Menomonee Falls bans vaccine mandates for village employees
MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. - The Menomonee Falls Village Board passed a resolution Monday night, Sept. 20 banning vaccine mandates for village employees. The village president says it's political posturing and not needed.
The resolution – which passed 5 to 2 – was proposed by two trustees, Steve Taggart and Paul Tadda, who say they believe President Joe Biden's vaccine mandate for employers with 100 or more employees is "unconstitutional."
"We're stepping forward, taking leadership, seeing what's happening in the country and kind of getting ahead of that issue for our village," said Taggart.
Menomonee Falls Village President Dave Glasgow argued they didn't need to take this step.
Following President Biden's executive order, the White House tasked OSHA with enforcing the vaccine mandate; however, Wisconsin is one of about 20 states where OSHA only covers private employees, not public. For that reason, local governments like the Village of Menomonee Falls do not fall under OSHA's jurisdiction and currently aren't required to follow the federal rules.
Plus, vaccines currently are not required for village employees.
"Honestly, it is a political agenda," said Glasgow. "I've received 70 emails. The majority are saying, 'Please vote this down. This is concerning. This is causing dissension, division.'"
Still, those behind the resolution say they want to try and prevent future vaccine requirements, with the resolution drawing both support and criticism.
"The real question at hand is whether the government should mandate these vaccines," said Cassie, community member. "I would ask you, if you do not have the freedom to decide what goes into your body or not, what freedom do we have left in this country?"
"It is unnecessary because it is not the responsibility of the board to determine the constitutionality of something at the federal level," said Nick, community member. "You don't do that with executive orders. You don't do that with acts of Congress. Your reach is the Village of Menomonee Falls. "
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The village attorney weighed and said this resolution does not prevent the village from complying with future rule changes from the U.S. Department of Labor, and in turn, OSHA.
Glasgow and Trustee Tim Newman were the two votes against the resolution. Glasgow says he was disappointed to see elected officials cause "division on an extremely serious health issue."
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