WINNEBAGO COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Winnebago County has been debating just how much power the county’s public health officer can have. The county’s board of health committee met Thursday night and heard from the community about the proposed ordinance.
Winnebago County’s Board of Health is revisiting– and debating– a COVID-19 ordinance.
Board of Health chairman, Shiloh Ramos said, “it only develops the framework of how we could potentially put an order in place and what would be required to do so.”
Winnebago County’s Health Officer previously had power to issue orders in an effort to slow the spread of communicable diseases.
This power was lost after stay-at-home ruling was overturned.
Doug Gieryn, Winnebago County Public Health Officer and Director, said, “called into question whether or not health departments, without a specific clause in their ordinance, could actually enforce those orders.”
Now, the county is looking to reinstate this power.
“They needed to have local ordinances updated.”
This time it would require the county board to give approval in enforcing orders.
Ramos tells FOX 11…
“It would be up to the county board to decided whether those details are enough or whether it should be changed, in specially related to a general order.”
Oshkosh’s Chamber of Commerce President and CEO John Casper tells FOX 11 he has a few concerns with the ordinance.
One being that it is an overreach of power. The other that it is too vague.
“If the County Board moves forward with it, what those parameters could be right now, it’s written the orders could be whatever the Health Department could imagine who imagined a year ago we would be having this discussion.”
After over an hour of public comment the Board of Health did adjust definitions to be more specific.
“I offered some potential for alternative definitions,” said Ramos, “since that’s been asked from general members.”
The county board will vote on the ordinance next Tuesday.
Only one member of the board of health voted against bringing it to the county board.
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