Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By ZACHARY MARANO
MERCER, Wis — The town of Mercer board of supervisors considered appointments to the Mercer Tourism Commission and ongoing issues with tourist rooming houses at its regular meeting on Thursday.
Chairman John Sendra presented for approval his recommended appointments to the Mercer Tourism Commission. These appointments were: Brian Weinkopf as a resort owner located on the Turtle Flambeau Flowage, Tom Ziegler as a resort owner not located on the flowage, Tina Pemble as a motel owner, Hank Joustra as a non-accommodation business owner and Sendra as chairperson. The appointees would serve one-year terms.
Town supervisor Vic Ouimette took issue with the fact that the majority of Sendra’s appointments are on the Mercer Area Chamber of Commerce board of directors. According to the chamber website, Joustra is president of the board, Weinkauf is vice president and Ziegler is a director.
“I have a concern and it has nothing to do with any of the people individually. They’re honest and honorable people. When this commission was set up, the primary purpose was to provide oversight to how the chamber spends its money. In the olden days, we had to appear before the commission with very detailed accounting on how the funding was spent. Here, we have a majority — three of the five — who serve on the board of the agency that they’re supposed to be doing oversight for,” Ouimette said.
Town supervisor Mike Lambert noted that it would be difficult to find resort or business owners in the town of Mercer who are not chamber members. Ouimette clarified that his problem was that these people serve on the board of directors.
Ouimette continued that this arrangement would have the same people who spend room tax money on tourism in charge of oversight to make sure that money is properly spent, overriding checks and balances. He said that the chamber board has never held a majority on the tourism commission in the past. He said this gives the appearance of impropriety.
Another town supervisor, Opal Roberts, said that before the town board approves the appointments, Sendra should remove at least one person who is already serving on the chamber board of directors. Sendra agreed to do this and put the item on the agenda for the next meeting.
Sendra said that the town has received complaints from a tourist rooming house owner because they did not grant their permit. He said that this was because the TRH owner did not have their paperwork in order. He also said that if an application is not approved because it was not properly completed, it is not the town’s responsibility.
Legal counsel Fritz Schellgell said that many TRH owners seem confused that applying for permits in Mercer is a two-step process. First, they need approval from Iron County and then they need approval from the town. He said that people seem to think that they only need approval from the county.
The board also continued discussion from previous meetings regarding a multi-family dwelling that was being rented without proper permitting. The board recommended the county approve a conditional use permit, but to deny the TRH permit as the application was incomplete.
Schellgell suggested making some changes to the town’s ordinances to encourage people who do not have the permitting to bring their properties in compliance.
“I think we can go to people and say, ‘Look, we want you compliant going forward. We need to have this cleared up going back. We’re not going to reinvent the wheel, but you have records. Get up to snuff. It is what it is.’ And if they’re compliant and they do that on the spot, maybe the fine is fairly nominal. I still think there should be a fine, but maybe it’s $50 instead of $500,” he said.
