Citizen Focus Group Meeting- Reedsburg

citizen_focus_groups-reedsburg_5-7-2015.pdf (192 KB)

May 7, 2015  Reedsburg Library  5:00 p.m.

8 County Board Members –  Tommy Lee Bychinski, John Dietz, Joan Fordham, Carol Held, Nathan Johnson, Tom Kriegl, Marty Krueger, Andrea Lombard
3 Staff – Kerry Beghin, Steve Muchow, Kathy Schauf
12 Public – Art Biesek, Wessie Dietz, Trish Henderson, Mary Ellen Murray, Peter Murray, Melanie  Platt-Gibson, Jim Schernecker, Gary Williams, Mary Williams, Ken Witt, Gene Wuest, Mimi Wuest

Public’s Comments Expressed:

Protect the citizens of County from frac sand mining.
Urge County Board to pass resolution in support of state accepting Medicaid funding.
Keep funding schools – educate people to have good jobs and become productive citizens to grow our future.
Keep green spaces, expand green energy, encourage Badger Army Ammunition Plant parkland preservation, encourage county moratorium on frac sand mining
Continue funding for taxi ride subsidy in the ADRC. 
The disproportionate share of tax levy dollars used for the jail should be allocated elsewhere.
Frac sand mining and potential for pollution caused by it should be monitored.
Changing demographics are making nursing homes and assisted living facilities more important.  The County’s Health Care Center provides care at a reasonable price, which could be expanded efficiently to assisted living.
Jail Unit A staff and expenses continue even though the unit is closed, hampering funding for other County programs such as care of veterans. 
Funds should focus on preventative programs such as education and job creation, not reactionary responses.
More should be done for the homeless.
Placemaking is important.  Build on the County’s strengths in tourism to expand to other areas of the County.  Emphasize Crane Foundation, BAAP, Leopold Foundation
Logging creates a hazard by loggers not being required to clean up the brush left behind.
Sauk County’s parks are great.  Perhaps Man Mound could have better space for parking and turning a bus around.