“We have a huge affordable housing gap in this county,” Wegleitner said in a statement. “Residents can’t just pick up and move to a new affordable housing unit on the other side of the county. Waitlists are years-long or closed.”

Supervisors also highlighted environmental concerns, including construction that would disturb soil laden with contaminants known as PFAS. Truax is a known source of several toxic chemicals that have spilled into Starkweather Creek, which empties into Lake Monona.

“One of our top priorities in county government is to ensure that our neighbors have clean drinking water and to ensure that we are not supporting projects that could have potentially life threatening health consequences to the most vulnerable people in our community,” Chawla said in the statement.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources previously told the Air Force that all planned construction projects will require a complete site investigation to determine whether PFAS contamination is present prior to construction.