Marathon County committee approves $200,000 contingency request to support Wausau shelter, sends resolution to full board

A Marathon County committee voted to forward a resolution asking the county to provide $200,000 from its contingency fund to partner with the City of Wausau on emergency shelter funding and to pursue a joint request for proposals (RFP) for shelter services.

The request, moved by Supervisor Hart and seconded by Supervisor Lemmer, was approved by voice vote and will go before the full County Board for final consideration. The chair said the motion "carries" but noted it was not unanimous.

The action responds to public comment and task-force recommendations urging county participation after Catholic Charities’ City of Wausau funding for shelter services ended late in 2024. In public comment, Gary Beltis (transcribed elsewhere as Gary Beltus), regional director for Catholic Charities, told the committee that the city’s funding ended on Dec. 31, 2024 for the day shelter and on Oct. 31, 2024 for the night shelter, and that Catholic Charities “has been financing 100% of the night shelter since November first of 2024.” Beltis also provided 2024 service counts: 317 unique individuals and 10,602 night stays, and said the day shelter averaged roughly 22 to more than 26 guests per day in November and December.

Wausau Police Chief Barnes told the committee that without a stable funding source for overnight shelter the city and county face a risk of encampments and dispersed unsheltered individuals. “I stand here as the chief of Wausau terrified of what Wausau will look like come summertime if we don't have shelter,” Barnes said, urging a joint city–county approach and measurable benchmarks. Barnes said the city has allocated up to $400,000 to the police department to support homelessness-related work through Dec. 31, 2026, and asked the county to match city spending on a roughly 50/50 basis while the RFP and longer-term strategy are developed.

Supervisor Conway and others on the homelessness task force described learning from other municipalities (including La Crosse) that successful programs typically combine city and county funding and shared management. The task force reported private-community funding of about $2,500,000 annually that also supports services.

Committee members questioned exit strategies and contract protections. County staff and Corporation Counsel Froehner said standard contract provisions would be used: termination for cause with notice and opportunity to remedy, termination for non‑appropriation of funds, and the option to terminate without cause with sufficient notice. The draft resolution calls for key performance indicators and for obligating funds for 2025 only; any 2026 funding would be determined during the county’s budget process.

The specific motion before the committee directed staff to use contingency funds (the staff recommendation) as the source for the requested $200,000 and to work with city staff on a joint RFP that would allow Catholic Charities and other nonprofits to submit proposals. Supervisor Hart moved adoption “as presented with the funding source being the Contingency Fund and move that to the full board for consideration.” Supervisor Lemmer seconded. The committee adopted the motion by voice vote; the chair stated “So it carries, but it is not unanimous.” The resolution will be presented to the full County Board at its upcoming meeting.

The committee did not set a final RFP timetable in committee, but Chief Barnes said drafting the RFP in partnership with county staff should take “not much more than a week.” The resolution also asks for benchmarks and measurable expectations to be included in any contract awarded under the RFP.

Public-comment and task-force figures provided by Catholic Charities and staff are reflected in committee discussion; the committee did not adopt or modify Catholic Charities’ operating model during the meeting. The full County Board will make the final decision on the contingency appropriation and any longer-term funding commitments.