County rejects gun law sanctuary resolution
County board members voted down both making the county a Second Amendment sanctuary and letting county voters decide in moves the measure’s supporters called “disappointing” and “frustrating.”
The board’s first vote Monday on whether to ask voters in 2022 if the county should resist any new “unconstitutional” gun control laws was tied eight to eight when board chair John Aasen voted against it. The second vote, on a resolution proclaiming the county a sanctuary from new state or federal gun laws, failed four to 12 against with one abstention.
Aasen said he voted against the referendum, which he once supported, because board members told him they wanted to resolve the question.
Some supervisors argued that the sanctuary measure would oblige county officials to make inappropriate rulings on the constitutionality of state or federal gun control laws. County corporation counsel Rick Niemeier said he also found concerning the provision that the county determine a measure’s constitutionality.
Other board members said their constituents wanted a no vote.
“This is a moral question for me,” said Supervisor Sally Miller. “It feels like government overreach. You are coming to me to ask me to use powers that are not vested in me by law.”
Miller abstained from voting on the resolution.
Dave Estenson, a member of the Liberty Alliance which, along with the Associated Conversation Clubs of Trempealeau County, promoted the resolution, said the vote is “a temporary setback.” He was also critical of the board’s refusal to allow public comments Monday.
“It was very frustrating to listen to the distorted arguments without anyone speaking up or being allowed to speak up in favor,” Estenson said. “Once again the silent majority was run over. The freedom movement in Trempealeau County is young, and we’re not going anywhere.”
Public comments about the resolution were allowed in earlier committee meetings. At one point, the county board scheduled a public hearing on the measure but in May decided against taking any more public testimony.
Supervisors said they received more calls from their constituents on the resolution than for any other county issue. Those who spoke said they heard from more opponents than proponents.
The referendum approach proposed by Supervisor Randy Tollefson, would have been advisory and so, as some supervisors noted, the question would have been back before the board anyway.
“With the overwhelming response to this, both for and against, I think the entire county should vote, not just 17 of us,” Tollefson said before the measure was voted down.
Supervisors Dan Schreiner and Tim Zeglin said a referendum would indicate the board is “shirking” its obligation to the constituents who contacted them about the vote.
Supervisor Jeanne Nutter said she has already been approached by individuals who would like the county to be a medical marijuana sanctuary county.
“Where would this end,” Nutter asked. “A tax sanctuary, a speeding sanctuary?”
The four supervisors voting for the measure were Curt Skoyen, Richard Sacia, Joe Feltes and Aasen.
“At least we now know where the board members stand when it comes to protecting the individual rights of their constituents,” Estenson said.
In other action, the board confirmed the nomination of Anthony Munson as the township representative on the Environment and Land Use Committee. He succeeds Kathy Zeglin who withdrew as a candidate in the face of support from the county’s towns association for Munson. At the May board meeting, a tie vote pushed the question of who would serve on the committee to Monday’s meeting.
“We’d like to thank Kathy for eight years of doing a super job,” Aasen said.
Kurt Berner of the Samuels Group, the county’s construction consultant, said two contracts were awarded for excavation, footings and foundations for the new criminal justice center. “You should start seeing construction trailers over there soon,” he said.
RJ Jurowski of Whitehall won one contract with a $519,450 bid, and Post D Excavating of Arcadia was awarded the second with a bid of $719,268. The bulk of the remainder of the construction work will be bundled into bid packages that could be available by July 1, Berner said.
The board also:
• Approved moving oversight of the land records department from the Environment and Land Use committee to executive finance as had been requested by land records employees.
• Approved $5,000 to cover electrical costs for the Trempealeau County Food Pantry located in the former Trempealeau County Health Care Center building. Zeglin said the number of donations and volunteer hours devoted to the pantry shows “a lot more support that what the county is paying.”
• Heard from Miller and Deb Suchla, director of the county’s human services department, that the county is beginning to restore pre-pandemic practices. Suchla said the county can expect $2.9 million from a federal pandemic relief bill this week, half of the $5.7 million it is expected to eventually receive. She said that if the county can show revenue losses to match the grant money, there would be fewer limits on how the money could be spent. Miller said 54 percent of county residents have received at least one vaccination shot.