The Wisconsin Professional Police Association has taken the City of Rhinelander to court over what it says is an unlawful refusal to release attorney billing records — documents the union argues are squarely subject to disclosure under Wisconsin’s Public Records Law and directly relevant to public oversight of taxpayer spending.
The April 8, 2026 issue of the Northwoods Star Journal covered the filing. According to the story:
The WPPA, a Madison-based not-for-profit labor organization and the sole bargaining representative for the Rhinelander Professional Police Association, Local #38, filed a petition for writ of mandamus in Oneida County Circuit Court on April 1. The case has been assigned to Judge Mary Sowinski.
According to the petition, WPPA Director of Legal and Field Services Roger W. Palek sent an email to City Clerk Austyn Zarda on December 4, 2025, requesting copies of all billing records submitted to the city by the law firm Von Briesen & Roper, S.C. dating back to Jan. 1, 2024.
Six days later, Zarda acknowledged receipt of the request and indicated he had reached out to the relevant city departments to obtain the records. No records followed.
The petition states that nearly four months passed without a response, and that the city remains “willfully and unlawfully in noncompliance.” The WPPA argues there is no compelling reason to refuse disclosure of attorney billing statements, calling public oversight of taxpayer spending a critical part of the democratic process.
“The Defendant’s failure to timely provide the requested records is arbitrary and capricious,” the filing states.”There is no lawful basis for the Defendant to fail to produce any of the requested information.”
The Von Briesen law firm has served as Rhinelander’s “city attorney” since 2019.
The petition rests on Wisconsin’s Public Records Law, Wis. Stat. § 19.31 et seq., which establishes a strong presumption of public access to government records and requires authorities to respond “as soon as practicable and without delay.”
A 2013 Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling, Juneau County Star-Times v. Juneau County, is cited for the proposition that attorney billing records are public records. The petition further argues the city’s delay is not only unjustified but has frustrated the public interest by withholding information about how taxpayer dollars are being spent. To prevail on a writ of mandamus, the WPPA must satisfy a four-part legal test established by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in Watton v. Hegerty (2008):
- The requester has a clear right to the records sought.
- The authority has a plain legal duty to disclose the records.
- Substantial damage would result if the petition were denied.
- The requester has no other adequate remedy at law.
The WPPA contends all four elements are met. The petition argues the city’s actions have caused and will continue to cause injury to both the association and the broader public by depriving them of rights guaranteed under Wisconsin’s open records statutes.
The WPPA is requesting the following:
- A court order compelling the City to produce the billing records without further delay.
- Attorney’s fees, actual costs, and damages of not less than $100.
- A finding that the city acted arbitrarily and capriciously in failing to respond.
- Any other relief the court deems just and equitable.
The petition was signed by Kathryn A. Harrell, attorney for the WPPA. Harrell did not immediately respond to a message from the Star Journal seeking further information on the legal action. Steve Sorenson, the Von Briesen attorney who serves as Rhinelander’s city attorney, offered the following statement early Friday morning:
“As of right now the city has not been served with any pleadings. Once we are we will respond as required. The city will cooperate with the Court.”
