The Marathon County Health and Human Services Committee on Oct. 8 forwarded a resolution to the full County Board to continue Marathon County’s membership in the Central Wisconsin Housing Region consortium and to authorize participation in the 2026 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.

County Administrator Lance Leonard said the consortium — which includes Adams, Green Lake, Juneau, Marathon, Marquette, Portage, Waupaca and Wood counties — administers federal CDBG dollars for the region and must submit an application every two years to remain eligible. "It really is just to be a member of the consortium and then to appoint a board member who attends the meetings and provides guidance relative to any questions that, or policy issues that would come before it," Leonard said.

Why it matters: participation gives Marathon County residents access to housing-related CDBG services that are not routed through the county directly — for example, homeowner repair assistance and landlord-applied rehabilitation funds — because the city of Wausau is treated as a separate entitlement area for CDBG funding at the federal level.

Leonard said the consortium’s grant administration is handled out of Juneau County and that membership primarily requires the county to name a representative to the regional board. Supervisor Endress was recently appointed to that regional board, replacing Supervisor Unger as Marathon County’s representative, Leonard said.

Committee members moved and seconded forwarding the resolution to the County Board for consideration; Supervisor Covelli was recorded as the second. "All in favor? Aye," the committee voted, and the motion carried.

Next steps: The resolution will be scheduled for County Board consideration; if the board does not retain consortium membership, county residents would likely lose direct access to funds distributed through that regional CDBG process.