Mandamus Oral Ruling Scheduled in the legal dispute between the City of Richland Center and Richland County
In the legal dispute between the City of Richland Center and Richland County, Judge Daniel G. Wood of Adams County has ruled in favor of the City regarding its petition for a Writ of Mandamus. The court found that the City met its legal burden, leading Judge Wood to sign the Writ for service upon the respondents. Richland County then faced a 14-day window following service to either approve the City's reimbursement claim or move to quash the order.
The case addresses county funding for maintaining 1,495 veterans' graves in Bowen Cemetery and Richland Center Cemetery, covering the period from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026. Although state statute sets a September 1 annual reporting deadline for municipalities, the City's documentation was submitted on September 14. County Clerk Jeffrey Harrison initially rejected the $17,859.83 reimbursement request based on the late filing, taking the position that state law provided no flexibility for deadline extensions.
In its court filing, the City argued that the statutory deadline is directory rather than mandatory and that minor procedural delays should not erase the County's underlying obligation to support veterans' grave care. The City emphasized that the submission included all required data and caused no prejudice to the County.
In response, the county moved to quash the writ, an oral ruling is now scheduled for November 3, at 10:30 a.m.
Todd Coppernoll oversees local news for WRCO and WRCE radio in Richland Center. Having served Richland Center as Mayor for three terms, Todd brings a unique perspective, and a familiar voice to the news. The focus is local, and so is the reporter.
Adam Hess has been involved in radio broadcasting since 1990, with many of those years spent on the air at WRCO FM in Richland Center. Currently, Adam hosts the Weekend Wake-up and Prime Mover Saturdays on WRCO FM, jumps in and helps out with news duties, handles Social Media duties for WRCO and WRCE, and is the Director of Technology at a Southwest Wisconsin School District. Reach him at adam.hess@civicmedia.us.
