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County committee debates $175,000 budget for emergency shelter access; agrees to retain funding while studying long-term services
Summary
Supervisors debated using $175,000 in the 2026 proposed budget for emergency shelter operations versus funding a county health-department position to expand case management aimed at long-term housing stability, but took no reallocation vote and left the funding in the proposed budget while asking staff for more detail.
Marathon County supervisors debated funding priorities for homelessness services during the committee's Oct. 7 meeting, weighing the county's role in paying for emergency shelter access against investing in case management and longer-term pathways to housing stability.
Supervisor Lemmer urged shifting some of the $175,000 the budget proposes for emergency shelter toward a health-department position to coordinate case management and to accelerate implementation of gap-analysis recommendations from the county's opioid settlement work. "I feel we need to pay attention to the gaps from the opioid settlement ... top on the list is increased case management," Lemmer said, arguing that better coordination could reduce repeated crisis responses.
Chair Gibbs and others cautioned that removing or reallocating emergency shelter funds would create an immediate service gap and could exacerbate demand on law enforcement and existing shelter operations. Administrator Leonard outlined the budget history: the board amended the 2025 budget by resolution to allocate up to $200,000 for emergency shelter access; for 2026 the proposed budget carries forward remaining 2025 funds (estimated carry-forward) and shows a potential county share of $175,000 to match the city of Wausau's contract for emergency shelter operations.
Leonard also noted two other funding pieces: $50,000 in the county administrator's special projects budget and a contingent amount that, combined with the carry-forward, would fulfill the county's pledge if the full contract cost materializes. The committee discussed that the budget currently includes a proposed health-department position to coordinate shelter and outreach services; supervisors said that position, if funded, should be used to identify which service gaps the county should responsibly fill.
There was no committee motion to reallocate the shelter funding on Oct. 7. Committee members agreed the issue requires deliberation and directed staff to continue coordinating with the city of Wausau and to provide clearer programmatic details before November budget finalization.
