[0:00] That's all for today.
[0:05] September meeting of the
[0:07] Wood County Board of Supervisors. We
[0:08] declare this
[0:09] meeting open.
[0:10] The secretary is taking
[0:11] a roll call. Supervisor
[0:13] Rohrbacher
[0:13] is still trying to step away
[0:15] from the case and is doing so
[0:16] remotely. And
[0:18] Warden Hamilton is
[0:19] absent today for a
[0:20] good reason. With
[0:23] that in mind, we
[0:24] move on, and I
[0:25] invite Warden
[0:26] Boyd to offer
[0:27] prayer. And if
[0:28] you wish, please
[0:29] remain standing
[0:30] for the oath of
[0:30] allegiance. Please
[0:32] remain standing
[0:33] for the oath of
[0:33] allegiance.
[0:39] Today's prayer
[0:40] is entitled Lord,
[0:44] bless these
[0:45] men and women
[0:46] as they carry out their
[0:47] tasks of overseeing the
[0:48] work of this district
[0:49] and providing guidance
[0:51] to the people of their
[0:51] areas. Help them
[0:54] make our court a
[0:55] safe
[0:55] environment for
[0:56] our employees and
[0:57] visitors.
[0:59] Help us
[0:59] keep Wood County a
[1:01] safe,
[1:01] progressive place
[1:02] to live, work, and
[1:04] raise our
[1:05] children. Lord, in
[1:06] Your mercy, we
[1:07] ask for Your
[1:08] blessing on this
[1:09] building and office.
[1:10] Amen. Please
[1:11] join me in taking the oath of
[1:13] allegiance.
[1:15] I pledge
[1:15] allegiance to the flag of the
[1:16] United States of
[1:18] America and to the republic for which it
[1:19] stands,
[1:20] one nation under
[1:21] God, indivisible,
[1:22] with liberty and
[1:23] justice for
[1:24] all.
[1:30] Thank you very much. The
[1:31] first item on the
[1:32] agenda is the minutes of the
[1:33] previous
[1:34] meeting, and I want to
[1:35] make a quick statement.
[1:37] Apparently, the protocol of the
[1:39] UW special commission is incorrect. They
[1:42] will fix it at the
[1:43] next meeting
[1:44] , but with that in mind, I am
[1:45] waiting for a motion
[1:46] to approve the minutes.
[1:47] They will have a
[1:48] corrected copy at the
[1:49] next meeting
[1:50] ; a proposal from
[1:51] Laikken, supported by
[1:52] Galverson. Are there
[1:52] any discussions?
[1:55] Those who are "in favor" should say
[1:56] "yes."
[1:57] Yes.
[1:58] Who is "against"? So,
[1:59] the proposal is accepted.
[2:01] Thank you. We have already
[2:02] discussed
[2:02] today's reasons for
[2:03] absence. We have
[2:05] no
[2:05] dismissal applications. We have
[2:06] no assignments or
[2:07] reassignments. Are there
[2:09] any
[2:09] comments from
[2:10] the public today?
[2:11] Any comments from the
[2:12] public? I do
[2:14] n't see any of those. So we
[2:16] move on to the
[2:17] meeting materials
[2:18] . We have a special
[2:19] agenda
[2:20] today from ADRC,
[2:21] right after
[2:23] the materials are processed. So Mike
[2:24] Gray will join
[2:26] us at that time. So, are
[2:27] you ready with your
[2:28] paperwork? The first thing
[2:30] here is the referral
[2:31] on page four.
[2:33] Several of them are already in their
[2:34] proper places. I
[2:36] know that some
[2:37] committees have already
[2:38] dealt with some of
[2:39] them. Okay,
[2:40] moving on,
[2:41] pages five through
[2:42] seven in your packet
[2:43] . This is the September
[2:45] 1st Operations Committee
[2:46] , pages 5
[2:48] through 7. Then we'll
[2:49] move on to the
[2:50] monthly
[2:51] comments from the
[2:52] County Clerk,
[2:53] Carmela. It's on page 9 or
[2:54] page 8 and 9, and
[2:55] then we go to
[2:56] page 10 and 11 for the
[2:58] CFO. Pages
[3:01] 12 through 15 are the
[3:02] Human Resources Department. And
[3:05] then our
[3:06] treasurer's report on
[3:07] page 16.
[3:09] Health care,
[3:10] page 17. Next we
[3:12] move to the
[3:13] minutes of the
[3:15] Health and
[3:16] Human Services Committee from
[3:18] August 27th, these are pages
[3:19] 18, 19, and 20. From the 18th to the 20th.
[3:24] After that, we
[3:25] receive monthly
[3:26] reports from the
[3:26] departments
[3:27] they oversee. The
[3:29] Department of Health report
[3:31] begins on
[3:32] page 21 and continues until the
[3:33] 28th. From the 21st to the 28th. You
[3:36] will have the opportunity
[3:37] to familiarize yourself with them.
[3:40] And then the Department of
[3:41] Social Services,
[3:42] starting with
[3:44] Director Brewington's report
[3:45] , pages 29 through 33
[3:46] . From the 29th to the 33rd
[3:49] . No questions?
[3:54] Okay, moving on to
[3:56] protocol C from
[3:57] Wednesday, September 2nd. Pages 34, 35
[3:59] and 36. Then
[4:06] we have various minutes of the
[4:10] Golden Sands Resource Conservation District Council,
[4:11] starting on
[4:12] page 37 and
[4:13] ending on page 45.
[4:14] Pages 37 to 45. The
[4:22] North-
[4:23] Central
[4:24] Tourism Partnership Committee met on
[4:26] August 12. These are pages 46 and 47
[4:28] .
[4:34] Citizens' Group on
[4:36] Water Resources—
[4:37] pages 48 and 49. Next
[4:42] comes the monthly report
[4:43] from UW Extension, which
[4:45] begins on
[4:46] page 50. And it continues until
[4:48] page 54. From the 50th to the
[4:51] 54th. We also have
[4:55] monthly
[4:56] staff reports on
[4:57] land and water
[4:58] resources.
[4:59] They start on
[5:00] page 55. And they continue
[5:03] until page 58. From 55th
[5:06] to 58th. Then the
[5:08] monthly
[5:09] planning and
[5:10] zoning report, starting
[5:11] with Director
[5:12] Gruber's report. This is from pages 59 to 62
[5:15] . From the 59th to the
[5:19] 62nd. I will now give you a
[5:21] break from
[5:22] looking at these
[5:22] pages, as
[5:24] we have a resolution, and I
[5:25] ask the Secretary
[5:26] to read it.
[5:26] This is Resolution 26-9-1.
[5:29] To approve an amendment
[5:30] to the official
[5:32] zoning ordinance of the City of
[5:32] Saratoga. This will not
[5:33] incur any
[5:34] costs to Wood County
[5:36] .
[5:36] Most likely, this will be
[5:38] supported by Paradise. Are there
[5:40] any discussions?
[5:46] Okay, if not,
[5:47] please vote
[5:48] .
[5:49] Supervisor Rauser.
[5:57] Supervisor Zurflu.
[5:59] By.
[6:04] Don is here. Can you see if
[6:07] I can hear him? Don, I
[6:08] turned on your
[6:09] microphone. Your voice?
[6:12] By.
[6:13] Thank you. I'm
[6:14] turning you off again. Well, that's
[6:17] not legal. I
[6:19] like it. One
[6:21] click. I can't even hear
[6:22] you screaming.
[6:30] The resolution passed
[6:33] 17-1, 17-1. You look
[6:37] concerned,
[6:38] supervisor, is that your
[6:39] intention?
[6:40] No. No, I announced the
[6:42] rejection.
[6:43] The glasses are clearly visible.
[6:46] Do everything before
[6:47] Supervisor Bucky
[6:49] has his say,
[6:51] Jack, 8-8.
[6:51] Bucky, Jack B.?
[6:53] So I look at the
[6:54] other end of the hall.
[6:55] Okay, let's move on
[6:57] . The Committee on Judiciary and
[6:59] Legislative Affairs
[7:01] of September 1st on
[7:02] pages 68 and 69. Their
[7:05] minutes of
[7:07] August 31st on pages 66 and 67
[7:09] .
[7:11] Of course.
[7:12] 65, 6 and 7. Then the update
[7:16] from the APC on child support on
[7:18] page 70.
[7:20] Secretary's reports on 71.
[7:23] Corporate Counsel on
[7:25] 72.
[7:28] Criminal
[7:29] Justice Division on
[7:30] pages 73 and 74.
[7:35] District Attorney's report
[7:36] on page 75. The register of
[7:41] deeds was on page
[7:43] 76. And then from the
[7:46] Victims and
[7:48] Witnesses Coordinator, that was on
[7:49] pages 77 and 78. Any
[7:53] questions about any
[7:54] of that? Okay,
[7:57] moving on, the
[8:00] Highway Infrastructure and
[8:01] Recreation Committee, which
[8:02] meets on September 3rd,
[8:04] starts at 79 and
[8:05] goes through 81. 79 to 81.
[8:10] The minutes of the
[8:14] Wood County Wildlife Advisory Committee are on
[8:15] pages 82 and 83. And
[8:19] then we have the
[8:20] monthly reports from the
[8:22] Highway Department, and that
[8:24] starts on
[8:25] page 84 and goes
[8:26] through 89. 84 to 89. I
[8:30] guess. And then the
[8:33] Parks and Forestry Department reports
[8:35] start at 90 and
[8:36] go up to 95. Um, as the
[8:37] deputy vice
[8:38] chairman, I stopped by
[8:39] earlier today, I
[8:40] don't know if any
[8:42] of you were in Powers Bluff
[8:43] over the long
[8:44] holiday weekend,
[8:45] but Chad, I'm glad you
[8:46] came. How many
[8:47] participants did you have
[8:49] at that
[8:49] cycling event?
[8:50] Um, there were 1050 riders.
[8:53] Wow, yes. So obviously
[8:54] we did a very
[8:55] good job with this
[8:56] project there, it's being
[8:58] used well. I
[8:59] understand that there was a
[9:00] huge number of
[9:01] spectators, in addition to the
[9:02] number of people who
[9:03] were there. So great
[9:04] job. Thank you for that. Once again
[9:05] , the Department of
[9:07] Parks and
[9:08] Forestry 90-95.
[9:10] We have the
[9:12] Central
[9:13] Wisconsin State Fair Board of Directors on pages 96 and 97
[9:15] . And then
[9:18] we have the minutes of the
[9:21] South Central Library System Board of Trustees
[9:23] on pages 98 and 99. And
[9:28] then, as I said
[9:29] before, these minutes
[9:30] from the reconstruction advisory
[9:32] committee
[9:32] , they
[9:34] will be reviewed,
[9:35] these are pages 101 and 101. Um.
[9:40] We have added this latest
[9:41] resolution to the package of
[9:42] documents. Um, is there
[9:44] anyone who objects to me
[9:45] speaking on this
[9:46] since I'm the one who
[9:47] brought it up
[9:48] without handing over the
[9:49] chair to Jay? Are there any
[9:50] objections?
[9:51] One.
[9:52] I, I deny it.
[9:53] OK.
[9:54] I deny it. People
[9:56] deny it.
[9:57] Yes. Perhaps
[9:59] act as
[10:00] chairman.
[10:01] Why would you, Mr. Jay?
[10:05] So, a while ago,
[10:06] um, some
[10:07] supervisors
[10:08] were asking or being
[10:09] asked by members of
[10:10] the public what we were
[10:11] doing about
[10:12] data centers. And the
[10:17] Wisconsin Association of Counties has
[10:19] been working on model
[10:20] ordinances for several months. And when
[10:24] they were ready, I
[10:25] gave a copy to
[10:26] Chief
[10:27] Vandenberg, probably a
[10:28] week before
[10:29] he put it on the
[10:30] website. As a district,
[10:34] you know, we often
[10:35] get asked why we don't have
[10:36] more time,
[10:37] why we don't do
[10:38] other things in this
[10:39] regard. The answer is
[10:40] : we can't.
[10:41] There are no cities in our district
[10:42] that have chosen
[10:43] comprehensive zoning
[10:45] . But the Association of
[10:46] Counties prepared a
[10:48] draft resolution. All
[10:50] this
[10:50] regulation does, and it's
[10:51] reflected in this
[10:52] resolution, is
[10:53] require any
[10:55] projects, whether it's
[10:55] solar power,
[10:57] wind power,
[10:58] energy storage,
[10:59] or
[11:00] data centers, any
[11:01] large project,
[11:02] to notify us of
[11:03] their intention to move
[11:04] forward. The reason is that
[11:06] they have a
[11:07] huge impact on
[11:08] our roads and other
[11:09] facilities. So the project
[11:11] developed by the WCA is now
[11:12] being sent to all
[11:14] districts. I asked the
[11:16] corporation's legal department
[11:17] to prepare this and
[11:18] submit it to the
[11:19] board meeting, rather than
[11:20] waiting another 4 months for
[11:21] it to go through the
[11:22] normal
[11:23] committee process.
[11:24] Because everyone asks us:
[11:25] what exactly do we do? How do
[11:27] we interact with
[11:28] all local
[11:28] communities? That's how it
[11:30] got here.
[11:31] I'll stop here,
[11:33] J.P., you can get down to
[11:34] business.
[11:36] Got it.
[11:40] You, Chief LaBella
[11:42] ?
[11:42] I vote "yes".
[11:43] Let's bring this up
[11:44] for discussion and
[11:45] then we can
[11:46] discuss it, okay?
[11:47] So,
[11:47] everyone who is "in favor",
[11:48] speak up by
[11:49] saying "yes."
[11:49] Everyone who is "against" is
[11:50] similar.
[11:51] Clerk, record
[11:52] the support.
[11:53] Supported by
[11:53] Chief Cole.
[11:54] Have a question for
[11:55] discussion? To
[11:57] the Chief Lycoming.
[12:00] Thank you, Mr. Vice
[12:01] President. I'm going to take this
[12:03] a little slow.
[12:07] My eyes are not what they
[12:08] used to be, I'm like
[12:10] Blackie's boss. I ca
[12:12] n't see anything anymore. And it
[12:17] wasn't at 6:30 in the evening. I
[12:22] thought I would
[12:23] vote for it in a
[12:24] certain way. Now I'm
[12:27] not sure anymore. I
[12:30] have read this
[12:30] resolution
[12:31] ten times. Now I know
[12:35] where it came from,
[12:36] I know the intention, and that's
[12:38] good. So I said to
[12:40] myself, “Yes. Yes. "Okay,
[12:42] finally the county council
[12:43] got involved in this."
[12:45] They are involved in
[12:46] kindergartens. We've been
[12:48] waiting for this for a long time. There
[12:51] was a big crowd here this morning. So
[12:54] my first thought was,
[12:55] “Yes. "Yes, a good
[12:57] thing." Then I
[12:59] read it again, and again. And
[13:03] now I will draw your
[13:04] attention to the second point
[13:05] "given that". And this
[13:08] means that if
[13:09] data centers
[13:11] are built
[13:12] anywhere, it will cause
[13:13] damage to
[13:14] county roads,
[13:15] city roads,
[13:16] state
[13:17] highways, and
[13:18] any other facilities.
[13:20] Yes, this can
[13:21] happen. Yes, it
[13:22] will happen. I live
[13:24] nearby, in fact the
[13:25] solar
[13:25] power plant borders
[13:27] my plot. And there
[13:28] is indeed
[13:29] damage there. There
[13:30] is no
[13:31] doubt about that. But here's
[13:32] one of my first
[13:33] concerns,
[13:34] actually my main
[13:35] concern about
[13:37] data centers. We have heard so much
[13:40] in the media about the impact
[13:41] on water. This is
[13:44] not at all in this
[13:46] resolution. We've heard a lot
[13:48] about consumption...
[13:49] Now we have two
[13:50] solar stations on the
[13:51] ground. This is
[13:53] not in the resolution at all. In
[13:55] my opinion, this is the
[13:56] biggest problem.
[13:57] She should have been there.
[14:00] So now I look
[14:01] at it differently and say to
[14:02] myself: what does this regulation
[14:04] say to developers
[14:05] ? What does this regulation
[14:08] say to developers
[14:10] ? So look at the
[14:11] intent and description there. It
[14:13] says it there, and I'm just
[14:15] highlighting some things. I should
[14:16] n't
[14:17] do this. I should have
[14:18] read the whole thing, but it
[14:19] says: if you
[14:21] report, it
[14:22] prompts the developers
[14:23] . What does the
[14:25] last paragraph "
[14:26] taking into account" say? It
[14:27] says: if
[14:28] you allow the district
[14:29] to plan in advance,
[14:30] what any district should do
[14:31] . This is great.
[14:33] This is just wonderful. Yes.
[14:37] And then it says that we,
[14:38] or all of us together—I'll
[14:39] add a little bit of myself
[14:40] —can mitigate the
[14:41] potential consequences
[14:43] when this last word is
[14:44] over. So
[14:49] someone my age
[14:50] learned to read between the
[14:51] lines. And what I see
[14:55] between the lines for
[14:56] developers is this:
[14:57] go ahead and
[14:58] build your
[14:59] data centers in
[15:00] Loudoun County. And this
[15:04] worries me very much. So,
[15:07] you know, I'd be happy to be
[15:08] wrong about that. And
[15:10] I'll probably be...
[15:11] voting in a
[15:12] few minutes. I'm
[15:13] probably wrong
[15:14] about this, and that's
[15:15] okay. But I
[15:16] believe
[15:16] the wording in this
[15:17] resolution sends the
[15:18] wrong signal. No matter
[15:19] which way you
[15:20] look at it, it
[15:21] sends the
[15:21] wrong signal.
[15:22] I will vote "
[15:23] against". I think my
[15:25] constituents and people across the
[15:26] country—I'm kind of
[15:28] addicted to the
[15:29] news. I listen to all the
[15:31] different news networks. I
[15:33] don't think they
[15:34] want
[15:35] data centers in the
[15:36] form they are
[15:37] so quickly
[15:38] imposing on us now. Ahem. I
[15:40] don't think they
[15:41] want them at all. I don't
[15:42] think they want just any
[15:43] AI.
[15:45] So, people across the country
[15:46] are calling for action to be taken
[15:47] slowly. Act very
[15:51] slowly. And that would be
[15:53] my message to you
[15:54] today. Do
[15:56] we need a resolution? Yes,
[15:57] definitely. We
[15:58] need it. Just not
[16:01] this one, not now. I think it
[16:03] needs to be
[16:04] reformulated.
[16:05] So, my final
[16:06] thought here is maybe a
[16:08] special committee.
[16:09] Hmm, I don't know where I
[16:10] want to go. I want
[16:12] to hear from the rest of you
[16:13] . But I believe that this
[16:15] resolution needs to be
[16:16] revised and
[16:17] rephrased somewhat. Thank you.
[16:20] Supervisors' meeting.
[16:21] The supervisor is speaking
[16:23] . Thank you. I had the
[16:28] same
[16:29] feeling as
[16:30] Supervisor Layton
[16:31] when I first
[16:32] read this, and I've probably had
[16:34] four people
[16:34] contact me
[16:36] about data centers in the past month
[16:38] via
[16:38] email and
[16:40] phone calls. And
[16:45] they need what
[16:46] they don't want.
[16:50] Reading this, I
[16:51] agree with what
[16:52] Supervisor
[16:53] Wright said. I don't see anything
[16:57] that would prevent
[16:58] any corporation from
[16:59] building
[17:00] data centers in
[17:01] Wood County. Based
[17:03] on what is
[17:04] written here. And I'll probably
[17:07] vote
[17:08] against it too, simply because
[17:10] I think we
[17:11] need something. But I think
[17:14] this needs to be
[17:15] reviewed, and that the
[17:20] county should have
[17:21] something in this ordinance
[17:22] that protects our
[17:23] citizens and our lands
[17:25] . Good. And I just
[17:27] say: yes, we are
[17:28] informing you that we are
[17:29] going to build,
[17:30] we are informing you
[17:32] that we are going to
[17:33] erect it and so on.
[17:34] So, you have...Thank you.
[17:36] Good evening. Mr.
[17:38] Chairman, may I?
[17:39] Yes.
[17:40] Thank you. I have no
[17:42] ideas, no options
[17:43] . I have not slept since this
[17:46] came up, and I am in
[17:51] a hurry to get a
[17:52] resolution or
[17:53] ruling. I'm not
[17:56] expecting a resolution, but an
[17:57] ordinance where the
[17:59] county can
[18:00] say to any
[18:01] municipality: if
[18:02] they do all these
[18:03] things, you can't
[18:05] stop it. You can't
[18:08] , you have no
[18:09] say in this.
[18:10] And I think that's
[18:11] wrong. I
[18:12] personally believe that
[18:13] they had to go
[18:14] through this, not because I am the
[18:16] chairman of the Judiciary
[18:18] Committee. They had to
[18:19] go through them. They should have
[18:22] sent it to the
[18:23] county council, because what
[18:24] they did was the
[18:25] right thing to do. So
[18:27] I vote against. I am
[18:30] very upset about this.
[18:32] Really upset.
[18:35] Because I've been doing this since
[18:36] December 2025,
[18:37] knowing about it and
[18:38] listening, and I've been to
[18:40] other counties when
[18:41] they held their
[18:43] meetings and so on. And of course,
[18:46] they went there, and
[18:47] they are not happy.
[18:49] But then, why didn't I
[18:50] do something about the
[18:51] county association
[18:52] to say, "If you
[18:53] want to come to
[18:54] Wood County, you have to
[18:55] do this." They have
[18:56] enough money to
[18:58] do these things. But
[18:59] they don't have to
[19:00] follow this.
[19:01] I vote against.
[19:05] Supervisor Lackey?
[19:07] Thank you. Um, I'd like to
[19:08] hear from our
[19:09] corporate
[19:10] lawyer. Nick, could
[19:11] you please respond to these
[19:13] statements. Thank you. Thank you.
[19:16] This, Mr. Chairman.
[19:18] I'm talking.
[19:19] Um, so just a few
[19:21] points. There have been a lot of
[19:23] comments, and if you're
[19:24] expecting a response
[19:26] to some of them, uh, then
[19:27] I have to do that. Um,
[19:31] I think, for the most part,
[19:32] one important aspect is that
[19:33] this
[19:35] ordinance in no
[19:36] way takes away
[19:37] the authority of
[19:38] local governments. That is,
[19:40] in towns, villages,
[19:41] cities—nothing in this
[19:43] resolution
[19:44] does this. Secondly, um, I
[19:46] know that the first
[19:47] comments that were
[19:48] made, uh,
[19:49] were about solar
[19:51] energy, and actually, uh
[19:52] , I think, uh,
[19:54] solar, wind,
[19:56] and
[19:57] data centers were mentioned. Uh, and
[19:59] just to clarify,
[20:00] this only applies to
[20:02] data centers, and I think this is
[20:03] important, this
[20:04] relates to the second
[20:05] comment made
[20:06] . Um, there was a comment
[20:08] about solar
[20:09] power plants, uh, and
[20:11] some of the impacts that
[20:12] uh have come about because of them,
[20:14] and, uh, some of the uh,
[20:15] probably those impacts
[20:17] uh, have been mitigated,
[20:18] as you all know, through uh,
[20:21] development agreements.
[20:24] Remember that in such
[20:25] cases, because
[20:26] they have to go
[20:27] through the
[20:28] Public Service Commission (
[20:30] PSC), we will receive
[20:31] notices regarding
[20:32] such projects,
[20:33] solar and wind.
[20:35] Um, when you're talking
[20:36] about large-scale
[20:37] solar projects,
[20:38] large-scale wind
[20:39] projects, there's no such requirement
[20:40] for
[20:41] data centers,
[20:42] okay? So, this
[20:43] only applies to
[20:45] data centers. So understand
[20:47] that we get
[20:48] some advance
[20:50] notices when
[20:51] documents are filed
[20:52] with the PSC for solar and
[20:53] wind projects, as
[20:55] we saw with the
[20:56] Saugatuck project, but we
[20:57] don't get them for
[20:59] data center projects. And so
[21:03] this ordinance is
[21:04] actually needed
[21:05] so that we
[21:06] get
[21:07] notice of these
[21:08] potential developments.
[21:11] This does not mean you
[21:12] can start
[21:13] after we
[21:14] receive
[21:15] the notice
[21:16] as this will still be
[21:17] subject to local
[21:18] regulations. Nothing here
[21:20] overrides local
[21:22] regulations. What it
[21:26] allows, and this is in
[21:27] our resolution here,
[21:29] uh in its later
[21:30] part, uh in the
[21:31] coordination and
[21:32] review section, is that
[21:33] after receiving
[21:34] the notification uh to
[21:35] forward it either to
[21:36] the committee that
[21:37] controls the relevant
[21:38] consequences or to the
[21:40] district council itself. In
[21:44] other words, it
[21:45] gives us a notification
[21:47] that such projects
[21:48] are being planned. That's good.
[21:50] I, I, I mean
[21:51] I already see that as a
[21:52] positive
[21:53] in any of these
[21:54] projects, whether it's data
[21:55] centers,
[21:56] wind power, or
[21:57] solar power.
[21:58] We have the necessary
[21:59] guarantees. It's not very
[22:01] good, though, when
[22:03] we
[22:04] lose local
[22:05] control over
[22:06] wind and
[22:07] solar projects due to existing safeguards,
[22:08] but there is a
[22:09] notification mechanism that should
[22:10] be a safeguard.
[22:15] That's not the case with data centers
[22:17] , and that's why, as
[22:18] I understand this
[22:19] recommended package
[22:20] from the WCA, this is what I
[22:21] see in this regulation
[22:23] : to provide
[22:24] us with the same kind of advance
[22:25] notice that exists
[22:26] for
[22:27] solar and wind regulations
[22:29] so that we
[22:30] can plan and
[22:31] try to
[22:32] anticipate and
[22:32] mitigate any
[22:34] negative impacts.
[22:39] I hope this
[22:40] resolves the issue
[22:41] you raised.
[22:42] Thank you.
[22:43] Can I take the floor
[22:44] and then come back
[22:45] to the vote?
[22:47] Mr. President. I think
[22:48] our corporate
[22:49] lawyer
[22:50] summed it up to some extent.
[22:51] The reason for this was
[22:52] not to
[22:53] bypass any
[22:54] other authority. The thing is,
[22:55] when this
[22:56] current project was
[22:57] proposed,
[22:58] no one warned us.
[22:59] No idea.
[23:01] People from the public called me
[23:02] and asked what was
[23:02] going on. We
[23:03] say we
[23:04] need a
[23:04] warning. We
[23:05] need to be
[23:06] able to do
[23:06] this, actually, as I
[23:07] wrote in my
[23:07] notes. We already have
[23:08] such protections if
[23:09] projects fall
[23:10] under the jurisdiction of the
[23:11] Public Utilities Commission (
[23:12] PSC). We are being notified.
[23:14] But we had no
[23:14] idea. And I do
[23:16] n't deny that
[23:17] the county at some point
[23:18] , if our cities
[23:19] implement
[23:20] comprehensive zoning
[23:21] and we move in that
[23:22] direction, will have
[23:23] additional protection.
[23:25] But now we have 22
[23:26] cities, and none of them
[23:28] fall under such
[23:29] protection. So, all
[23:31] we're asking for with this
[23:31] resolution, the only thing
[23:33] we need is to
[23:33] let us know when you're
[23:34] coming so we
[23:35] can start these
[23:36] conversations in advance.
[23:37] Otherwise, we will
[23:38] find ourselves in a situation of
[23:39] complete surprise,
[23:39] as in this case. I, ended up having to
[23:41] call them myself to
[23:42] find out what was
[23:43] going on. It would be
[23:44] nice to know. So I
[23:45] also had a few
[23:46] conversations with most of the
[23:47] committee chairs
[23:48] before this, saying that
[23:49] they didn't see, because I
[23:50] know, maybe they didn't
[23:52] see all of this.
[23:53] We are looking for protection,
[23:54] but we want to be
[23:54] informed in a
[23:55] timely manner. And that's all
[23:56] I'm after here. Just
[23:58] let us know. We
[23:59] will work with
[24:00] cities. We've already had
[24:01] some conversations.
[24:02] I have various
[24:04] department heads here, and we
[24:05] will look at this at a
[24:07] city association meeting, most likely a
[24:07] city
[24:08] community meeting, as to
[24:09] what their zoning process might be
[24:10] . We
[24:12] have no power over
[24:13] cities, period, and we
[24:13] never will.
[24:14] They can do whatever they
[24:15] want. Uh,
[24:17] cities might
[24:17] need some
[24:18] protection. This is the first
[24:19] step towards
[24:20] at least being
[24:21] informed. And we
[24:22] can do it
[24:23] this month, instead of
[24:24] getting an offer five days later
[24:25] that we weren't
[24:26] notified about. So, there
[24:27] was a reason for that.
[24:29] I think Nick explains it
[24:30] very well. Time was the
[24:32] reason we
[24:33] brought this up
[24:35] , because we, each and every one of you
[24:36] , are asked every day, "What do
[24:37] you do?" Well, this is the
[24:38] first step, at this
[24:40] point it's the only thing
[24:41] we have
[24:42] the authority to do.
[24:47] What is the question?
[24:49] You know, as far as
[24:51] I know,
[24:52] there are 48 of
[24:53] these
[24:54] data centers in Wisconsin right now, and
[24:55] three more are being built right
[24:57] now. These big
[24:59] companies come to the
[25:00] area, impose it on
[25:02] people, and expect
[25:03] people to be on
[25:04] their side. I don't
[25:06] know what to do. I, I mean
[25:08] , I have
[25:09] no idea what to do. I don't
[25:11] know what's best for us
[25:12] . But I don't
[25:14] like that we are being
[25:15] forced to do this. What?
[25:24] I can say I
[25:25] hesitate, because yes, we
[25:26] need a
[25:27] warning. If we
[25:30] do nothing,
[25:31] they will come, and once the
[25:32] shovel
[25:33] touches the ground, there is nothing you can
[25:34] do.
[25:37] E-m. They have a lot of
[25:41] money. It would be like
[25:44] harassing
[25:45] quarry workers.
[25:46] You, you serve them with
[25:47] summonses. You hand it to
[25:49] them. You hand it to them. And
[25:50] they just
[25:51] keep digging
[25:52] under their streams and
[25:54] , um...We need to
[25:57] do something. This is not a
[26:00] moratorium. As I
[26:03] said, there may be a
[26:04] warning. But what, do we do when
[26:07] they do something without
[26:08] telling us? Um, they'll
[26:10] tell you after
[26:11] that. "It's nothing because
[26:12] we have plenty of money."
[26:15] Um, that's really hard.
[26:20] I have a quick
[26:21] question about this.
[26:23] is my second time. I've
[26:29] been watching the news on
[26:30] cable since 11 o'clock,
[26:31] ever since we
[26:32] got it.
[26:33] You can't
[26:34] say that. That would be
[26:36] inappropriate.
[26:37] Sir, you, you can't even
[26:38] postpone for a
[26:39] certain time. You can't
[26:40] take this out of
[26:41] consideration. Removing it from
[26:42] consideration kills it.
[26:44] So, you want to
[26:44] postpone for a certain
[26:45] time, i.e.
[26:46] next month.
[26:47] Good. Is there
[26:48] anyone who
[26:49] supports? I
[26:51] support.
[26:53] the leader's request, yes. Are
[26:55] there any other
[26:56] discussions?
[26:57] Mr. Learn.
[27:00] No. Is there
[27:01] anything else on the council?
[27:03] Continue.
[27:04] Take your
[27:04] phone.
[27:07] Yes, I want to make a
[27:08] comment. You know,
[27:10] obviously, working to
[27:11] further
[27:12] protect the community from a
[27:13] county perspective, we're
[27:14] communicating with the
[27:15] county, both of us
[27:16] who are not subject to
[27:17] comprehensive zoning
[27:19] . Uh-huh. This process has not
[27:22] stopped. We
[27:23] continue to
[27:24] work on this.
[27:25] But, I think the message
[27:26] that we're sending to
[27:27] the community, to the people who are
[27:28] offering bonuses,
[27:29] again, we're
[27:29] not doing anything.
[27:30] I get asked every day,
[27:32] "What do you do?" This is the
[27:33] first step. The first
[27:34] step—at least we
[27:35] know. If we
[27:36] know, we can
[27:37] intervene in that
[27:38] conversation, have those
[27:39] difficult negotiations with
[27:41] those companies.
[27:42] At least we have
[27:43] an idea. Uh, there will be
[27:44] other offers,
[27:46] but if we wait
[27:47] another month, who knows
[27:48] who else will come to town,
[27:49] make an offer, and
[27:50] again, I don't
[27:52] know about
[27:52] the supervisor on this
[27:53] board, but it
[27:54] came as a surprise to me.
[27:56] I found out about it
[27:57] after the
[27:58] public found out. So I'm
[27:59] just saying: give us a
[28:01] chance to find out, and that's
[28:02] all it gives.
[28:03] Supervisor Whitehill
[28:04] .
[28:05] Okay, and I'm doing this for the second time
[28:06] . This is the last time
[28:08] I say this. I was
[28:09] very careful with
[28:11] my words. Uh, I
[28:12] said, "Let's take our
[28:13] time." I asked,
[28:15] "Do we need a
[28:16] resolution?" Yes, it is
[28:17] necessary. Uh,
[28:19] the message I
[28:20] was hoping to convey is that
[28:23] we have a little time.
[28:27] The resolution is very
[28:28] different from the
[28:29] various resolutions
[28:30] we vote for. This is a
[28:33] permanent
[28:34] decision.
[28:36] Can we take
[28:38] one month? I
[28:39] mean, this is what
[28:40] the supervisor is asking for.
[28:42] Can we take
[28:43] one month to be
[28:44] more thorough and
[28:45] do everything
[28:45] right? That's all
[28:47] I had in mind when
[28:48] I made my first
[28:49] statement. Thank you.
[28:51] Mr. Vice Chairman,
[28:53] the supervisor raised
[28:54] his hand.
[28:56] I want to change the
[28:57] question.
[28:57] Why does the supervisor
[28:59] raise
[29:01] Well, I think it would be
[29:02] tactless to ask
[29:04] you this question, but
[29:05] you know, the question is
[29:06] about the
[29:07] initial
[29:07] petition. This is not what this
[29:10] adjournment motion is about. So it
[29:11] may be inappropriate
[29:12] to ask this question
[29:14] if it is postponed.
[29:16] So, I'll just
[29:17] wait until they
[29:18] vote.
[29:19] This is not...this is a postponement
[29:21] . We are postponing.
[29:23] Supervisor, I'm
[29:24] turning off your microphone.
[29:31] Mr. Vice President, uh,
[29:32] this will also be my
[29:33] second word on this
[29:35] matter. Uh, I
[29:38] appreciate the
[29:38] clarification from our
[29:39] legal advisor, as well
[29:41] as the chairman. Uh, and
[29:52] knowing how
[29:53] regulations work, you can
[29:54] have a regulation in the
[29:55] archive and then
[29:56] go back if
[29:57] something isn't the way you
[29:58] want it to be and you can
[30:00] reopen that
[30:01] regulation and make
[30:02] changes. So for now,
[30:10] I will
[30:11] vote against
[30:12] pausing this
[30:13] . Oh, I, I
[30:17] changed my mind. I
[30:22] think we
[30:23] need to
[30:24] implement something so that
[30:25] at least we are
[30:25] informed about such
[30:27] plans so that we can
[30:28] act together with the
[30:29] relevant cities
[30:30] .
[30:35] Supervisor Buckshot.
[30:39] I think Wayne
[30:40] said it well, Mr. Chairman
[30:41] and others. We are just, I think
[30:44] , getting
[30:45] approval for this. So
[30:47] , this doesn't mean we are
[30:49] "for" or "against" this
[30:50] data center.
[30:52] This is for
[30:53] further
[30:53] clarification.
[30:56] Supervisor Holland,
[30:58] do
[30:58] I agree? At least
[31:01] we're doing something.
[31:04] By postponing
[31:05] the vote, we
[31:06] are revealing the cards
[31:07] as to what
[31:08] will happen in 30
[31:09] days.
[31:11] What will happen
[31:12] during these 30 days? I
[31:14] will also vote "
[31:16] against".
[31:17] Supervisor Lloyd?
[31:20] The last three warehouses in
[31:21] the county have caused
[31:22] traffic jams on our
[31:23] highways. I would like to
[31:26] hear a comment
[31:27] from our
[31:27] road
[31:28] department on
[31:29] this specific
[31:30] issue. I heard you
[31:31] had a comment.
[31:32] I don't...What is your
[31:33] position on
[31:34] postponement? I don't
[31:35] think that's appropriate.
[31:37] We can discuss
[31:38] this after the meeting.
[31:39] Supervisor Lloyd?
[31:40] That would be inappropriate at this point
[31:41] . I don't
[31:42] think so.
[31:43] Then I vote.
[31:45] Dick, would you...
[31:50] I would first put this
[31:51] proposal to
[31:52] a vote, and then,
[31:53] if it is considered,
[31:54] this issue can be
[31:55] raised. Does
[31:59] anyone else want to
[32:01] I have a question about the
[32:02] amended proposal.
[32:04] Just to clarify:
[32:05] the offer is to
[32:06] postpone it to the
[32:07] next month.
[32:08] So, if the proposal is
[32:10] supported, we
[32:10] will return to this
[32:11] next month.
[32:16] No more comments? We vote.
[32:20] Supervisor Rosario,
[32:21] your
[32:22] microphone is on.
[32:24] No.
[32:26] Supervisor Zerillo?
[32:29] Yes.
[32:38] Supervisor Fried, you
[32:39] need to
[32:40] press the button again.
[32:41] Click it. Okay,
[32:43] let's clarify, you're
[32:44] voting again. "No"
[32:47] , "yes" or "no" regarding
[32:48] postponement.
[32:50] Okay, vote "yes
[32:52] " or "no." The amendment did
[33:02] not pass, there was
[33:03] nothing to vote for.
[33:06] Let's go back to the
[33:07] original
[33:08] proposal. Is there
[33:09] a discussion of the
[33:10] initial
[33:11] proposal?
[33:17] Supervisor Boyd, would
[33:18] you like to hear from Hybrid
[33:20] Cluster regarding
[33:21] Yes. Could you
[33:25] come to the microphone
[33:26] for a minute?
[33:27] Of course, Boyd is the boss.
[33:33] We... We approached
[33:34] this in a similar way to what we
[33:35] did with the
[33:36] solar
[33:37] power plants in
[33:38] Saratoga. We will
[33:40] determine the
[33:42] scope of construction,
[33:43] its scale and pace
[33:44] . And then we will need to
[33:48] research exactly what
[33:49] routes and
[33:50] roads you will be
[33:51] using.
[33:53] Therefore, it is difficult
[33:54] to say exactly what
[33:55] exactly the data center will build
[33:56] and what
[33:57] damage it may cause
[33:59] . This will take
[34:02] some
[34:02] initial
[34:04] developer time, as we
[34:05] spent a year or two
[34:06] with the developers in
[34:07] Saratoga to
[34:08] outline what they
[34:09] needed. So I think
[34:11] we'll follow the same
[34:12] process
[34:13] as we would with any
[34:14] data center development.
[34:16] So, to answer
[34:17] you: we'll have to
[34:18] meet with them and
[34:19] find out what exactly
[34:20] they're going to develop.
[34:23] I think...Can I
[34:24] ask? That's
[34:24] exactly what I wanted to
[34:26] ask.
[34:26] Yes.
[34:28] So, regarding the data
[34:29] center
[34:29] proposed here
[34:30] for the city of Wisconsin
[34:32] Dells, have you had any
[34:33] communications with these
[34:34] people?
[34:35] I didn't have any. I didn't have any.
[34:37] So when do you
[34:38] think such communications will take place
[34:39] ?
[34:41] Well, it will be partly the
[34:42] city's job,
[34:43] since most of the
[34:44] development
[34:45] is within the
[34:46] city limits. We do not have
[34:47] any jurisdiction
[34:48] over roads within
[34:49] city limits. So
[34:50] , if they had
[34:51] suggested
[34:52] using the
[34:53] ring roads outside
[34:54] the city, then we
[34:55] would have faced that.
[34:56] But at this point, there have
[35:00] been no discussions outside of urban infrastructure. Are
[35:04] there any other
[35:05] comments on the
[35:06] initial
[35:07] proposal?
[35:11] There are currently no
[35:13] fuses,
[35:14] noise barriers, or speed bumps
[35:16] . At least this
[35:18] offers something.
[35:20] These stitches
[35:20] will stop
[35:21] calling me.
[35:28] Are there any more comments?
[35:40] Joe, did you want to
[35:41] say something or are you just
[35:42] waiting for the
[35:43] vote?
[35:45] Uh, no, I didn't
[35:46] want anything. Let me be brief
[35:48] and clear: you know,
[35:50] why
[35:50] use 10
[35:51] words when you can
[35:53] use 10,000? I'm
[35:56] going in circles here. I
[35:58] thought that postponing
[35:59] this matter would be the
[36:00] best solution
[36:02] so that we could form a
[36:03] proper committee and
[36:04] start
[36:04] thinking
[36:05] things through. However, I
[36:08] go back to
[36:09] Mr.
[36:10] Finnegan's explanation and fully
[36:11] trust what he
[36:12] said. So I
[36:15] will vote "in favor" of
[36:17] adopting this
[36:18] resolution. Thank you.
[36:23] Are there any more comments? Madam
[36:27] Secretary, can you
[36:28] call all those...
[36:32] Okay, we won't
[36:33] use the
[36:34] scoreboard because we have
[36:34] a little problem with the
[36:35] system. So I
[36:36] will hold a roll call
[36:37] vote because I don't
[36:38] think we can
[36:39] accurately determine
[36:39] the results of a
[36:40] voice
[36:40] vote. With your
[36:42] permission, Mr. Vice
[36:43] President. Let's start from
[36:44] the top of the list.
[36:45] Supervisor Schultz.
[36:46] Yes.
[36:47] Now we need to
[36:48] turn on
[36:49] Supervisor Rosie's microphone.
[36:50] Supervisor Rosa, your
[36:51] vote.
[36:53] Yes.
[36:57] Good. Supervisor
[36:58] Budde.
[36:59] Yes.
[36:59] Supervisor Perlak.
[37:01] Yes.
[37:01] Supervisor
[37:02] Umenhofer.
[37:03] Yes.
[37:03] Supervisor Bray.
[37:05] Yes.
[37:06] Supervisor Boyd.
[37:07] Yes.
[37:08] Supervisor Khan.
[37:09] Yes.
[37:10] Supervisor Goldberg
[37:12] .
[37:12] Yes.
[37:12] Supervisor Toger.
[37:14] Yes.
[37:15] Supervisor
[37:15] Penscover.
[37:16] Yes.
[37:17] Supervisor
[37:18] Valentine.
[37:19] Yes.
[37:20] Supervisor Kasper.
[37:21] Yes.
[37:22] Supervisor [ __ ].
[37:25] Yes.
[37:25] Supervisor
[37:26] Glendenning.
[37:27] No.
[37:29] Council Chairman Klemmer.
[37:30] Yes.
[37:32] Supervisor Zirbel.
[37:34] I.
[37:36] Supervisor
[37:36] Hamilton, is there
[37:37] Supervisor Layton?
[37:39] No.
[37:41] Mr. Chairman, this
[37:42] resolution was adopted by 16
[37:44] votes in favor, 2
[37:45] against, and 1
[37:46] abstention. I
[37:50] must now hand over to
[37:51] Chairman Fleming.
[37:53] Thank you. Deputy
[37:56] Chairman.
[37:56] Moving on,
[37:57] just a quick
[37:58] comment since
[37:59] the voting
[38:00] is over. This does not
[38:01] mean the completion of
[38:02] other work in
[38:03] progress. I know
[38:05] our district has been working
[38:06] on this. The
[38:08] State County Association
[38:09] is working on
[38:10] getting lawyers involved
[38:11] so we can do
[38:12] more from a
[38:13] county perspective. And I know that
[38:17] Supervisor
[38:17] Clendenning is very
[38:18] active with the
[38:19] city division. I
[38:23] gave him copies of the draft resolution
[38:25] about a week
[38:26] ago. Supervisor
[38:27] Clendenning, a week and a half
[38:29] ago. So, they
[38:30] can start
[38:31] working on it. This is not
[38:32] necessarily the
[38:33] final solution,
[38:34] but I think it's
[38:35] a start, at least it
[38:37] gives us some
[38:38] direction. Regarding
[38:39] Roland's comment, it would be
[38:40] nice to know
[38:42] that something will eventually
[38:43] happen. So
[38:44] thank you. This
[38:45] brings us to
[38:46] our
[38:47] agenda. Today
[38:48] we have a special
[38:49] question. I invite a
[38:51] representative from ADRC.
[38:52] Mike, please
[38:53] come over. We ask
[38:55] them to come annually
[38:56] and report to
[38:57] us. Since its
[38:58] inception, ADRC has been
[39:00] extremely successful.
[39:02] We get very
[39:03] little increase in
[39:04] spending from the county,
[39:05] and in many cases
[39:06] we are able to
[39:07] maintain or
[39:08] expand services
[39:09] within our
[39:11] four-county consortium.
[39:12] So, Mike, you have the floor
[39:14] .
[39:14] Yes, that's good. Thank you. I am
[39:16] grateful for the
[39:16] opportunity to come and
[39:17] talk to you.
[39:18] Most of you have probably
[39:20] seen
[39:21] my annual
[39:21] presentation, but
[39:23] maybe some of you haven't,
[39:24] so I'll give you a brief
[39:25] overview of the
[39:26] organization,
[39:27] how we're set up, and why
[39:28] I come to you every year
[39:30] . We are a
[39:31] regional
[39:32] organization of
[39:33] four counties,
[39:34] formed by these
[39:35] counties within the
[39:36] region based on an
[39:37] intergovernmental agreement. As
[39:40] part of this agreement, I
[39:41] provide each of these
[39:42] districts with updated
[39:43] information regarding
[39:44] support services and
[39:45] what is happening
[39:46] within the organization. Um, I
[39:48] think I'm last on the
[39:49] agenda
[39:50] today, so I promise
[39:51] to be brief. But
[39:52] if you have any
[39:53] questions, I'll always be
[39:54] happy
[39:55] to answer them.
[39:56] So, I will start with the
[39:57] challenges
[39:59] and
[40:00] issues the organization faces. I promise that
[40:01] later I will tell you
[40:02] about some successes.
[40:03] In terms of challenges, as you've
[40:04] heard, especially over the
[40:06] last few years,
[40:07] our biggest
[40:08] challenge is, frankly
[40:09] , our budget.
[40:11] Funding, as you
[40:13] know, we
[40:14] receive primarily from the
[40:15] federal
[40:16] and state governments, with a
[40:17] small portion,
[40:18] about 12% of our
[40:20] budget, coming
[40:21] from county councils.
[40:23] We also have certain
[40:24] contributions from
[40:25] real estate taxes, which is
[40:26] also taken into account. These
[40:28] funding sources
[40:29] have remained
[40:30] unchanged over the
[40:31] past few
[40:32] years. If you
[40:33] follow what's
[40:34] happening at the
[40:35] federal level, you've
[40:36] probably heard that the
[40:37] Older
[40:38] Americans Act has been pending
[40:39] reauthorization
[40:41] for at least three years, and
[40:42] possibly even
[40:43] four. He is
[40:45] stuck in Congress at
[40:46] this level. This
[40:48] means that our
[40:49] funding
[40:49] remains
[40:50] unchanged when they
[40:51] pass these
[40:52] bills to
[40:53] continue
[40:53] funding
[40:54] federal programs.
[40:55] It keeps our
[40:56] funding at a
[40:57] stable level. And
[40:58] if your
[40:59] funding doesn't
[41:00] change and expenses
[41:01] continue to rise
[41:02] , you're actually
[41:03] getting a cut
[41:04] . So, that was one
[41:05] of our biggest
[41:06] challenges. At the
[41:08] state level, we saw a
[41:09] small increase in
[41:10] funding for our
[41:11] resource services
[41:12] during the last
[41:13] biennial budget.
[41:15] Certainly
[41:16] not enough to
[41:17] cover all expenses.
[41:20] But we still
[41:20] saw some
[41:21] slight increase
[41:22] in this regard.
[41:25] Another challenge we face
[41:26] is the cost of our
[41:27] nutrition programs,
[41:28] particularly the prices of
[41:29] food. If you've
[41:32] been to the grocery
[41:34] store, you know
[41:35] that food prices
[41:36] continue to rise
[41:37] . This impacts our
[41:39] suppliers and
[41:40] then us as
[41:41] we try to
[41:42] procure
[41:43] products for those we
[41:44] serve.
[41:45] So, those were the
[41:47] challenges. How we
[41:50] addressed these
[41:51] issues, like many
[41:53] other departments
[41:54] sitting behind me,
[41:55] is by reviewing how
[41:56] you deliver services,
[41:57] and potentially
[41:58] reducing those
[41:59] services and
[42:00] staffing. So we
[42:04] approached this from
[42:05] both sides. We
[42:06] have reduced our
[42:07] staff over the
[42:08] last 3 years. We
[42:09] did this through
[42:10] natural
[42:11] staff turnover and not
[42:12] filling vacant
[42:13] positions. We have reduced
[42:15] two administrative
[42:16] positions in our
[42:17] leadership team. And
[42:19] they also adjusted
[42:20] the list of services. I
[42:21] think
[42:22] I told you last year
[42:24] that we were forced to
[42:25] reduce the volume of
[42:25] Meals on Wheels food deliveries
[42:27] . In 2025, we
[42:28] reduced the number of
[42:29] servings in our
[42:31] region by 29,000. This had a
[42:32] significant impact on everything
[42:33] . We used to
[42:36] be able to deliver
[42:37] five meals a
[42:38] week to our
[42:39] customers and sometimes
[42:40] provide frozen
[42:41] lunches for the weekend.
[42:44] Now we have reduced this
[42:45] to a maximum of four
[42:46] servings per week.
[42:48] Sometimes we provide a
[42:49] fifth serving as a
[42:50] frozen meal for
[42:51] those at highest
[42:52] risk. And for
[42:54] people at moderate
[42:55] risk, we can
[42:56] provide no more than
[42:57] three servings per
[42:58] week. Regarding
[43:01] our other services, namely the
[43:03] ADRC resource center,
[43:04] previously people could
[43:05] simply visit
[43:06] us and get
[43:07] advice from a specialist
[43:09] on site. Due to the
[43:14] large flow of
[43:15] clients and
[43:15] staff reductions
[43:17] , visitors
[43:18] can now come in, they are
[43:19] redirected to
[43:20] a specialist, and we
[43:21] contact them
[43:22] within 24 hours to
[43:24] schedule an appointment,
[43:25] but this is still a
[43:26] reduction in services.
[43:30] So, these are some of the
[43:31] challenges and steps
[43:32] we took. I also
[43:34] want to talk about
[43:35] our successes and attempts
[43:37] to change something. The
[43:38] fact that our
[43:39] funding
[43:39] has remained at the
[43:40] same level does not
[43:41] mean that we are not
[43:42] looking for new sources of
[43:43] income. We were able to
[43:45] obtain grant
[43:46] funding through
[43:48] foundations in our
[43:48] region. In
[43:53] Southwood County, we received a
[43:54] fairly significant grant
[43:56] for the Meals on Wheels program
[43:57] for local
[43:58] residents. We also
[44:03] opened an account with the
[44:05] Community Foundation of
[44:06] North
[44:06] Central
[44:07] Wisconsin so people
[44:09] can make
[44:09] donations and
[44:10] receive tax
[44:12] benefits as a
[44:13] 501c3 charitable organization. This is an
[44:16] area that we
[44:17] will actively
[44:18] develop in the future.
[44:20] Donations continue to
[44:21] come in small
[44:23] amounts. People don't
[44:24] donate thousands and
[44:25] thousands of dollars, but
[44:26] we are grateful for every
[44:27] donation we receive. We are
[44:30] really trying
[44:31] to find ways to
[44:32] generate more
[44:33] revenue. How to make
[44:36] our work
[44:37] as
[44:37] efficient and
[44:38] effective as possible,
[44:39] while providing the
[44:40] best services for
[44:41] our clients. As you
[44:45] know, the proportion of
[44:46] the population aged 60 and over
[44:48] continues
[44:49] to grow and will continue
[44:50] to grow until at least
[44:51] 2040, especially in the
[44:53] northern counties of the
[44:54] state. So we
[44:58] will continue to
[44:59] fix these
[45:00] problems and find
[45:01] ways to solve them.
[45:05] We also formed an
[45:06] advocacy committee
[45:07] , which included
[45:08] community representatives
[45:10] , board members, and
[45:11] advisory committee members.
[45:16] They not only
[45:17] help us with
[45:18] advice, but also
[45:19] work
[45:19] directly with
[45:20] legislators,
[45:21] advancing our
[45:22] issues and
[45:23] speaking out about the
[45:24] urgent needs of
[45:25] this region. I am
[45:29] convinced that the
[45:30] regional model is the
[45:31] best and
[45:32] most efficient
[45:33] way to provide
[45:34] services. Talking
[45:37] to colleagues in smaller
[45:38] counties, especially in
[45:39] the north, where they
[45:40] are trying to provide
[45:41] services on their own, I
[45:43] can't even imagine how
[45:44] they cope with
[45:45] all the contractual
[45:46] requirements and
[45:47] limited budgets. I do
[45:48] n't know how they
[45:49] do it. For us, as a
[45:51] union of
[45:52] four districts, there is an
[45:53] advantage—we can
[45:54] redistribute
[45:55] resources to where they are
[45:56] needed most.
[45:59] For example, if someone
[46:01] from the state is on vacation,
[46:02] which is currently
[46:02] happening, we
[46:03] can transfer
[46:04] staff between the four
[46:06] counties to
[46:06] ensure the
[46:07] highest
[46:08] level of service possible. This was a
[46:14] short report. I could
[46:18] go into detail about all of
[46:19] our service models,
[46:20] but you are all familiar with
[46:21] our work, so I am
[46:22] happy to answer
[46:24] any
[46:24] questions you may have.
[46:26] If you have
[46:27] a question, raise your
[46:28] hand, Michael will give
[46:30] you the floor, and
[46:30] Supervisor Buckley
[46:31] will assist.
[46:34] You...This is a great
[46:35] program. Sorry.
[46:39] I have always been
[46:40] concerned about the issue of
[46:41] health and
[46:42] social services,
[46:43] but I will shorten
[46:44] my opinion a bit. But the people
[46:48] who don't need it...
[46:53] Those who still... Is it
[46:54] explained to them how
[46:56] they pay for it? I
[46:58] heard there's some kind of
[46:59] box here. Nobody
[47:01] knows what they
[47:02] put in there.
[47:02] Please explain,
[47:04] if possible.
[47:05] Yes, I
[47:06] can certainly explain that.
[47:07] So, you're mostly
[47:08] referring to our
[47:09] dining or food
[47:10] programs, which are
[47:12] facility-based, where
[47:13] people come to
[47:14] get food. You know,
[47:16] our requirements
[47:17] are based on the
[47:18] Older
[47:19] Americans Act. Under
[47:20] this federal
[47:21] program, we do not
[47:22] conduct a
[47:23] means test. So
[47:24] I can't ask
[47:25] you about your
[47:26] income level. Or whether
[47:27] you can
[47:29] afford this program.
[47:32] Instead, I can
[47:33] communicate the
[47:34] recommended
[47:35] contribution level,
[47:35] explain its
[47:36] importance, and the
[47:37] impact on our budget.
[47:40] So, actually, that's how it is. You
[47:43] come to an institution
[47:44] where there is a recommended
[47:45] contribution amount. On
[47:46] site you will find
[47:48] a box where you can
[47:49] put your money.
[47:51] We have implemented all
[47:52] necessary
[47:53] controls for audit
[47:54] and other purposes. I don't
[47:58] know if you gave
[47:59] $5 or if someone
[48:00] else gave $0, I don't
[48:01] keep track of who exactly
[48:03] contributed how much. I can
[48:06] say that we
[48:08] worked a lot on a
[48:08] strategy for how
[48:10] to convey to people
[48:11] the importance of their
[48:12] contribution. And encourage
[48:17] those who can
[48:17] afford to
[48:18] contribute more to
[48:19] do so. This
[48:22] year we are considering
[48:23] the option of
[48:23] introducing
[48:24] a range of contributions.
[48:25] Actually, I have a
[48:26] meeting about this tomorrow
[48:26] . You know,
[48:27] the range for contributions.
[48:29] I don't want anyone to
[48:30] feel embarrassed
[48:31] if they can't
[48:32] afford it. But
[48:33] if a person can, I would be
[48:34] very grateful
[48:35] if they would
[48:36] contribute. I know you and
[48:38] I have
[48:39] discussed this
[48:40] before. Ahem. Until that
[48:42] changes, it means
[48:43] they can't
[48:44] get more. It would be
[48:45] great if I could
[48:46] serve more
[48:47] seniors. Glad
[48:48] you're already working
[48:49] on this. Thank you.
[48:50] Certainly. "
[48:53] Meals on Wheels"?
[48:54] Yes.
[48:55] What about a
[48:58] stranger?
[48:59] Explain "Meals on Wheels"?
[49:01] Yes, the Meals on
[49:02] Wheels program has an
[49:05] eligibility process.
[49:06] First of all, you must
[49:07] be limited in your
[49:08] mobility and
[49:09] stay at home to
[49:10] qualify for
[49:11] assistance. You
[49:13] must also have certain
[49:14] needs or
[49:15] limitations in
[49:16] performing
[49:16] daily tasks
[49:17] at home. We
[49:20] use a
[49:21] special
[49:22] risk assessment scale
[49:23] when visiting a client
[49:25] . We conduct
[49:26] an assessment for
[49:27] everyone who
[49:27] applies for Meals
[49:29] on Wheels to determine
[49:30] if the individual meets the
[49:31] program criteria. And
[49:32] then, based on
[49:33] their risk level, we
[49:34] determine whether they are
[49:35] eligible for
[49:35] assistance and what
[49:36] level. Are they in the
[49:37] highest
[49:38] risk group, then we
[49:39] can provide
[49:39] four, maybe five
[49:40] meals a week,
[49:41] or are they in the
[49:42] moderate risk group, and
[49:43] we provide three
[49:44] meals a week,
[49:45] if possible. You
[49:46] know, these indicators are
[49:47] constantly changing.
[49:48] I mean,
[49:49] depending on our
[49:50] region and what we
[49:51] can or can't
[49:52] afford
[49:53] according to the budget.
[49:54] Another factor here is the
[49:55] large geographic
[49:57] area we
[49:57] serve. Therefore, we
[50:00] rely
[50:01] primarily on
[50:02] volunteers in our
[50:03] four counties to
[50:04] deliver these lunches.
[50:06] We have several paid
[50:08] drivers who
[50:08] deliver food to
[50:09] very remote
[50:10] rural areas. And
[50:12] we also need
[50:13] trucks that
[50:14] can maintain the
[50:15] required
[50:15] temperature, which
[50:17] is also an additional
[50:18] cost that
[50:19] has increased significantly in recent
[50:20] years. The
[50:21] car used to cost
[50:22] us about
[50:23] $30,000. It now
[50:25] costs over 70,000 so
[50:26] we can have
[50:27] transportation to
[50:28] deliver. So, yes, that
[50:29] also
[50:30] takes up a lot of
[50:31] our time.
[50:35] How many service areas do you have
[50:36] in
[50:37] Wood County?
[50:38] OK.
[50:39] So, you decided to
[50:40] test me. So
[50:41] , we have
[50:42] 40 degrees below zero—that's
[50:43] really cold.
[50:44] I am somewhat familiar with
[50:45] them. We are both in
[50:46] Wood County.
[50:47] Yes. So now we have
[50:48] Nekusa. We have
[50:49] Centralia, which is here in
[50:51] Stevens Point Rapids.
[50:52] Yes, we have Marshfield
[50:54] and the senior center there
[50:55] .
[50:58] And I will say that we
[50:59] researched and started
[51:00] implementing a slightly
[51:01] different
[51:02] nutrition model for
[51:03] older adults, which
[51:04] has proven to be very
[51:05] successful. The ones that are
[51:08] currently in operation are, in particular,
[51:09] here, at the
[51:10] senior center. It's
[51:11] a little different in Nekus,
[51:13] because it's only a few
[51:14] times a week. But
[51:15] Centralia and the
[51:16] senior center in
[51:17] Marshfield operate
[51:18] on a 5-day program.
[51:22] We started studying a
[51:23] program that
[51:24] involves
[51:25] eating once
[51:26] a week or once
[51:27] a month. To
[51:32] this is added
[51:33] some kind of event or a
[51:34] certain type of
[51:34] activity. And that's exactly what
[51:37] we see
[51:38] our seniors want
[51:39] : instead of
[51:40] coming five
[51:41] days a week, they
[51:43] come maybe
[51:44] twice a month. It
[51:45] brings in more people,
[51:46] it's an event, and it's an
[51:47] activity where we
[51:48] can
[51:50] interact socially. And
[51:51] thanks to this, we
[51:51] can also
[51:52] control costs somewhat
[51:54] . But it also
[51:54] provides that
[51:56] socialization component, which,
[51:57] you know, is
[51:58] extremely important
[51:59] in this program.
[52:01] Certainly.
[52:03] Yes, it was a great
[52:04] program. We have
[52:06] several representatives
[52:07] in this room: Senator
[52:08] Edwards, Representative
[52:09] Kohlberg, and
[52:10] Representative Dedi.
[52:11] Our area has one of the
[52:13] fastest
[52:13] aging
[52:14] demographics in the
[52:15] state, so this is
[52:16] important. We are also
[52:18] dealing with the issue of
[52:19] insurance for some
[52:20] drivers, and as you
[52:21] know, we hope
[52:22] that
[52:23] appropriate
[52:24] state legislation will emerge.
[52:25] But, Mike, this is a great
[52:26] program, we
[52:27] will continue to
[52:28] support it and
[52:29] hope that there will be
[52:30] funds to
[52:31] maintain at least
[52:32] this level.
[52:33] That would be great.
[52:35] Does anyone have any more
[52:36] questions?
[52:37] Representative
[52:38] Dembowski,
[52:38] Representative Goldberg
[52:39] , any comments?
[52:41] No? OK. Mike,
[52:44] thank you very much. We appreciate
[52:45] this information. Okay
[52:47] . This brings us to
[52:48] the end of the agenda
[52:48] . The next
[52:49] meeting will be held on
[52:50] October 20. Before that,
[52:51] Representative
[52:52] Dembowski?
[52:53] I have a comment.
[52:54] OK.
[52:55] You start with the same
[52:56] burning
[52:57] question again. So,
[52:59] clarity needs to be provided to
[53:00] distinguish between the United Way of
[53:01] South
[53:02] Worcester County and
[53:03] Adams County. So if the people
[53:07] of Marshfield
[53:08] get one for
[53:09] United Way, how does that work?
[53:13] Okay, that's exactly what I was
[53:14] talking about.
[53:15] Okay, that's exactly what I was
[53:16] talking about.
[53:17] This is the same option
[53:18] we've always
[53:18] used,
[53:19] Mr. McDavies. This is
[53:20] not news to you. I
[53:21] mean, we
[53:23] have the United Way, and Heather is the
[53:24] president of that
[53:25] organization. She
[53:28] wants to get involved, but
[53:29] for the district itself, it's
[53:30] ...what's the word to choose
[53:32] ? Our priority.
[53:40] So, even before the
[53:41] county recognized United Way as an
[53:43] organization that was a
[53:44] priority for the
[53:45] county, I guess. And
[53:52] so there was always a
[53:53] representative there. We
[53:55] are running a campaign.
[53:58] It's not just
[53:59] Sauk County, they merged,
[54:01] so it's Sauk County and
[54:02] Adams County. It's like a
[54:05] core. Marshfield has
[54:08] its own nucleus for the United Way
[54:10] . So for all the
[54:14] employees that I
[54:15] oversee, because I'm
[54:16] only responsible for a
[54:18] certain group and
[54:18] the Department of
[54:20] Health and
[54:20] Human Services is responsible
[54:21] for another, we always
[54:23] add a link
[54:24] for everyone so they
[54:25] can donate
[54:26] to either South
[54:27] Wood County or
[54:28] North Wood County.
[54:32] Which one is
[54:32] Marshfield?
[54:33] Which one is
[54:34] Marshfield's?
[54:35] And the answer to your
[54:36] question, Don, I'm
[54:37] not really
[54:38] sure where the
[54:39] line is.
[54:42] Well, I I I I know there is a
[54:43] line because, as Mike pointed out
[54:45] , we have
[54:46] Southwood County, and we
[54:48] only have funds for
[54:49] Southwood County. And that's the
[54:53] line, I believe,
[54:54] that was used.
[54:57] Is that line there?
[54:58] Well, I think the foundation
[54:59] probably has lines
[55:00] that they
[55:01] use
[55:01] where you get your
[55:03] money from. So the
[55:03] County itself would call
[55:05] me and that's what they
[55:06] could
[55:06] Yes, that's where they
[55:07] get the money from. They would
[55:09] set that
[55:10] boundary, not the district.
[55:11] But I can tell
[55:12] you where she is.
[55:13] Sorry about that.
[55:15] Yes.
[55:16] Well, where is it? Okay,
[55:17] we
[55:18] got it sorted.
[55:18] That would be a uh,
[55:20] bad poll.
[55:21] And, but, uh, if you
[55:22] want the United Way to be
[55:23] interested in
[55:24] a donation, I'm
[55:25] sure Mr.
[55:26] Kenneth will contact
[55:27] either me or
[55:28] Heather and get a check
[55:29] for the
[55:29] county donation either
[55:30] way. Um,
[55:31] again, if you're
[55:32] interested, I
[55:34] put this on the table every year. Um,
[55:35] contact me
[55:36] or Heather about this
[55:37] . Um, secondly,
[55:38] for those attending the
[55:39] WCA conference, um, I
[55:40] gave you all
[55:41] envelopes that have your
[55:43] room reservation,
[55:44] my
[55:45] credit card authorization for
[55:46] your room, and
[55:47] also
[55:49] tax exemption information for you. Um,
[55:51] this shouldn't
[55:51] happen, but
[55:52] check your
[55:53] credit
[55:54] card statements after
[55:54] the conference and
[55:55] make sure
[55:56] you haven't been charged
[55:57] for the room. If it's
[55:58] written off, let me
[55:59] know and we'll sort it out
[56:00] . I did
[56:01] all the authorization, but
[56:02] often I only pay for
[56:03] the room, so you
[56:04] pay the additional
[56:05] costs yourself. Um, they
[56:06] can make you
[56:07] swipe your card, and
[56:08] sometimes everything
[56:08] gets transferred to your
[56:09] card, so
[56:10] keep an eye on that. That
[56:11] was the case last year. And
[56:13] I also put a piece of
[56:14] paper if you are
[56:15] interested in
[56:16] attending the WCA session
[56:18] on Monday at 3:30. Um, I
[56:20] added a session there for
[56:22] you if you're
[56:22] interested in "Africa
[56:24] 20" at our company.
[56:26] So,
[56:27] Yes, so it will be soon
[56:28] . I hope you all
[56:30] come. Hmm, great
[56:31] program. Sunday:
[56:32] If you arrive
[56:33] early, there will be a panel
[56:34] discussion, and then,
[56:35] I think it was
[56:36] after the bonfire, the
[56:37] staff organization
[56:38] has an event where
[56:39] many of you
[56:40] former
[56:40] board members will be, and then there will be a
[56:42] reception later that evening if you
[56:43] 're in town on
[56:44] Sunday. Um, this is a great
[56:45] program. It is on the
[56:47] WCA website. You can
[56:48] view the full
[56:49] agenda. Um, and
[56:50] I hope to see
[56:51] you all there. So,
[56:52] if there is nothing
[56:53] else for
[56:55] the board to discuss, I
[56:55] will declare the meeting
[56:56] closed.