Court proceedings could be in view, following a vote on Tuesday, Sept. 8 by the Stanley Common Council to forward the findings of a forensic audit by Baker Tilly to the city attorney.
The closed session, which took place via phone under 19.85(1)(f) of the state sautés, did not list any specific employee. The city previously ordered a forensic audit under former mayor Mike Henke following the termination last year of the city administrator.
Also from Monday night was information on a possible joint municipal court with Cornell. The last time the city had such a court was in 2016.
“There have been some recent discussions within the county by a few law enforcement agencies about the possibility of having a joint Municipal Court,” Weiland told the council in his report. “The City of Stanley had a municipal court for many years but hasn’t had one for approximately the last decade. Currently the City of Cornell is the only municipality in the county that does have a municipal court. The agencies that have potential interest (Stanley, Cadott, Cornell, and Bloomer) do all share the same law firm, meaning that a piece of the puzzle relating to the prosecutions would be covered. Additionally, state statutes do allow for the creation of a joint municipal court, so the potential is there.”
Weiland went on to say that that he had spoken briefly with Mayor Wald about the idea, which was “very much in the information gathering stage” at present.
“If this is something that is ultimately is a viable option, I will provide the council with more information,” Weiland said.
No final decision was ultimately made on establishing a joint municipal court or selecting a municipal judge. The council discussed whether participating communities would each place a candidate on the ballot or jointly elect one judge to serve all of them. Weiland said those questions had not yet been answered and would likely require consultation with the city attorney.
Last but not least, the council approved overtime in relation to the police department closing off Gilman Street for an explosion investigation earlier this year. The explosion saw investigative response from state and federal agencies as well as local EMS.