The Elkhorn City Council denies a request to establish a domestic violence shelter downtown over measurement and zoning details during a standing-room-only meeting.
Monday night the council voted 4-2 against the plan from New Beginnings APFV to make the former medical building at 20 North Church Street into the county’s only domestic violence shelter.
The shelter has been hotly contested. Even those who opposed the plans for the shelter at the proposed site said they support putting a shelter somewhere else.
The matter came to the council after the Elkhorn Plan Commission gave the proposal a neutral recommendation July 11th. That meeting was also attended by many people.
Elkhorn Police Chief Joel Christensen and Walworth County Sheriff Kurt Picknell signaled support for the downtown shelter.
Shelter plans called for four units for women and children with a capacity of about 12 people at a time. Emergency stays would have ranged from one night to several weeks based on need.
