Citizen Focus Group Meeting

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Calendar Date:
Thursday, May 9, 2013 - 5:00pm

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Meeting Information

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PDF icon 05/09/13 Agenda (49 KB)

COMMITTEE:      CITIZEN FOCUS GROUP MEETING

A quorum of the Sauk County Board of Supervisors may be present at this meeting.  However, the intent of the meeting is for Sauk County Supervisors to listen to the opinions of the residents of Sauk County.  No discussion or action will be taken.

SUBJECTS FOR DISCUSSION:

  1. Welcome and certification of compliance with the open meeting law.
  2. Self-introduction by attendees.
  3. Ground Rules.
  4. Meeting methodology.  Where comments will go from here and how they will be used.
  5. Facilitated input.
  6. How to contact Sauk County government.
  7. Summary and thank you.
  8. Adjournment.

PREPARED BY:  Kathryn Schauf

PDF icon Sauk City Citizen Focus Group Comments 05/09/13 (194 KB)
  • 7 County Board Members – Judy Ashford, Tommy Lee Bychinski, Joan Fordham, Tom Kriegl, Andrea Lombard, Donna Stehling, Bill Wenzel
  • 4 Staff – Kerry Beghin, Lynn Horkan, Todd Liebman, Kathy Schauf
  • 12 Public – Jim Allen, Sharon Egeler, Eldor Fruehling (via e-mail), Paul Hefty, Jody Kapp, Robert Koehl, Jim Maginnis, Janet Ramsey, Bettie Reis, Mary Carol Solum, Dave Tremble, Terry Turnquist, Mary Zenker

Comments Expressed:

  1. Sauk Prairie Area Historical Society – Thank you and encourage continued contribution to Sauk County Historical Society, arts and humanities programs, Circus World.  Importance of granting programs for groups and individual artists.  Visitors comment they choose to retire to this area because of the strength of these programs. 
  2. Concern for vulnerable citizens, and programs that benefit the aged and infirm, particularly the Bus and cab programs.
  3. Good human services department and social workers.  Aging population is of concern now, and increasingly so in the future.
  4. Badger Army Ammunition Plant should have continued support to be open for public uses.
  5. Need diversion programs for the jail.  This needs to be addressed in light of mental health issues of many inmates.  Jailors should not be expected to be mental health professionals.  District Attorney and judges need to participate in this effort.
  6. Reading diagnosis and assistance programming to help inmates.
  7. Need open and broad-based discussion of areas in which jail situation can be helped.  Need to reach outside the current structure of committees and departments.
  8. Review LaCrosse County model for incarceration, including bracelet program.  Consider need for incarceration for non-violent crimes.   Need treatment for mental health and drug addiction.  Need a better method to deal with mentally disturbed before they are in a criminal situation.  Health care funding needs to better cover costs related to mental illness.
  9. Tap the resources of volunteers in the community – tutoring, mentoring.  Community organizations, such as Boys and Girls Club, often have access to grants and other resources that governments do not.
  10. Isolation and warehousing are the worst “treatments”.  Education and real treatment at a young age are the keys.  Social treatment of the whole family is needed.
  11. County committees need to step back and strategize, rather than deal with the minutia of daily operations.  Record strategic planning meetings.  Provide reports of those to the citizens.
  12. Expand use of school social workers.  Teachers aren’t specially trained and don’t have the time to perform this function.
  13. At committee meetings, agendize citizen comment at the beginning and end of meetings.

Parking Lot:
No issues moved to the Parking Lot