Oconto County Faces Tough Budget Decisions For 2011

After a month’s delay, Oconto County Board on Tuesday, July 22, accepted the 2011 Budget Guidance Letter as recommended by Administrative Coordinator Kevin Hamann and the Finance Committee. That acceptance brought with it a commitment to some hard decisions, including acceptance of a goal “to adopt a 2011 budget with a minimal increase in tax rate and levy that complies with any state imposed rate or levy limits as well as fund the essential services that the residents of Oconto County demand.”

The letter, which is intended to guide development of the 2011 county budget, was presented and discussed at length at the board’s June meeting but acceptance was postponed.

Most of the objections at the June meeting focused on inclusion of a proposed 1.5 percent wage increase for non union employees, who had received no pay increase in 2010, and no allowance for raises for union employees in the 2011 budget. Some supervisors felt it would be realistic to also provide for 1.5 percent raises for the represented employees.

The guidance letter as approved provided zero percent raises for union employees, and the 1.5 percent for non-represented employees, since they received no raises last year.

“The 2011 Budget will be greatly impacted by the deficit budgets adopted in 2009 and 2010, the state levy and mill rate limits, equalized value, employee contracts and overall operating cost increases for all departments and agencies,” the letter read. “These factors, along with decreasing state and federal funding, will put intense pressure on the 2011 budget and create difficult choices for county Board. Continued underfunded and unfunded state and federal mandates will compound the need to make very difficult decisions.”

The letter noted for the first time in many years the county’s equalized value decreased last year and it is expected to drop again this year due to the economy and the decline in sale prices of homes sold.

The general fund balance dropped by $615,567 in 2009, and it is expected the county will run in the red again in 2010, the letter said. That was attributed to lower investment rates, increased cost of wages and insurance, higher operating costs such as fuel, and increased utilization of county services.

The county mill rate last year was $4.84 per $1,000 of equalized value, up 3 percent from 2009. The state imposed tax rate cap is $5.97 per $1,000.

Nine supervisors commented on various facets of the letter. Questions centered on the general fund balance, how items are designated in the general fund, union negotiations, how arbitrators base their decisions, the continuing rise in health insurance costs, and possible need to replace elevators.

It was noted last month that increasing union employee wages by 1.5 percent will increase the budget by $180,000, but including the additional fringe benefits involved brings the increase to $225,000. The guidance letter provides no increase in insurance costs.

Several departments that have the ability to increase revenues to cover rising costs are being asked to hold the line on their tax levy requests to the same amount as last year. These are the Sheriff’s Department, Health and Human Services, Highway, Planning & Zoning, Register of Deeds, and Forestry and Parks. The Register of Deeds office actually contributed $17,645 to county coffers last year, and Forestry and Parks had a “profit” of $42,122.

The plan is to take no money from the general fund for 2011 expenses.

The letter concluded, “The 2011 Budget will result in significant changes to County services and programs as a result of tax limits, cost increases, employment contracts and the deficit budgets of 2010 and 2009. It is imperative that all departments find ways to comply with these guidelines in order to arrive at a balanced budget.”

After discussion, the vote accepting the letter was without dissent. Supervisors Gerald Gehling and Thomas Gryboski were absent.

As a result of some problems with the automated voting system, most action of the meeting was done by voice vote.

Invocation at the start of the meeting was given by Supervisor Gerald Beekman.

County Clerk Kim Pytelski read 3 communications. One of them was a letter dated July 2, 2010 from Governor Jim Doyle, to Leland Rymer, County Board Chair, awarding Oconto County a Homeland Security grant totaling $7,900 for a WISCOM radio in the law enforcement command vehicle.

Laurie Groskopf, a wolf control activist from the Tomahawk area, thanked the Board for passing the wolf control advisory resolution and forwarding it to the state. Late in the meeting, Supervisor Lois Trever reported there had been a wolf sighting in the Mountain area.

In an e-mail dated July 15, Health and Human Services Director Craig Johnson invited interested supervisors to consider serving as the county’s representative on the Family Care Long-Term Care District governing board. The multi-county Long Term Care District is expected to be in place before the end of the year.

A report to the board by NWTC President Dr. Jeff Rafn had been slated but was postponed until August because he was unable to attend.

The board approved a resolution authorizing sale of one parcel of tax delinquent property to the City of Oconto and three to the state Department of Transportation. County ordinance allows the former owner of tax delinquent properties a year to buy it back, but the resolution agreed the county will waive the one year buy-back period for each of the four properties and to reduce the normal $400 processing fee to $300 each.

Board approval for appointments of a member to serve on the Forest, Parks, Recreation/Land Information Systems Sub Committee and on the Chute Lake Inland Protection and Rehabilitation District Commission were removed from the agenda at the start of the meeting.

The board without dissent approved five zoning changes after explanations by Zoning Administrator Pat Virtues. They were:

*Property owned by John Bakran in the Town of Abrams from Agricultural District to residential single family;

* Property owned by Jeff Weier in the Town of Gillett from Agricultural District to General Commercial District.

*Property owned by the YMCA Camp in the Town of Lakewood from Residential Single Family District to Park and Recreation District.

*Property owned by the Green Bay YMCA in the Town of Mountain from Park & Recreation District to Residential Single Family District.

*Property owned by John Slempkes in the Town of Lena from Agricultural District to Rural Residential District.

In a housekeeping transaction the board unanimously approved transfer of $25,000 from the Contingency Fund to create a line item in the 2010 budget to cover unemployment insurance costs expected for the year. The enabling resolution noted both Hamann and Finance Director Terry Hinds recommended making the cost of unemployment part of the overall Risk Management budget.

Following an explanation by County Soil Conservationist Tom Milheiser the board unanimously approved an updated 5-year plan of administration for the county’s Wisconsin Wildlife Damage program as recommended by the Land Conservation Committee to comply with changes in the state law governing the program. Since 1986 the county has ben involved in the program which provides funding to county landowners suffering crop damage from wildlife.

After brief discussion and without dissent, the board approved creation of an Oconto County Land Information Council. Mark Teuteberg, LIS Administrator/Surveyor, explained each county in Wisconsin, including Oconto County, funds its Land Information Program with real estate document recording or filing fees that are charged and collected in the Register of Deeds Office. There were some changes in 2009 and 2010 to the state law that established the program in 1989, among them a requirement that before a county can seek grants from the Wisconsin Department of Administration for land information projects it must have a Land Information Office and a Land Information Council to review the priorities, needs, policies and expenditures of the office and to advise County Board on matters concerning it.

The Land Information Council must include at least eight members, who are to be appointed by the County Board chair. Membership must include the County Treasurer and Register of Deeds, plus a County Board supervisor, a representative of the Land Information Office, a realtor or a member of a realtors’ association employed within the county, a public safety or emergency communications representative employed within the county, the county surveyor, and any other members of the County Board or the public as designated by County Board. County Board confirmation of members is required. Members appointed this time will serve until April 29. 2012, after which appointments will be for two year terms.

The board also approved purchase of a data base computer system from DM Interactive of Green Bay for $10,000 to protect and preserve records of the surveyor’s office. According to the enabling resolution, the office has been working with an antiquated 1994 data base system that is not secure and lacks flexibility. In accord with a state law, the more than 60,000 survey maps and documents filed with the surveyor’s office must become permanent records. It describes the documents as “original, one of a kind, fragile and irreplaceable.”

Approval of Oconto County Board was given as the last step authorizing Maroco Landfill to seek state funding for a “Household and Agricultural Clean Sweep Program” for disposal of hazardous wastes from households, agricultural operations and very small businesses in spring of 2011. The Maroco Landfill Committee and Marinette County Board had already approved the program. Funding is to be administered by the Maroco Landfill Committee, which is a joint operation of Marinette and Oconto counties. Maroco funds will provide the local share to cover program costs.

To comply with the new Healthcare Reform Act, the board designated Room 2105 in Building C as the “Healthcare Reform Act Breastfeeding/Expressing Room.” The law requires employers to provide a reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk for her nursing child each time the need arises for one year after the child’s birth, and requires that they provide a place for that purpose, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from intrusion from coworkers and the public.

The board was informed Spaulding Floorworks has notified the county they can no longer obtain the carpeting they had quoted in an offer that was accepted at the June 24 board meeting. With a dissenting vote from Rose Stellmacher, the board approved purchase of alternate carpeting subject to approval of the Public Property Committee.

Motion to accept the reappointment of Tom Gryboski and Elmer Ragen to the Zoning Board of Adjustments for 3 year terms expiring July 1, 2013 was approved after a brief discussion.

The June employee update showed 14 limited term employees were hired as summer help for the Highway Department for wages between $10.12 and $10.71 per hour.

Supervisor Barbara Smith recognized Abe Clark of Gillett for running across the entire continental United States.

The board was informed the “Code Red” emergency notification system is being well received. Several successful messages have gone out and residents of the affected areas have been very appreciative.

District Attorney Jay Conley told the board his election as Circuit Court Judge will create a vacancy in the DA’s office. Governor Doyle has yet to take action to appoint a new District Attorney for the county. Conley commented on staff changes since he has been in office.

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