A new village is being formed north of Wausau, following a referendum vote Tuesday.
Residents of the Town of Maine voted to incorporate as the Village of Maine in order to absorb a nearby dying paper mill community, the Village of Brokaw. Wausau Paper pulled out of Brokaw in 2012, leaving its 250 people with an estimated $4.5 million dollars of debt.
Town Chair Betty Hoenisch said the new village will help Brokaw apply for grants to pay down some of the debt before the old village dissolves. As a village, Maine will also be able to protect its boundaries from annexation by the city of Wausau.
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“To have the support that we got from the electors meant the world to this town board,” said Hoenisch, who had lobbied for the change. “This is uncharted territory. To say that we aren’t a little bit apprehensive — I guess I would not feel that I was being truthful.”
Maine was able to incorporate in an expedited fashion thanks to special legislation that was sponsored by state Sen. Jerry Petrowski.
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