Wadena County Commissioners: Large gathering ordinance and tax-forfeited property discussed
by Trinity Gruenberg
The Wadena County Commissioners held their regular meeting on May 18.
Ordinance 6
Commissioner Mike Kreklau discussed Ordinance 6, the large gathering ordinance. He believes the county was in error when enforcing the ordinance for the Bull Bash that was an already regularly established event.
He attended the February committee meeting and shared the committee members didn’t have a lot of knowledge about the ordinance. Kreklau took suggestions into consideration and made a motion. He cited a clause from the ordinance.
“This ordinance shall not apply to any regularly established, permanent place of worship, stadium, athletic field, auditorium or other similar permanently established place where shows or exhibitions are held. This ordinance shall not apply to government-sponsored fairs, held on regularly established fairgrounds.”
And no dates are required for the event to be valid as regularly established. And the Bull Bash has been safely operating for 19 years.
Commissioner Jon Kangas said this has been a concern of his as well. Adding it was his understanding that events like the Bull Bash would be excluded from the ordinance. He requested recordings from the meetings when this ordinance was discussed, stating there was discussion that the Bull Bash wasn’t established when the original ordinance was started in 1978.
Commissioner Bill Stearns explained the authority enforcing the ordinance is the clerk of the board to ensure the standards are met and has the authority to say what are permanently regularly established events, in his opinion.
Kreklau would like clarification on what is regularly established and who makes that decision.
He motioned to recognize the Meech’s Bull Bash as a regularly established event and they be exempt from the ordinance. It was approved.