Intergovernmental Meeting

03/29/11 Minutes (53 KB)

Members present: Joan Fordham, Steven Bach, Marty Krueger, Scott Kevin Alexander

Members absent: William Wenzel

Others present: Kathy Schauf, Phil Raab, Tim Stieve, Steve Koenig, Tommy Lee Bychinski, Fred Clark, Jason Lane, Tom Kriegl, Judy Stoeckmann, Andrea Lombard, Dave Riek, Art Carlson, Don Nobs, Linda Borleske, Henry Netzinger, Fred Halfen, Peter Murray, Tom Kriegl, and Town, City and Village officials.

The meeting was called to order and certification of Open Meeting compliance was given at 6:00 p.m. The agenda was approved on a motion by Bach, second by Fordham, and a unanimous vote of the Committee.

Welcome and Introductory remarks.
Krueger welcomed participants and thanked representatives for coming. Emphasized the importance of the ongoing dialog to discussion cooperation and joint solutions. Introductions of Board members were conducted.

Update on the EDA grant fiber optic build-out – Phil Raab.
Re-iterated goals of the project, status of the project and the need to touch base with each community of necessary permits. We anticipate the project to start at the end of May / beginning of June. There is no priority of where construction will begin, likely to begin with North Freedom or Plain and work out from one of those points. The project will put legs of the fiber optic loop going into the various communities so that business and governments have access to the fiber optic loop. Obtaining service in smaller villages is of concern. The Sauk County lead allows for business to connect for their purposes while meeting public policy and safety goals.

Status of Rails and Trails in County.
Clarification on the project and an update on the status was given. Ten years of interest in the future of trails in the Sauk and Prairie area while preserving rail service were the impetus for the Economic Development Committee under taking this initiative. Commissioned a study of the:

      Stakeholder process.
The County, Sauk County Development Corporation, and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation met to lay out a process for moving the discussion forward. The Board passed a resolution at its March 15, 2011 meeting supporting WiDOT acquisition of the Union Pacific line and development of a trail system in the Sauk and Prairie area.

     Survey / final report on rail users in Sauk County.
Reference was made to the study conducted by Steve Deller, Gene Dalhoff, and Jenny Erickson to ascertain the economic impact of the rail line in Sauk County. Economic impact was quantified by number of jobs and dollars that flow through the County.

     Information on local match for state acquisition.
Local match is 20%. It is unknown at this time what that amount will be. Match can be derived from local governments or businesses. It is likely that Wisconsin Southern Railroad will be a major participant in that process.

Discussion and consideration of intergovernmental issues.
Notice of mid-term assessment was given. The forum will focus on financial issues and launch the budget process for Sauk County. A panel of business people from the private sector will also be heard from. The County will need to look at every program and every department for potential changes and cut backs.

Local governments: areas for joint initiatives and shared services.
     • Ed Geick noted that the shared IT with the County and City has been a positive experience thus far.
     • Fred Clark – drilling down into specific areas of concern with implications of the budget. Noted the proposed change in the UW system and what the implications are.
     • Paul Bremer – noted that local governments are in a state of suspension while we wait to understand the implications of the budget on local governments.
     • Dave McKenna – noted that the DNR will no longer be paying property tax on properties within the County.
     • Scott Kevin Alexander noted that the Village of West Baraboo has cooperated with the County to work with Highway issues – sharing equipment and commodities. Cooperation between governments is an example of what we should be doing. Sharing of services between townships is potentially something to be explored. Prevailing wage – what is the future and should we keep it or not?
            o Clark answered and noted that it is the single number one issue for town government. Believes that prevailing wage offers some parity to the bidding process. A raising of the exemption is being proposed at this time. Schultz also responded that there has been discussion about eliminating it in its entirety. Ripp and Miller also provided input.
            o Town responded that Sauk County Highway works proactively with the Towns to address problems. They also work with neighboring towns to work on issues that arise.
     • Geick reported on the initiatives that the City is undertaking in order to address revenue shortfalls. Programmatic review and shared services is an issue. Service reductions to deal with overtime costs are also being considered.
     • Rasmussen shared how the Town of Winfield dealt with variations in the budget and how they address reductions in services.
     • Issues of reductions in road maintenance and the upkeep of roads is becoming problematic.
     • Shared bidding.
     • Acreage that is owned by other governmental units and the lack of tax revenue from those properties.
     • Services will be reduced.
     • State legislators need to hear from you regarding impacts to local governments.
     • Discussion of mandates that go hand in hand with the funding reductions.
     • Group buying and clean sweep are appreciated by Towns and other local governments.
     • Towns major costs come from road, fire, and ambulance. The only area to cut back is on road maintenance.
     • Increases in fees for website hosting as well as elections is an issue for Town government.

Future intergovernmental meeting strategies
The next meeting will be the last Thursday in October.

Motion by Bach, second by Fordham to adjourn. Motion carried.

Respectfully submitted,

Kathryn Schauf, Administrative Coordinator