Resident urges Kenosha County to block predatory storefront lenders near schools

David MacLean, a Kenosha resident, told the county board during public comment that a new Dollar Loan Center opened across from area schools and a daycare and described the business as a ‘‘predatory’’ lender using ‘‘triple digit’’ annual interest that harms working families.

MacLean said he observed corporate signage and staff leaderboards during construction and recounted confronting the owner, whom he named as Chuck Brennan. He urged the board to use three lawful local steps to limit what he called an out‑of‑state extraction business: form an intergovernmental zoning partnership with Kenosha city to ban such storefronts within 1,000 feet of schools, churches and daycares; fund and require visible consumer‑rights and credit‑union alternatives at high‑interest transaction counters; and adopt a HOME‑rule resolution endorsing state legislation that would cap annual percentage rates at 36%.

MacLean referenced pending state bills (as cited in his remarks, ‘‘SB 7 59 and 7 60’’) and said those measures failed to pass at the state level this spring, arguing the county should act where the state did not. He asked supervisors to ‘‘use every tool in our toolbox’’ and to collaborate with the city to restrict storefront lenders' locations.

The board did not take formal action on MacLean’s request during the meeting; his comments concluded the public‑comment period.

MacLean’s full on‑record plea included specific zoning and consumer‑education proposals the board could consider through referrals to appropriate committees.