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Wausau committee begins contract negotiations with Bridge Street Mission on year‑round emergency shelter; moves to closed session
Summary
After public comment raising nondiscrimination concerns, the committee voted to go into closed session to negotiate contract terms with Bridge Street Mission to operate a year-round emergency shelter at 325 North First Avenue; no contract was approved in open session.
The Wausau Finance Committee on June 24 began deliberations over a proposal from Bridge Street Mission to operate a year-round emergency shelter at 325 North First Avenue and voted to enter closed session to negotiate contract terms.
A member of the public, Sandy Kelch, urged the committee not to allocate public funds to Bridge Street Mission, citing concerns that the organization “openly discriminates against LGBTQ individuals” and warning against potential religious coercion in services. Kelch said public funds should support shelters that do not exclude people based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
City staff said the city had issued two request-for-proposal (RFP) rounds for shelter services. After the first round produced…
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