Wausau council declines to reopen vote on HUD lead-hazard MOU after public testimony and procedural dispute

Wausau — The Wausau Common Council voted on March 10 to leave intact a previously approved memorandum of understanding with Healthy Opportunities for Latin Americans (OLA) and New Beginnings to administer a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development lead-hazard capacity-building grant, after residents and nonprofit leaders urged the council not to delay and alderpersons debated budget priorities and procedural rules.

Public commenters urged the council to proceed quickly to protect children from lead exposure. Rebecca Bourke, pastor of First United Methodist Church and president of New Beginnings for Refugees, told the council: "If we pass on this grant or if we delay its implementation, we don't just lose funding, we lose an opportunity to build a stronger and healthier community." Aaron Andrews, a New Beginnings board member, added that "HUD's guidelines for the lead education grant allows for funding to be used to cover operating costs," arguing that reimbursing staff time is necessary to meet federal reporting and outreach requirements.

The nut of the council debate was budget allocation and timing. City staff and nonprofit partners described the grant as a capacity-building award with three components — community education and partnership-building, contractor training, and limited abatement — and said HUD reimburses costs only for documented work. Corey Norbam, a physician and OLA board member, explained that the grant targets community outreach and training now and would fund abatement work ("three to five homes targeted in the last 6 months of the project," he said) only after capacity is demonstrated. Norbam also pointed to the Equiflow project partnership and the program's past role in replacing lines that, he said, exceeded 2,100 service-line replacements over two years.

Several alderpersons pressed staff about scale and use of funds. Tammy (city staff) said Wausau has more than 15,000 households and that a prior city survey showed about 72% of homes were built before 1978 — a proxy for potential lead-paint risk — but noted HUD eligibility (income limits and a child under 6) will narrow which households qualify. Concern over administrative costs was a recurring point: one alderperson cited a budget line showing roughly $400,000 allocated to administration and highlighted a listed CEO salary of $183,000 as an example of why more of the grant should go toward abatement rather than overhead.

Alder Rasmusson, who brought the item back for discussion, said the city lacked internal capacity in 2024 to manage the full grant and that the health department has since partnered to help administer it. She urged the council to focus on outreach to communities with language barriers while assuring constituents the program is not intended to trigger immigration enforcement: "I certainly hope that there is not some assertion that we would use that opportunity to trigger or aid ICE enforcement. That has nothing to do with this," she said.

After debate over procedure — members expressed confusion about whether the earlier vote had been a reconsideration or a full vote on the MOU — the council voted on a motion to reinstate reconsideration and the motion failed 5-6. Clerk and mayoral staff confirmed the prior approval of the MOU therefore stands and cannot be relitigated at this meeting.

Votes at a glance

- Resolution authorizing MOU with Healthy Opportunities for Latin Americans (OLA) and New Beginnings (HUD lead-hazard capacity-building grant): previously approved; council determined the earlier approval stands and was not reopened on March 10. - Motion to reinstate reconsideration of that resolution: failed, 5-6 on March 10. - Appointments confirmation: passed, 11-0. - Motion to suspend rules (referral under 12A): failed, 7-4.

What happens next

City staff and the health department will continue grant implementation steps required by HUD, including outreach and contractor training. Council members who sought a broader procurement process said they may pursue a separate RFP or other steps in the future, but the MOU with OLA and New Beginnings remains in effect as approved previously.

All quotes and vote counts are taken from the March 10 council transcript and the council clerk's announcements at the meeting.