Committee backs updated Marathon County assembly ordinance with 5,000-person threshold

The Marathon County Infrastructure Committee on an unanimous voice vote recommended the county board consider a revised county assembly ordinance (code 12.04) that raises the special-event threshold to 5,000 people and relaxes prescriptive parking requirements.

The draft ordinance, drafted by a county work group and reviewed by the Environmental Resources Committee (ERC), replaces a version the county says is not enforceable. Director Givens said the work group met for a year and a half and engaged large-event organizers and towns while drafting the proposal. The ERC recommended two principal changes: raising the threshold from 3,000 to 5,000 and changing detailed parking prescriptions to outcome-focused parking plans.

The changes mean events that typically draw 2,000–3,000 attendees — including some iterations of the June Dairy Breakfast — would not be subject to the ordinance unless attendance reaches 5,000. Director Givens said the 5,000 threshold aligns with state administrative code requirements for mass-casualty planning and would limit the ordinance to truly large assemblies.

Public commenters urged caution. Dean Beck, Town of Easton chairman, said the town has had little input in past permitting and is concerned about public-safety and volunteer first-responder burdens; Beck said, “it’s my phone that rings when this stuff goes on.” Jean Schult, representing the Partnership for Progressive Agriculture, said volunteer nonprofit organizers face significant administrative workload and told the committee, “we estimate it would take close to 75 hours for 1 person to complete” the tasks the draft ordinance lists.

Administrator Leonard briefed the committee on constitutional limits the county must respect and said the revised draft focuses on content-neutral, process-oriented public-safety requirements rather than regulating the substance of assemblies. Leonard said the previous ordinance contained specific numeric and timeline provisions that courts in other Wisconsin counties have found unconstitutional when they unreasonably restricted free speech and assembly.

Supervisor Hartinger moved to recommend the ordinance as revised by the ERC; Supervisor Voll seconded. The committee approved the recommendation by unanimous voice vote.

The committee can still advise additional edits when the county board considers the ordinance; the board will receive the ERC-backed draft unless the committee files alternate recommendations. The next formal step is consideration by the full Marathon County Board of Supervisors.