Public Safety Committee — Minutes

Minutes of the October 1, 2026 meeting of the Sawyer County Public Safety Committee of the Sawyer County Board of Supervisors Board Room; Sawyer County Voting Committee Members Present: Others Present: Ron Buckholtz Mike Markgren John Froemel Marc Helwig Liz Klein Chaz Ann Olson Jeff Hoehne Bryan Deyo Sandy Okamoto Marshal Savitski- Virtual Sheriff Mrotek Nicole Ripczinski Jim Evans Marge Kelsey Gary Pelletier Greg Ripczinski Reone Gheen- Virtual Call to Order –Chair Buckholtz called the meeting to order at 9:00 am. Roll Call taken. Quorum was met. Certification of Compliance with the open meeting law was met. Meeting Agenda- Set Public Comment – None Minutes from the previous meeting dated: September 3, 2026 Motion to approve made by: Mr. Evans Second by: Mr. Helwig Motion carried without negative vote. Radio Towers Update- Mr. Pelletier from GenComm updated the committee on the Public Safety Radio Tower project. FCC licenses have been obtained and installations and construction are underway on all the project sites, with anticipated completion by the end of the year. The WOJB Tower is still pending a decision by the Tribal Governing Board; Pipestone will serve as the connecting point in the meantime. Clerk of Courts/Register in Probate Reports - Ms. Kelsey presented a written report and updated the committee that two new clerks will start on October 5. Sheriff’s Department Report – Patrol Report – Lt. Ripczinski reviewed the written patrol report: there were 720 calls in September, 31 traffic citations issued and 13 crashes- 2 with injury, zero deaths. Jail Report – Chief Deyo reviewed a written jail report for September with arrest data by race and gender. There was an average of 66 inmates incarcerated with a 60% unemployment rate at the time of booking, 1 on electronic monitoring. Dispatch and Emergency Management – Dispatch- Dir. Ripczinski reviewed a written report with updates on staffing and training. Dir. Ripczinski was certified as a Crisis Intervention Team Coordinator, and Madison Woller and Amberlee Kosterman became full time dispatchers in September. Emergency Management- Dir. Ripczinski reviewed a written report with updates on receiving the Computer and HazMat Response Grant (CHREG) for 2026, County events and training. Sheriff Mrotek reported that Sheriffs in northern counties are on standby to step in if the Enbridge pipeline repair requires additional security; protests have escalated and a building was burned in Douglas County. Code Enforcement- Ms. Olson reviewed her written report on dog licenses, dog pound admissions and animal at large calls. There were five TRH complaints investigated in September, and three potential human health hazard complaints under investigation. Child Support Department Report – Ms. Okamoto provided written reports for August and reported that two staff members will attend training in October in Wisconsin Dells. Emergency Services— Mr. Froemel reviewed his written report for September showing an increase in calls received, the geographic distribution of ambulance calls in the county, and run times. Criminal Justice Coordinating Council Update –Mr. Markgren reported the September CJCC meeting highlights; Steve Naglosky updated the committee on the closure of the Hayward Northwest Journey site and stated that the program is still open to area kids with virtual options and transportation to Superior, Siren or Menomonie available. Melinda Hoyos reviewed a written report which showed 53 referrals in one year with an 89% improvement or successful completion rate and other promising information on the program. Board Appointed Committee Updates—None Correspondence, Reports from Conferences and Meetings— None Future Agenda Items – Radio Tower Update Meeting Date/Time – The next meeting of the Public Safety Committee will be October 29, 2026 at 9:00 am in the Board Room. Meeting adjourned at 9:33 am Minutes recorded by Liz Klein, Sawyer County Clerk