Covid 19 has brought a whole new way of life for most people all across the world. Very recently a number of WI counties are being encouraged to enact an ordinance dealing with communicable diseases in preparation for what may happen in the near future. New laws are being proposed at the national level, the state level, the county level and city level of government. We must be aware and vigilant to have input on these issues.
Marathon County in Wausau is dealing with a proposed ordinance. Here is a link to information to that proposal.
Walworth County in Elkhorn has also been dealing with a proposed ordinance dealing with communicable diseases & were planning to vote on it June 18th. No update is available on this proposal.
Dodge County in Juneau had a meeting June 16 to discuss a proposed ordinance dealing with communicable diseases which was attended by a number of concerned people. This is a link to a summation by a gentleman in attendance of what took place at the meeting & how the county is proceeding.
LINK TO PROPOSED ORDINANCE FOR JEFFERSON COUNTY – please read this proposal & understand the authority they are wanting to give to the health department and specifically the Jefferson County Health Officer.
LINK TO s. 66.0119 OF THE STATE STATUTES REFERRED TO IN THE ABOVE PROPOSED ORDINANCE
This is a link to the Jefferson County June 19 press release relating to how they plan to proceed.
This is a link to section 252.03 of the state statutes referenced in the above press release.
This is a link to all Jefferson County Supervisors and you can click on the green check mark for each and get the contact information for each supervisor
If you live in Jefferson County please contact your Jefferson County Supervisor and express your concerns. If you live in another county please check with your county supervisor to see if such a proposal is pending there. These proposals will directly impact the citizens of each county.
BOTTOM LINE – Much of what is being proposed is unconstitutional. The US Constitution and the WI Constitution protect our natural rights to peaceful assembly and to worship as we see fit. Nowhere does either constitution clarify that these rights are lost in the event of a pandemic.
This ordinance empowers the County Health Officer to, in the name of fighting a disease, “close schools and forbid public gatherings in schools, churches, places of employment, public buildings, private property, and other places to control outbreaks, epidemics and pandemics” and “implement all emergency measures necessary to control communicable diseases and do what is reasonable and necessary for the prevention and suppression of disease including, but not limited to, prohibiting public and private gatherings when deemed necessary to control outbreaks, epidemics, or pandemics“.
While we understand that the government can apply some of these rules to public property and public gatherings, we believe it to be an overreach to apply this to private property.
