MADISON – Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) – the combined state chamber, manufacturers’ association and safety council – urged opposition to a newly proposed ordinance in Marathon County that would give the local health department broad and overreaching authority over local businesses and individuals.
The Marathon County Board of Supervisors executive committee is expected to meet this coming Thursday to discuss the ordinance. In advance of the meeting, WMC Executive Vice President of Government Relations Scott Manley released the following statement urging County Supervisors to oppose the proposal:
“Marathon County’s proposed COVID-19 ordinance is fundamentally flawed, unfair and should be rejected by the county board. Several of the regulations proposed against businesses and citizens conflict with state law and are therefore unlawful. The ordinance gives broad, overreaching and unaccountable authority to a single unelected decision-maker to impose burdens that could have disastrous economic consequences for families and businesses in Marathon County.
“The ordinance’s draconian penalty of $25,000 per day for failure to comply with regulations, many of which are not based in the law, is excessive and likely unlawful. Given the significant legal and policy concerns with the proposed ordinance, the Marathon County Board should reject it, and instead work with stakeholders on a narrowly-focused ordinance that actually complies with the limitations imposed under state law.”
