A harassment claim has been filed by a Wausau staff attorney because of a legal opinion on a development project that was kept from city council members.
The council has now taken over the investigation into the harassment claim, filed against staff members by city attorney Anne Jacobson. Jacobson obtained an opinion that said tax incremental financing was being improperly used to widen Thomas Street, one of the city’s main corridors. The staff allegedly kept that opinion from city council members, and showed them instead a second opinion that favored the continued use of the funding.
Alderman Keene Winters says it’s not the first time the council has been kept in the dark on the Thomas Street project.
Stay informed on the latest news
Sign up for WPR’s email newsletter.
“I was surprised to find out that there were two legal opinions, and that just really shouldn’t happen,” said Winters. “The council has been surprised too many times, going back to the original Thomas Street letter that we received from the federal government announcing that we had lost two-and-a-half million dollars, and that was kept from the council.”
The $2.5 million was lost almost two years ago, Winters says, because the city didn’t follow proper procedures in acquiring houses for the street widening.
“The houses are gone,” said Winters. “They’ve been bulldozed, so there’s no chance to go back and do the assessments over again. Essentially, vulnerable people who may not know the law faced with the possibility that a government roadway is coming through their house may make bad decisions.”
Wausau Mayor Jim Tipple says he won’t comment on city attorney Anne Jacobson’s harassment claim because he doesn’t want to interfere with the internal investigation.
Editor’s Note: Jacobson was not available for comment for this story.
Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2024, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.
