It is getting closer to budget crunch time in local government. The Counties, Cities, Villages and Towns are all preparing preliminary numbers and they aren't looking good. This report from the Sawyer County Record could be from anywhere.

All county departments will be receiving a letter from the Finance Committee directing department heads to try to find ways to cut costs while ranking the importance and necessity of their services.

With a two percent levy cap due to affect nearly every aspect of the 2009 Sawyer County budget, the county is preparing to take an inventory of services — which includes looking at priorities and where cuts can be made.

“If the departments aren’t willing, or can’t, find a way to become more efficient and effective, maybe we go into the following year saying we can’t afford to increase salaries,” said committee member Shirley Riedmann. “Benefits we have no control over. If we can’t find the money internally and revenues aren’t coming in and costs keep going up ... then we can’t afford to give raises. We just don’t have the money.”

It continued in part...

“It’s the benefits that are killing us,” Kathy McCoy said.

With the vast, overwhelming majority of costs of local government being personnel costs, these comments will be heard at meeting after meeting after meeting this fall.

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The Barron County Board of Supervisors approved the placing of a health care referendum on the November ballot. According to the Chetek Alert ...

The approved health care referendum question reads as follows: "Shall the next state Legislature enact health care reform legislation by Dec. 31, 2009, that guarantees every Wisconsin resident affordable health care coverage as good as what is provided to state legislators and state officials?"

Opposition to the referendum included reasons such as ...

Supervisor James Stavran agreed the referendum was a noble cause, but he wondered if it was the same as passing a referendum that asked for lower taxes. He added that more time should be spent on voting the right people into office so the changes could be made.

How will you vote?

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More than 20 residents turned out Tuesday to demand the Ladysmith City Council follow through with a planned referendum to fund lifeguards at Memorial Park Beach.

Aldermen at a recent Legal Affairs Committee spoke against lifeguard funding, stating the city cannot afford the projected $15,000 expense. Residents upset by the comments said the cost is only a small fraction of a nearly $4 million total city budget.

“Many people are upset to see the city spending money on things other than lifeguards,” city resident Heather Tinder said in support of lifeguard funding.“Are we going to vote on everything, until we can’t afford to live in Ladysmith? I don’t think so,” alderman Mike Hraban said.

Last spring, the council voted to conduct a referendum on the lifeguard issue during the upcoming Nov. 4 presidential election. The referendum could give the city permission to exceed state-imposed levy limits lifeguards. County, city, village and town governments are only allowed 2 percent annual levy increases under state law. Inflationary and other cost of living increases typically exceed this amount, sometimes resulting in services being cut to balance the budget.

This is what is has come to...referendums on paying lifeguards?

The Rusk County Committee on Committee is expected to approve the Comprehensive Plan Survey at their September meeting. This timetable has results of survey ready in probably November. Next year will certainly be crunch time to complete the plan by 2010.

• The Washburn County Zoning Committe has decided to delay recommendation voting on the Comprehensive Plan until after the 2009 budget has been passed. This would put the vote either in November or December.

• The Washburn County Campground Ordinance was five years in creating and passing and the first test of it seemed to work. According to the Spooner Advocate...

After a five-year moratorium on campground and resort expansion within the county, the Washburn County Zoning Committee on Tuesday, July 22, approved 4-1 an additional 31 large campsites for Brad & Kay Campground on Twin Lakes in Chicog Township.The vote came after members of the public voiced both opposition and support...

The Chicog Town Board previously approved 50 new sites, the number requested by the owners, Brad and Kay Rundhaug. The township did not place any
conditions on the expansion...

Several committee members said since the town board, the board with local knowledge of the site, had given approval, they had confidence to give their approval.

The expansion will go before the county board for a final vote.

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Numerous newspapers, including the Washburn County Register reported the following...

A meeting between Washburn, Sawyer and Rusk counties to develop a coordinated public transit-human services transportation plan will be held at the Sawyer Community Senior Center, 15856 E. 5th Street, Hayward, on Thursday, Aug. 14, beginning at 1 p.m. This meeting is a joint effort between the three counties and is being coordinated through their human services and aging units.

The meeting is open to the public, and all interested individuals, elected officials at all levels and transit providers are encouraged to attend the meeting. Attendees will assist in identifying transportation needs of individuals with disabilities, older adults and people with low incomes; provide input into strategies for meeting locally identified needs; and assist in prioritizing transportation services for funding and implementation. Information collected at this meeting will be used to develop the public transit-human services transportation plan.

Persons residing in Washburn, Sawyer, and Rusk counties or providing transit services within the counties who are unable to attend the meeting may submit written comments on existing, new, or improved transit services to: Sheldon Johnson, Northwest Regional Planning Commission, 1400 South River Street, Spooner, WI 54801 or by e-mail to sjohnson@nwrpc.com. — submitted

Good Luck!

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Wisconsin Way Update...

NewsoftheNorth.Net made these editorial comments regarding Wisconsin Way.

The Wisconsin Way is on the road again this summer holding public forums around the state and listening to ideas and solutions from citizens on how to revise the current state tax system to make it function better for funding public services without penalizing any group.

However, the group behind the initiative has canceled the public forums that were to be held in Superior on Aug. 7 and Rhinelander on Aug. 12.

According to Jennifer Sereno of Wood Communications Group, a spokesperson for the group reached by phone, Wisconsin Way organizers decided to cancel the two meetings, the only ones in the northern part of the state, because, according to Sereno, there was not enough interest from local people who had participated in the meetings over the winter to warrant holding more meetings this summer.

According to the press release, "leaders of the Wisconsin Way effort are working with a nonpartisan team of budget experts, policy advisers, economic development leaders, academics and financial industry members to turn the public’s priorities into a workable blueprint for the state."

It appears however, that the "bluprint" being prepared by the Wisconsin Way will be weighted heavily toward the concerns of southern Wisconsin residents since northern forums for northern residents to participate for a second time have been closed down at present.

In an email received Aug. 7, Jennifer Sereno wrote a response to this posted article, saying she didn't want any misunderstandings about Wisconsin Way's decision to return to the Northwoods.

"We will be coming back to northern Wisconsin in coming weeks," Sereno wrote. "We will be sure to reach out with specific logistics when we have secured dates and locations that prove to be less of a conflict in the communities."

We will see if this does happen.

The Rusk County Committe on Committee (Really, that is what they are called) met for a second time in July to discuss the Comprehensive Planning Survey. According to the minutes they discussed what EVERY long range committee discusses about their community surveys...

Discussion on costs, number of surveys to distribute, who to distribute them to and the percentage that needs to be returned.

The minutes didn't say "how" they were to be distributed, but I know that was also discussed.
It always is too.

Next Meeting August 8.

According to the Grand Rapids Herald Review...

Itasca County Commissioners are ready to offer top pay for a new county coordinator.

After two days of interviews, this Monday and Tuesday, a board of four, with Chairman Mark Mandich absent, voted unanimously to offer the job to a Wisconsin county administrator Tuesday afternoon. Duane Hebert, Barron County Administrator, was chosen as the preferred pick among the five top candidates chosen to be interviewed.

Hebert has worked as administrator for Barron County since 2003.

Mr. Hebert has come under fire lately, by some, over a number of personnel decisions and agenda issues.

My interactions with him have always been professional and courteous. I wish him well in his new job.