the mandate. The mandate consideration comes as the county and state as a whole have been hit with a new wave of COVID-19 cases in October. Census tract data shows new COVID cases in the middle weeks of October tend to be somewhat concentrated around the Wausau metro, but nearly every census tract has a high number of new cases in the period between Oct. 11 and Oct. 24. Marathon County Health Officer Joan Theurer says COVID-19 cases have increased ten-fold from only a month ago, which Department of Health Services data confirms. Hospitals are on the verge of being overwhelmed. The committee voted 3-2 to forward the resolution, which doesn’t contain penalties, to the city council. The council will take up the resolution Nov. 10; it could choose to pass the resolution, the ordinance which includes penalties, or nothing.
Baldwin calls on Verso to run or sell their Wisconsin Rapids mill
U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin is calling on Verso to either run or sell its Wisconsin Rapids mill. Baldwin sent a letter last week to Verso’s Corporate headquarters after the company announced it was suspending
its attempts to find a buyer for its mill. “Many in the community were hoping for a quick sale to a buyer that would operate the mill and preserve its nearly one thousand jobs,” Baldwin wrote. “The disappointing news that the sale is on hold raises concerns that Verso will close the mill instead of selling it to an operator.” The mill stopped operations in July and 902 workers were laid off as a result. Baldwin criticized the company’s decision to spend $100 million on a special dividend and $150 million on stock buybacks only one week after shutting down the mill. Verso’s announcement was a shock to a task force that was working on easing the transition as hundreds in the community found themselves without jobs.
City setting aside funding for strategic plan
Talk of a strategic plan, a key initiative in Mayor Katie Rosenberg’s mayoral campaign, had pretty much ceased as the city turned its attention to dealing with COVID-19. But now, that process has begun. The city’s finance committee recently approved setting aside $50,000 to hire a consultant to help develop a strategic plan. The goal of the plan is to lay out the city’s measurable goals so that decision can align with that strategy. A similar example is the county’s strategic plan, where decisions are evaluated by how they fit with the plan. The plan outlines metrics — real hard and fast numeric goals — the county can use to evaluate whether it has met its goals. Finance committee member Deb Ryan