Board of Health moves to approve resolution creating Rural Environmental Health Alliance; ordinance tabled until March

The Marquette County Board of Health at its Feb. 4, 2025 meeting moved to approve a resolution to form the Rural Environmental Health Alliance (REHA) and agreed to table a companion Food Safety and Recreational Licensing (FSRL) ordinance until the board's March meeting; the transcript does not record a vote tally.

Health Officer and Director Jayme Sopha presented the REHA proposal and an estimated program budget covering FSRL, environmental health and transient non‑community services. Sopha described a proposed staffing model that would include a program manager and county inspectors assigned to Marquette and Green Lake counties, and said Marquette County would serve as the fiscal agent responsible for setting and collecting fees and hiring staff if the consortium proceeds.

Sopha told the board that Green Lake County had already approved the resolution. During new business, board member Dave Benson moved to approve the FSRL resolution and to table the FSRL ordinance until the March Board of Health meeting; Mike Raddatz seconded the motion. The motion language directed approval of the resolution and postponement of the ordinance; the meeting transcript does not include a recorded roll‑call or tally for that motion.

Board members did not discuss specific fee schedules or a finalized staffing start date at the meeting; Sopha said the proposed timeline could change depending on when approvals occur. The ordinance the board tabled is scheduled to return for consideration at the March 4, 2025 meeting.

Procedural next steps include preparing the ordinance for a future vote and finalizing budget and staffing details if the consortium moves forward. The board adjourned at 10:16 a.m.