Wausau City Hall. MWC file photo.
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — The Wausau City Council is set to take up their version of the “A Community for All” resolution Tuesday night. The only question is- will they do so with or without discussion?
The matter is currently part of the Council’s consent agenda- a group of items that are either passed or voted down with a single vote. The tool is usually used to quickly approve items such as the minutes of a previous meeting or various licenses which don’t require much discussion.
Items can be removed from the consent agenda for an individual vote by any one of the Alders. As of Monday evening, it was unclear if any Alders had plans to ask for the item to be removed for discussion.
The matter did pass the city’s economic development committee on a 5-0 vote.
Tuesday’s meeting is set for 6:30 at Wausau City Hall.
Meanwhile, the County’s Diversity Affairs Commission canceled a scheduled meeting for discussion “on joining County and City diversity efforts” just as quickly as it was called. The agenda was publicized on both the city and county website shortly after 12:30 on Monday, but by 10:30 AM Tuesday WSAU news was told the meeting was canceled.
Both the city and county websites were updated before noon to reflect the change, with the city’s website stating that the meeting would be rescheduled at a later date.
It remains unclear what the meeting was going to cover. No further agenda materials were provided, and according to the published agenda no city leaders were set to be part of the discussion.
The community for all resolution has been in the works for over a year but has failed to win enough support among the county Board of Supervisors to pass. The matter has also sharply divided the county along political lines with some conservatives calling it unneeded by saying racism isn’t present in the county. Others have said the measure would lead to the county redistributing wealth and the end of private property- claims that authors of the measure have denied.
Supporters of the measure have insisted that there is no hidden agenda in the wording. Saying it’s only meant to serve as a reassurance to those in marginalized communities that no matter who you are you’re welcome to build a life in Wausau and Marathon County.
The fight over the issue has garnered national attention including two recent articles in the New York Times.
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