WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — For the first time since he took office Mayor Doug Diny says he’s lost sleep over an issue.
But he’s also making changes to make sure Alders are in the loop on things like the proposed restructure of the city’s Parks Department while keeping the public informed in real-time. “It was a direct communication to the public. [Alders] got everything the public got, and that’s our starting point. But, I would say one thing I could do is- if we’re going to do a press release I will send them a courtesy copy.
“The way I look at it is- it didn’t go well [because alders] were offended that the weren’t in the loop on the press release,” said Diny. “OK, we can fix that.”
He says sharing the information with the alders and the public in real-time is reasonable, but all fine-tuning or discussion on the proposals would need to happen per Wisconsin’s open meetings laws- meaning no advance preview or notice of such proposals. “That is the improper way to do it.”
Open meeting laws prohibit things like a discussion among Alders as part of a “replay all” email chain, which can constitute a walking quorum especially if the number of Alders on the email conversation is equal to or greater than the number required for a quorum.
RELATED: Parks and Rec Committee Drills Mayor Diny Over Budget Memo, Proposed Cuts
Some members of the Parks and Recreation committee accused the Mayor of blindsiding them with the proposal, which was included in last Monday’s agenda packet. Diny noted that he called both Lou Larson and Michael Martens to discuss the issue, but when Larson told Diny he didn’t have time for a call the two weren’t able to reconnect before the meeting.
Any changes to the intergovernmental agreement between Wausau and Marathon County could require anywhere from three to 12 months to implement. Diny expects the proposal to be discussed several times at the committee level before any final votes are scheduled and adds that he will not hesitate to back away from the plan if the numbers aren’t looking favorable
Other topics Diny discussed with WSAU’s Mike Leischner include:
Start of video- Parks Department proposal
10:05- Proposed Riverlife apartments
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