Marathon County board approves 2025 funding push for emergency shelter; task force, RFP planned

The Marathon County Board of Supervisors on Thursday approved Resolution 12-25 asking county administration to work with City of Wausau staff on a request for proposals and to consider up to county contingency funds for emergency shelter services in 2025.

The measure matters because Catholic Charities, the organization that runs the Good Shepherd Shelter, lacks confirmed funding after May 1, and board and city staff said a delay could leave the county without a year-round emergency shelter into the warmer months.

Board debate focused on data, oversight and long-term costs. Vice Chair Dickinson said the board received an altered proposal shortly before the meeting and asked for more time and clearer metrics. “We could spend a whole lot of time digging through all of the individual bullet points of this,” Dickinson said, arguing the changes warranted additional review.

Supervisor Robinson said the amendment and document changes reflect work since the finance committee review and that performance measures were added. Robinson said the amended resolution restricts the county commitment to 2025 only and expects a sustainability plan for services beyond Dec. 31, 2025: the county would consider any 2026 funding through the regular budget process. Robinson said the resolution includes benchmarks for capacity, separation by gender, mental-health and substance-abuse needs, and limits on length of stay tied to engagement in services.

Chief Barnes, who answered operational questions during the discussion, told the board that Catholic Charities “that provides the Good Shepherd Shelter… is not funded after May 1,” and said that without a county commitment the city would need to proceed on its own. He said that on extreme cold days the community “expands the capacity of the shelter and utilizes other organizations whether they be faith based churches or Bridge Street Mission” and that community partners have historically provided surge capacity.

County Administrator Leonard urged coordination rather than long-term county funding and said the administration’s work plan directs staff to develop a long-term strategic plan with city partners. “The county does not see a future in funding shelter long term,” Leonard said; he told the board the intent is to use existing county-funded services (veterans services, human services, North Central Health Care and others) more effectively rather than create a permanent county-funded shelter obligation.

Supervisors pressed for fiscal controls in the RFP and contract. Supervisor Zhang asked whether the county should cap indirect/administrative overhead in contracts; Leonard said the RFP can require a submitted administrative overhead allocation and can include “billing for actual costs” and a not-to-exceed cap. Members also discussed private-sector contributions: Supervisor Covelli said the private business community’s annual financial involvement was cited as about $2,500,000.

The board approved the resolution directing administration to work with Wausau on an RFP and to consider contingency-fund support; the motion passed with the required two-thirds majority but not unanimously. The resolution and the RFP work are intended to secure emergency shelter capacity for the remainder of 2025 and establish performance metrics and contract termination language allowing the county flexibility.

Next steps called for administration and city staff to develop an RFP and proposed contract language that includes measurable performance indicators, termination-for-cause and termination-with-notice provisions, and billing requirements. Board members said the homelessness task force will continue, with a scheduled extension for related work through April 1, 2025, for further planning and oversight.