Illegal immigration ordinance passes

[ericinne]

Fremont voters approved an illegal immigration ordinance in a special election Monday.

Unofficial results from the Dodge County Clerk's Office showed voters approving the measure 57 percent to 43 percent.

With approximately 45 percent voter turnout, 3,906 ballots were cast in favor of the ordinance and 2,908 against. Sixteen precincts voted for the ordinance while voters in four precincts were opposed.

The ordinance would ban the harboring, hiring of and renting to illegal immigrants.

City leaders said now that the people have spoken, they will do their best to enact the ordinance.

"We'll just go ahead and follow the will of the people," mayor "Skip" Edwards said. "We just need to implement it and move forward."

"I'm really excited with the voter turnout," council member Jeff Kuhr said. "The voters got to say what they wanted, I think it was a great process."

"I'm sure the city will do a very good job in whatever those next immediate steps are," Kuhr said. "And as we move forward, the positive thing would be that we would be a model community as far as whatever we do, we do it well. There's no doubt in my mind that we'll carry this out in a quality fashion."

"I truly do respect the vote," council member Scott Getzschman said. "It tells me that people are tired of the problem of illegal immigration."

Getzschman said illegal immigration will be a "difficult and troublesome" challenge for the city, "but we will do our best to follow the wishes of the people."

"I do caution everyone that voted for this that there will be a cost to pay," he added. "It may not be legal counsel, but it could be damages, and the damages are what is going to cost the city. It's going to cost us in services and it will cost us in increased taxes."

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