[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.

Wood County Board of Supervisors - Sept. 15, 2026

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