APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) – After the Outagamie County Board this week approved using eminent domain to purchase land in Appleton for a new sheriff’s office, County Executive Tom Nelson says he plans to veto that decision.
In a statement released Friday, Nelson said:
“In light of new information on Wednesday that a company is interested in using the Goodland property to create about 100 new jobs, it would not be prudent to support this legislation. Therefore I am vetoing Resolution 28 2016-17.”
At question is the property located at 3030 E. Goodland Drive in Appleton’s Northeast Business Park. That’s near the Interstate 41/Highway 441 interchange.
The property has been on the marked for nearly a year. The county put in an offer, but the property owner rejected it in favor of an offer from JF Ahern, a fire-protection manufacturer based in Fond du Lac.
County officials say they were not given a chance by the seller to make a counter offer. However, the attorney for the seller says the county wouldn’t entertain any counteroffers on price.
In a statement released Friday, County board chair Jeff Nooyen, supervisors Dean Culbertson and Jim Duncan, and Sheriff Brad Gehring said:
“The county board would not have proceeded down the road of eminent domain had we not been assured by the executive that he was firmly behind the concept from his office to reduce the project costs for the sheriff’s facility,” they wrote.
“The county executive had the opportunity to voice his concerns at the July 19th county board meeting and suggest either defeat of the resolution or have it held for further study. Although he was in attendance at the meeting, he chose not to comment on the matter,” the statement continued.
“In our opinion, he has failed to display the leadership necessary for someone in his position. It is apparent that political ambitions have taken precedence over his county administrative obligations.“
Nelson is currently running for the 8th Congressional District seat.
Appleton Mayor Tim Hanna opposed the eminent domain vote, concerned about the property coming off the city’s tax rolls and saying he believed the use of eminent domain would make the area seem anti-business.
The sheriff’s office, currently in downtown Appleton, has been looking for a new location for several months. Last month, the Wisconsin DOT passed on a proposal to build a joint headquarters for the sheriff’s office and State Patrol in Grand Chute.
After Wednesday night’s meeting, Sheriff Brad Gehring told FOX 11 the Goodland Drive property would not only save money, but make citizens safer. He said it would help reduce response times for deputies headed to calls in other parts of the county.
County leaders believed they could reuse the existing building on the Goodland Drive property, saving $2 million.
