Wausau resident urges transparency over 'Whitewater' property as closed‑session action appears on agenda

Carrie Morel, a Wausau resident, told the City of Wausau Economic Development Committee on Nov. 4 that she had been working privately to find a site for services for people experiencing homelessness and had been examining the Whitewater property. She said she visited city offices on Oct. 21, spoke with zoning staff and others, and later saw a closed‑session agenda item indicating the city might pursue purchase of the property.

"All of a sudden on Thursday, there comes out the agenda with a closed session on the city buying White Water," Morel said, arguing the timing of the agenda item raised concerns about secrecy. She said she planned to use her own funds, pursue grants and partner funding, and that she filed an open records request to verify when the city first considered the purchase. "I can't prove anything, but I wanted to just state for the record what that comes across to be," she said.

Morel also referenced a recent $750,000 payment related to 11 Scott Street, saying residents and civic groups are unhappy with that expenditure and questioning whether the city has capacity for another large property purchase. She said the mayor has publicly stated he does not want the unhoused "to be seen," a line she cited as context for why secrecy would be problematic.

The committee did not debate the Whitewater property during open session; the meeting proceeded to other agenda items. Morel said she had submitted an open records request and asked the committee to note the sequence of events she described. The city did not provide an on‑the‑record response to Morel’s assertions during the Nov. 4 meeting.

The Economic Development Committee later moved into closed session on a separate item concerning a possible purchase of 130 First Street; the closed session motion was made and approved under the Wisconsin statutes citation read on the record.