Committee members balk at human services staff increases

A request for additional staff positions in the human services department set off a lengthy discussion at the county’s finance committee on March 13.

Human Services was requesting authorization to hire two staff positions in the children’s long term support program.

The program helps provide support for children from infancy to age 22 whose needs would potentially otherwise require them to be institutionalized. The positions would be entirely funded through the state and Medicare with the county receiving additional funds to help defray administrative and office expenses.

Since 2023, Taylor County has not been able to keep up and reduce its waiting list for qualified children in need of services. This is largely due to a rapid increase in cases in the county due to qualification changes made at the state level.

In 2019, there were 20 youth enrolled in the county and currently there are 85 youth in the program. State rules require action by the county within a set number of days. The county faces having to refund money to the state on the existing positions if the county is not in compliance with the state rules.

There are 77 new enrollments in the program projected for 2025. These are children with permanent disabilities which means the retention rate is very high.

Committee member Scott Mildbrand noted that with current staff the county should be able to handle an additional 35 more youth in the program based on workload goals. He questioned the need to hire two new positions now when both may not be needed.

Committee member Mike Bub said he is not against adding positions, but he noted the county has been adding staff in human services at a “pretty quick pace.”

He questioned logistics such as availability of office space and also noted that the reason for the big influx of youth in the program was a change the state made in requirements two years ago. Questions were also raised about what would happen if funding for the positions would go away at the state level.

“The workers would have to go away,” said human services director Suzanne Stanfley.

Committee members noted the state is starting its own version of the federal Department of Government Efficiency which is looking at ways to reduce state spending.

“We need to get our financial house in order,” Bub said, noting the county’s books are not in order with a shortfall in what is supposed to be in the reserve funds.

Mildbrand expressed concern over what he described as an exploding bureaucracy at a time when the population of the county has not changed.

“Our population stays the same, but our needs increase,” Stanfley said.

After a lengthy discussion, committee members passed it along to the personnel committee after being reminded by county administrative coordinator that the finance committee’s role in reviewing the positions is to determine the fiscal impact.

Powerline Funding

After many years of being able to support recreation and outdoor projects around the county, the well is beginning to run dry for the Powerline Impact Fee Fund.

As part of the Arrowhead to Weston transmission line project completed in 2008, Taylor County receives an annual amount from American Transmission Company. That amount declines over time based on the age of the line. Currently, the fund has an available balance of $283,013.

At last week’s county finance meeting, committee members received requests for funding in excess of that amount.

“We have more requests than money in the account,” Zenner said, noting that he believes it is important to save some of the money for future projects.

He cautioned representatives from the 10 groups seeking funding that it was unlikely they would get the full amount they requested. The funding reviews are a two step process with the review and recommendation from the finance committee and then action by the county board at the April session with two-thirds of county board needing to approve the spending.

Requests presented last week were from: Central Wisconsin Recreation & Wildlife and Lake Kathryn Association — they requested funds to help with a $27,000 dock replacement and accessibility upgrade to the public fishing pier on Kathryn Lake. Committee members recommended giving the group $5,000.

Gilman Baseball and Softball Programs 5-18 years of age — Gilman Softball Coach Brian Phelps said they are in a project to purchase new aluminum bleachers for the softball and baseball fields at Gilman School. The fields are used by the community for the softball and youth baseball programs. “We have built a nice facility out there,” Phelps said of the long-term project, describing the bleachers as being a major finishing piece.

“We have a number of requests I see as being from school districts,” said committee member Mike Bub. He questioned why it isn’t being funded by the school district.

Phelps said there are no funds available from the district and the projects they have been able to do have been supported by fundraisers.

“Why should people from one school district help fund projects in another school district?” Bub questioned.

“Basically the only thing the school gives us in the land,” Phelps said, explaining that while the field complex is on school property it is supported by fundraising.

“It just so happens to be where our fields are,” said board member Lynn Rosemeyer, who also serves on the Gilman School Board.

Zenner expressed concern about giving funds to entities that have their own taxing authority. “We have to be careful to save money for the future.”

The total request to fund the bleachers was $200,000. In the end, after haggling over the amount they were willing to contribute, committee members voted to recommend giving $10,000 toward the project.

Friends of Rib Lake — This group was seeking funds to help pay for 4th of July fireworks. As a requirement of the grant funding representatives from the group must come to the committee meeting. No representative were present. Beyond that, committee member Catherine Lemke opposed giving any money toward any community’s fireworks display. “That is a real slippery slope,” she said.

Jean M. Thomsen Memorial Library in Stetsonville requested funds to go toward the $23,000 replacement cost for the air conditioning and heating units. There was discussion about if this should be the responsibility of the village of Stetsonville with committee member Scott Mildbrand noting the county already provides a subsidy to libraries.

Bub noted the importance of libraries and that they get used a lot and at a time when reading scores in the state are not where they should be, supporting libraries is important. On a 3-1 vote with Mildbrand opposed the committee voted to recommend giving the library project $5,000.

Village of Rib Lake — The village is seeking help to cover the cost of paying to have Discover Wisconsin film a segment on tourism in Rib Lake. The county’s tourism committee previously approved giving the village $2,000 from its budget for the project. After some discussion, and comparisons to the fireworks request, the committee recommended giving $2,000.

Gilman Lions Club — the Gilman Lions Club requested help with funding an $11,280 addition to the west side of the village park food stand. The project is a partnership between the Community Betterment Association (CBA) and the Lions. It was noted the powerline funds helped pay for the original shelter to be built. Committee members voted to recommend giving $5,000 to the shelter project.

Gilman Baseball — Representatives from Gilman Baseball requested help with a $38,876 project to install batting cages at the baseball fields. Bub noted that he has been involved with projects to get batting cages installed and felt that they could be done with volunteer labor at a greatly reduced cost. “I think you can dramatically reduce this,” Bub said, offering to connect the representatives with people he as worked with in the past on similar projects. Committee members recommended giving $5,000 to the project.

School District of Rib Lake — Rib Lake District Administrator Travis Grubbs came to the county asking for support with a project to replace the Rib Lake high school track. The total project is $450,000 and the school district has raised $320,000 so far. He noted the school is committed to contributing funds toward the project and said they were looking at putting $95,000 toward it with the hope of raising funds and securing grants for the $27,000 difference. “The school is the lifeblood of the community,” Grubbs said, explaining that the track was left out of a recently passed school referendum project over concerns that it lacked support and would potentially turn the vote against more needed areas. In the end, committee members recommended giving $10,000 to the track project.