Better call Hall | Weekly Wausonian

Wausau news for the week of Aug. 28, 2025

Members of the city council Tuesday held off on another round of funding to provide legal representation for city staff in the Diny/ballot box ethics complaint.

The decision to table the measure came as council members had questions as to exactly how the previous money had been spent, and wanted to go into closed session to get more of those details before authorizing spending. But that wasn’t on the agenda on Tuesday.

Before that, city council members voted down an amendment that would have set aside $15,000 for additional legal fees to attorney Sam Hall from CVMIC, and designated a certain amount for the hearing itself..

And all that came after Mayor Doug Diny’s attorney, Andrew Erlandson, told the Ethics Board Monday that the city attorney and city clerk were not cooperating with the subpoena that requires them to sit for a deposition. Without that, it’s difficult to see how the ethics complaint would be resolved, since Diny has the right to call witnesses.

That fact rankled some council members, while others were concerned about the lack of transparency coming from Hall over how the money was spent. Several council members wanted more information from Hall in closed session before making a decision.

The move came after several public commenters decried the ethics complaint, some mistakenly believing that the council initiated the complaint and has the power to end it (the council does not, as the Ethics Board is a separate body legally).

The council plans to hold a special session soon to address the matter. Meanwhile, Erlandson said the depositions are now set for Friday by default, which is the final day of discovery leading to the Sept. 5 hearing. Without those depositions, Erlandson says he plans to ask for the hearing to be adjourned.

Another month and another slate of bar shenanigans in our Hold my Beer - the Wausau Tavern Report:

And, The Wausonian dug in a little deeper to bring you a detailed story about how an alert Wausau firefighter flushed out a staff member who is now accused of stealing drugs meant for patients:

What else in Wausau?

City council notebook:

• The city council held a moment of silence for the late city council member Gary Gisselman, who died earlier this month. A black ribbon was placed on his seat during the meeting to honor the historian who served on the city council since 2006 with a break between 2020 and 2022. Gisselman also served on the county board from 2006 to 2014 and then again from 2022 until his death.

• The council approved budget modifications for a new hangar door at the airport, for construction at Athletic Park and for a chiller replacement. On the last item, Council Member Victoria Tierney expressed concerns about cost overruns. Another budget mod was approved to allow the city to buy new buses with money from a VW Settlement grant.

• The council approved $150,000 out of reserves for a shortfall from the lead service line replacement program from 2024. Apparently the DNR quibbled over some of the outreach expenses, like holding small info fairs with fun things for the children to do as a way of getting in touch with people about lead lines. Lindman said they were really helpful in building trust since they needed to get into people’s homes to repair the lines.

Transit commission approves Northern Valley Industries transportation pilot: Metro Ride will soon launch a service to help employees of Northern Valley Industries get to work - and transit leaders are hoping it’ll serve as a pilot for other businesses down the road. Metro Ride officials put together a plan to transport employees from their pickup spot to the business, where special needs and unhoused individuals can work to help assemble products for clients. Metro Ride Deputy Director Ron Schuenke said they first thought about making it a route, but because it travels through Rib Mountain and Stettin, they wouldn’t be allowed to charge. Metro Ride is going to try it through the rest of the year and present the results to the Transit Commission. Transit Chair Becky McElhaney told The Wausonian if it works out, the pilot could serve as a model for other businesses to try as well.

Wausau school district sees balanced budget: The Wausau School District got an early look at the budget and the one staff put together is balanced. District leaders went to referendum earlier this year out of concern about budget shortfalls, but that referendum didn’t pass. But efficiencies from closing some elementary schools this year led to enough savings that administrators were able to present a balanced budget to the board so far. But one challenge looming over the district, said Superintendent of Operations Josh Viegut, is a large increase in insurance premiums. The public will get a look at the budget in more detail at the annual meeting on Sept. 22.

Around the metro

County to sell 529 McClellan Street via auction: The county’s Human Resources, Finance and Property Committee voted to sell 529 McClellan Street via auction. The property, which had served as North Central Health Care’s adult housing facility, has been razed and NCHC is actually forbidden under its bylaws from owning property, so it was transferred to the county. The site was appraised at $10,800. Proceeds from the sale will help pay down NCHC’s debt, County Administrator Lance Leonhard says.

Former Community Clubhouse building sells: The former Community Clubhouse building at 811 Third Avenue sold this week. The building was sold for $222,500 by Marathon County to Gems Investments, according to state real estate records (that was the value of the property listed in the sale). Community Corner Clubhouse was shut down by North Central Health Care as the organization looked to shore up its budget shortfalls, amidst outcry as the organization served those with mental health and addiction challenges, helping them re-integrate into society.

Sponsored by

Business

Associated Bank sells Scott Street building to American Community Bank: Associated Bank sold its former downtown location building on Scott Street to American Community Bank last week, according to real estate records. The building was sold for $557,320, records show.

Entertainment

Many Wausau events are wrapping up for the summer, so this is the week to finally get all those activities in! That plus an Oktoberfest release, a wine, barley and ribs fest, Jackpine Jamboree and much more in your weekly Wausome Weekend Guide:

Looking for kids/family events? Check out the family-oriented listing from The Wausonian’s partner Wausau Mama, who puts together a weekly listing of children/family activities.

Sports

Football: Wausau West doubled up on Superior Thursday, beating them 42-21 to start non-conference play. D.C. Everest lost to Rice Lake 30-25 that day. Both teams take on one more non-conference opponent today (Thursday) before Friday night games start with Wisconsin Valley/Big River East Conference opponents.

Boys Soccer: Boys soccer kicks off Tuesday, with D.C. Everest hosting SPASH, Wausau East hosting Marshfield and Wausau West heading to Wisconsin Rapids. All games start at 7 pm.

---

Email me at brian@thewausonian.com. And as always, thanks for subscribing to The Wausonian! If you haven’t subscribed yet, check out the free and paid options below to help support local journalism:

Interested in a group subscription? Keep your employees or management team informed with a group subscription with The Wausonian. Don’t let your team be left in the dark! Interested in 25 employees or more? Email me at brian@thewausonian.com for rates.