Executive Committee - Regular Meeting — Agenda Packet

Chippewa County Executive Committee Regular Meeting June 16, 2026 Chippewa County Courthouse, Room 302 4:30 PM District 7, Chair Jason Bergeron District 9, Vice-Chair Joel Seidlitz District 21 Kari Ives District 13 Joseph Roshell District 11 Karen Lotts Page 1 of 13 Chippewa County Executive Committee Regular Meeting June 16, 2026 Chippewa County Courthouse, Room 302 4:30 PM 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call 3. Members of the Public Wishing to Be Heard (Comments will be limited to 5 minutes per speaker.) 4. Consent Agenda (Unless separation of an item is requested, all items will be adopted under one motion.) 1. Approve the Agenda 2. Approve the Minutes - June 2, 2026 3. Schedule Next Meeting Date - July 7, 2026 5. Reports 6. Updates, Announcements, and Correspondence 1. County Board Chair Report a. District 6 County Board Supervisor Vacancy - Jason Bergeron b. County Treasurer Vacancy - Jason Bergeron 2. County Administrator Operation Report 7. Business Items 1. The Executive Committee will convene in Closed Session pursuant to Wisconsin State Statutes Sec. 19.85(1)(e)"Deliberating or negotiating the purchase of public properties, the investing of public funds, or conducting other specified business, whenever competitive or bargaining reasons require a closed session" (Discuss Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative Request for $10 Million Loan from the Wisconsin Board of Commissioner of Public Lands) 2. The Executive Committee will reconvene to open session. 8. Agenda Items for Future Consideration 9. Adjourn Page 2 of 13 Chippewa County Executive Committee Regular Meeting June 16, 2026 Chippewa County Courthouse, Room 302 4:30 PM Chippewa County shall attempt to provide reasonable special accommodations to the public for access to its public meetings, provided reasonable notice of special need is given. If special accommodations for a meeting are desired, contact the County Clerk’s Office at 715-726- 7980. Members of the Chippewa County Board of Supervisors who are not members of this committee are entitled to attend this meeting. It is possible that the attendance of one or more such nonmember Supervisors may create a quorum of some other county board committee, board or commission. Such a quorum is unintended and the nonmember Supervisors are not meeting for the purpose of exercising the responsibility, authority, power, or duties of any other committee, board or commission. Published:06/09/2026 Page 3 of 13 Chippewa County Executive Committee Regular Meeting June 2, 2026 Chippewa County Courthouse, Room 302 4:30 PM 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call Members Present: Jason Bergeron, Joel Seidlitz, Kari Ives, Joseph Roshell, Karen Lotts Members Absent: Others Present: Others Present: Andy Albarado, Traci Bremness, Brad Viegut, Leah Simington, Curt Dutton, Chris Elstran, Jackie Sadler, Deb Blevins, Duane Shoebridge, Heather Flashinger, Lynda Schweikert, Travis Hakes, Andy Bauer, Carol Bowe, Theresa Roper, Cary Roper, Sandra Dressel-Nordby, Richard Drehmel, Rocky Kempe, Rose Baier, Todd Pauls, Lee Hennick 3. Members of the Public Wishing to Be Heard (Comments will be limited to 5 minutes per speaker.) Duane Shoebridge and Carol Bowe spoke against the half percent sales tax resolution. 4. Consent Agenda (Unless separation of an item is requested, all items will be adopted under one motion.) Motion: Approved Result: Passed (3 - 0) Mover: Karen Lotts Seconder: Joseph Roshell Ayes: Jason Bergeron, Joel Seidlitz, Kari Ives Nayes: None Absent: 1. Approve the Agenda 2. Approve the Minutes - May 5, 2026 3. Schedule Next Meeting Date - June 16, 2026 5. Reports 1. 2027-2031 Capital Improvement Plan - Andy Albarado Albarado reviewed the 2027-2031 Capital Improvement Plan. The request is to only approve the 2027 projects to be incorporated into the FY27 budget. The projects in years 2028-2031 are placeholders for future planning purposes. This item was reviewed by the committee and will be forwarded to the County Board for review at the 06/09/2026 meeting. 2. Overview of Bonding Process - Leah Simington Simington gave an overview of the bonding process. This will also be reviewed with the County Board at the Page 4 of 13 06/09/2026 meeting. 6. Business Items 1. OneFest Ltd. 2024-2026 Revised Contract - Andy Albarado Albarado explained the contract revisions are consistent with the revisions approved for the Chippewa Valley Music Festivals and the contract now requires County Board approval per changes adopted via Ordinance 01-26. This item was reviewed by the committee and will be forwarded to the County Board for review at the 06/09/2026 meeting. Motion: Forwarded to the County Board Result: Passed (3 - 0) Mover: Joseph Roshell Seconder: Kari Ives Ayes: Jason Bergeron, Joel Seidlitz, Karen Lotts Nayes: None Absent: 2. Criminal Justice Services 2027 Opioid Fund Request - Rose Baier Baier reviewed the request for the reentry program and explained it’s similar to the request that was approved for 2026. Motion: Approved Result: Passed (3 - 0) Mover: Kari Ives Seconder: Karen Lotts Ayes: Jason Bergeron, Joel Seidlitz, Joseph Roshell Nayes: None Absent: 3. Resolution to Disallow Claim of Gwenith Kelly - Deb Blevins Blevins reviewed the resolution and explained it is the recommendation of WMMIC, our liability insurance carrier, that we disallow the claim. Motion: Approved Result: Passed (3 - 0) Mover: Kari Ives Seconder: Joseph Roshell Ayes: Jason Bergeron, Joel Seidlitz, Karen Lotts Nayes: None Absent: 4. Initial Resolution Authorizing Not to Exceed $7,500,000 General Obligation Promissory Notes for Highway Improvement Projects - Andy Albarado/Brad Viegut Viegut explained that the proposed bonding request is for $7.5 million for construction and improvements of highways. The first two resolutions start the process. In August another parameter resolution will come before the County Board. That will outline the parameters for approval outside of an official County Board meeting. Many counties have shifted to utilizing this parameter resolution instead of the award resolution. The challenge of using the traditional award resolution is that we only have one day in the market to issue debt. The parameter resolution allows us to issue debt any date after approval by the County Board. This allows us to avoid negative things going on and determine the best day to issue debt. The settlement date is set for 09/21/26 and the first payment would be Page 5 of 13 due 02/01/27. The estimated interest rate is 3.68%. Seidlitz expressed concerns with highway and commented that we have $1.5 million in machinery and when we buy it the cost depreciates right away. We need to ask ourselves when does the time come that we require the machinery to last longer or contract out for it. He asked if the County has ever considered bidding this out and wanted to know if the County makes money off the state highways or are we losing money. Albarado commented we have the 4th highest road miles and we bid out our material for the road projects. Elstran explained the County is not losing money with the state. We have a contract with the state and they reimbursement us for time and material. We can’t make a profit or make money. Our equipment fund was $1.1-$1.2 million when he started and it’s the same now. They purchase three patrol trucks a year. They are not buying other construction equipment. The biggest cost is the winter maintenance. Trucks are used for about 15 years before replacement. Seidlitz asked if the County has ever discussed bidding out plowing of the roads like the townships do. Elstran explained a couple years ago the state talked about contracting out the state roads and they couldn’t find anyone to do it. They aren’t set up to handle it. Albarado is not aware of any county that does that and there are probably good reasons for that. This item was reviewed by the committee and will be forwarded to the County Board for review at the 06/09/2026 meeting. Motion: Forwarded to the County Board Result: Passed (4 - 0) Mover: Karen Lotts Seconder: Joel Seidlitz Ayes: Jason Bergeron, Kari Ives, Joseph Roshell, Karen Lotts Nayes: None Absent: 5. Resolution Providing for the Sale of Not to Exceed $7,500,000 General Obligation Promissory Notes - Andy Albarado/Brad Viegut Viegut explained this resolution directs staff to start the process.This item was reviewed by the committee and will be forwarded to the County Board for review at the 06/09/2026 meeting. Motion: Forwarded to the County Board Result: Passed (5 - 0) Mover: Joseph Roshell Seconder: Karen Lotts Ayes: Jason Bergeron, Joel Seidlitz, Kari Ives, Joseph Roshell, Karen Lotts Nayes: None Absent: 6. Resolution to Authorize the Use of Sales Tax Funds to Pay Debt Service Liabilities as Part of the 2027 Chippewa County Budget - Andy Albarado This item was reviewed by the committee and will be forwarded to the County Board for review at the 06/09/2026 meeting. Motion: Forwarded to the County Board Result: (5 - 0) Mover: Joseph Roshell Seconder: Joel Seidlitz Ayes: Jason Bergeron, Joel Seidlitz, Kari Ives, Joseph Roshell, Karen Lotts Nayes: None Page 6 of 13 Absent: 7. Resolution to Approve the Use of Sales Tax Funds for the Annual Contribution to the Chippewa Valley Regional Airport to be Used for Airport Capital Projects and/or Airport Debt Service as Part of the 2027 Chippewa County Budget - Andy Albarado Albarado explained the County has a contract with the airport to operate the facility. These funds will be used for capital projects. This item was reviewed by the committee and will be forwarded to the County Board for review at the 06/09/2026 meeting. Motion: Forwarded to the County Board Result: Passed (5 - 0) Mover: Joel Seidlitz Seconder: Karen Lotts Ayes: Jason Bergeron, Joel Seidlitz, Kari Ives, Joseph Roshell, Karen Lotts Nayes: None Absent: 8. Resolution to Authorize the Use of Sales Tax Funds for Facilities & Parks Division Capital Improvement Projects as Part of the 2027 Capital Improvement Plan - Andy Albarado/Scott Nabbefeld This item was reviewed by the committee and will be forwarded to the County Board for review at the 06/09/2026 meeting. Motion: Forwarded to the County Board Result: Passed (5 - 0) Mover: Karen Lotts Seconder: Joseph Roshell Ayes: Jason Bergeron, Joel Seidlitz, Kari Ives, Joseph Roshell, Karen Lotts Nayes: None Absent: 9. Resolution to Authorize Funding of Highway Department Capital Improvement Projects as Part of the 2027 Chippewa County Budget - Andy Albarado/Chris Elstran This item was reviewed by the committee and will be forwarded to the County Board for review at the 06/09/2026 meeting. Motion: Forwarded to the County Board Result: Passed (5 - 0) Mover: Joseph Roshell Seconder: Joel Seidlitz Ayes: Jason Bergeron, Joel Seidlitz, Kari Ives, Joseph Roshell, Karen Lotts Nayes: None Absent: 10. Resolution to Authorize Use of Sales Tax Funds for the IT Division for Computer Equipment Replacement as Part of the 2027 Capital Improvement Plan - Andy Albarado/Andy Bauer This item was reviewed by the committee and will be forwarded to the County Board for review at the 06/09/2026 meeting. Page 7 of 13 Motion: Forwarded to the County Board Result: Passed (5 - 0) Mover: Karen Lotts Seconder: Joel Seidlitz Ayes: Jason Bergeron, Joel Seidlitz, Kari Ives, Joseph Roshell, Karen Lotts Nayes: None Absent: 11. Resolution to Authorize the Use of Funding for Department of Land Conservation and Forest Management Capital Improvement Projects as Part of the 2027 Capital Improvement Plan - Andy Albarado/Lynda Schweikart This item was reviewed by the committee and will be forwarded to the County Board for review at the 06/09/2026 meeting. Motion: Forwarded to the County Board Result: Passed (5 - 0) Mover: Joel Seidlitz Seconder: Karen Lotts Ayes: Jason Bergeron, Joel Seidlitz, Kari Ives, Joseph Roshell, Karen Lotts Nayes: None Absent: 12. Resolution to Authorize the Use of Sales Tax Funds for Sheriff's Office Capital Improvement Projects as Part of the 2027 Capital Improvement Plan - Andy Albarado/Curt Dutton This item was reviewed by the committee and will be forwarded to the County Board for review at the 06/09/2026 meeting. Motion: Forwarded to the County Board Result: Passed (5 - 0) Mover: Kari Ives Seconder: Joseph Roshell Ayes: Jason Bergeron, Joel Seidlitz, Kari Ives, Joseph Roshell, Karen Lotts Nayes: None Absent: 13. Chippewa County Board of Supervisors Proposed Resolution for WCA Consideration Resolution Seeking Authorization From the Wisconsin State Legislature for Wisconsin Counties to Adopt an Additional .5% Sales Tax For Road and Bridge Infrastructure — Chris Elstran / Andy Albarado Albarado explained this resolution was reviewed by the Highway Committee last week and they support forwarding it to the County Board for consideration. This conversation has been happening in the Highway Committee for quite some time now. Chippewa County passed a similar resolution in 2020. Then with COVID and some other legislative things it fell on the wayside. There appears to be some interest again across the state to look at this. Passage of this resolution will not approve an increase, it will just support sending it to the WCA to start discussions with the legislature to review and consider the request. At this time there is no more legislative action in 2026 so it will be 2027 before this is even considered by the legislature. There are only a few options available to bring in extra funding; the wheel tax and the .5% sales tax. This additional funding will only be used for road and bridge maintenance. Some of the funding will go to the towns, villages and cities. The statute does not allow us to do this right now. The legislature would need to change the statute to allow counties the ability to consider this. Page 8 of 13 Bergeron commented the only way he could support this is if it required us to do a referendum which would allow the citizens to decide if this is a good idea or not. Albarado explained the County Board can decide to do a referendum if they want to. He didn’t include that language in the resolution because he didn’t want to take away our choice for local control. Roshell supports the requirement of this being a referendum. This item was reviewed by the committee and will be forwarded to the County Board for review at the 06/09/2026 meeting. Motion to Amend: Add a new paragraph before line 47 which states “WHEREAS, Chippewa County views the most appropriate final approval of an additional 0.50% sales tax before implementation would be through a referendum vote taken by Chippewa County residents.” Result: Passed (3 - 2) Mover: Joseph Roshell Seconder: Jason Bergeron Ayes: Jason Bergeron, Kari Ives, Joseph Roshell Nayes: Joel Seidlitz, Karen Lotts Absent: Motion: Forwarded to the County Board as Amended Result: Passed (3 - 2) Mover: Kari Ives Seconder: Joseph Roshell Ayes: Jason Bergeron, Kari Ives, Joseph Roshell Nayes: Joel Seidlitz, Karen Lotts Absent: 7. Updates, Announcements, and Correspondence 1. County Board Chair Report 2. County Administrator Operation Report 8. Agenda Items for Future Consideration 9. Adjourn The meeting adjourned at: 06:03 PM Result: Passed (5 - 0) Mover: Joel Seidlitz Seconder: Karen Lotts Ayes: Jason Bergeron, Joel Seidlitz, Kari Ives, Joseph Roshell, Karen Lotts Absent: Page 9 of 13 711 N. Bridge Street Traci Bremness Ph: (715) 726-4597 Chippewa Falls, WI 54729 Assistant to the County Administrator Fx: (715) 726-4599 Chippewa County Board Jason Bergeron, County Board Chair jbergeron@chippewacountywi.gov June 1, 2026 TO: County Board Supervisors FR: Jason Berrgeron, County Board Chair RE: District 6 Vacancy Dear Fellow County Board Supervisors, This letter is to notify you that Supervisor Goettl resigned from the County Board on May 28, 2026. Per Ordinance Sec. 2-52 (c) I will be seeking candidates in District 6 to fill this vacancy and serve the remainder of this term until April 2028. An advertisement has been prepared for publication in the Wednesday, June 3, 2026, edition of the Cadott-Cornell Courier. The notice will also be posted on the County website and shared via the County Clerk’s Facebook page. Interested candidates will need to complete an application form and return it by 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, to Traci Bremness, my confidential assistant. She will collect all of the information for me to review. My goal is to bring a recommendation to the County Board for consideration as soon as possible. I’m anticipating this will happen at the July County Board meeting. District 6 consists of the Towns of Arthur, Colburn, Goetz, that portion of the Town of Estella lying south of State Hwy 64 and south of the City of Cornell, that portion of the Town of Delmar lying north and west of the Village of Boyd and west of 320th St. (See District 6 Map) Per Ordinance Sec. 2-52 (c)(2) the person appointed will also serve the remainder of the unexpired terms on the committees indicated below. Those recommendations will also come to the County Board for consideration and approval. • Agriculture & Extension Committee • Facilities & Parks Committee I want to thank Supervisor Goettl for his service to the citizens of Chippewa County. If you have any questions or concerns don’t hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, Jason Bergeron County Board Chair Attachment Page 10 of 13 CHIPPEWA COUNTY SEEKS COUNTY BOARD SUPERVISOR FOR DISTRICT 6 C hippewa County is now accepting applications from individuals who desire to serve as a County Board Supervisor for District 6. The district consists of the Towns of Arthur, Colburn, Goetz, that portion of the Town of Estella lying south of State Hwy 64 and south of the City of Cornell, that portion of the Town of Delmar lying north and west of the Village of Boyd and west of 320th St. The term of this vacancy will run until April 2028. Th e County Board meets monthly and is comprised of 21 elected supervisors representing each of the districts in the County. The general powers of the County Board are provided under Wis. Stats.59.51 and are exercised through the resolutions and ordinances it adopts. The Board acts similarly to the state legislature in that it is a policy-making body of the County government. It establishes County ordinances, levies taxes, passes laws concerning law enforcement and appropriates money for services. County Board Supervisors are expected to attend all meetings of the County Board and committees, boards and commissions they are appointed to. C ounty residents interested in serving as District 6 County Board Supervisor until April 2028 should contact the County Administrator’s Office 715-726-4597, 711 N. Bridge Street, Room 106, Chippewa Falls, WI, 54729, or tbremness@chippewacountywi.gov for an application. Applications are due back on or before 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 16, 2026. District 6 map Page 11 of 13 711 N. Bridge Street Traci Bremness Ph: (715) 726-4597 Chippewa Falls, WI 54729 Assistant to the County Administrator Fx: (715) 726-4599 Chippewa County Board Jason Bergeron, County Board Chair jbergeron@chippewacountywi.gov June 9, 2026 TO: County Board Supervisors FR: Jason Bergeron, County Board Chair RE: County Treasurer Vacancy Dear Fellow County Board Supervisors, This letter is to notify you that on June 3, 2026, Patty Schimmel submitted her notice to retire as County Treasurer effective October 9, 2026, after serving 42 years with Chippewa County. Patty is currently elected to fill the 2025-2028 term of office. As indicated in Wisconsin State Statute, the County Board could fill the vacancy by appointment, or we could hold a special election to fill the vacancy, since it is occurring in the middle of the term (before June 1 in the year preceding expiration). The statue is included below for your reference. 17.21 Vacancies in elective county offices; how filled; term. Vacancies in elective county offices shall be filled in the manner and for terms as follows: (1) Sheriff, coroner, register of deeds. In the office of sheriff, coroner or register of deeds, by appointment by the governor for the residue of the unexpired term. (3) County clerk, treasurer, and surveyor. In the office of county clerk, treasurer, or surveyor, by appointment by the county board for the residue of the unexpired term unless a special election is ordered by the county board, in which case the person appointed shall serve until his or her successor is elected and qualified. The county board may, if a vacancy occurs before June 1 in the year preceding expiration of the term of office, order a special election to fill the vacancy. If the county board orders a special election during the period beginning on June 1 and ending on November 30 of any year, the special election shall be held concurrently with the succeeding spring election. If the county board orders a special election during the period beginning on December 1 and ending on May 31 of the succeeding year, the special election shall be held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November following the date of the order. A person so elected shall serve for the residue of the unexpired term. Recommendation to Fill Vacancy by Appointment Chippewa County has addressed similar vacancies twice over the last 15 years; both situations were to fill the County Clerk vacancy due to resignations. My recommendation is that we follow a similar process for this vacancy as well. I encourage the County Board to fill the position by appointment, rather than incurring the time and expense of a special election. Also, the special election wouldn’t happen until April 2027, which creates a significant issue in performing statutory duties until the election would happen. In addition, I encourage this recruitment process to occur promptly so whomever would be appointed Treasurer could start employment as an LTE prior to Patty Schimmel’s last day. This would allow some overlap for the new person to train with Patty. This is critical as there are only four employees in that office and our Deputy Treasurer has already given her retirement notice effective at the end of July, so we will have a new person in that position and a new Treasurer. If the new Treasurer is approved for appointment by the County Board, then the newly appointed individual would transition on October 10, 2026, from the LTE position to the County Treasurer position. The appointed individual will serve the remainder of the term through November 2028. Page 12 of 13 711 N. Bridge Street Traci Bremness Ph: (715) 726-4597 Chippewa Falls, WI 54729 Assistant to the County Administrator Fx: (715) 726-4599 Page 2 Recruitment/Appointment Timeline I’ve included a draft timeline below that could be used for the recruitment/appointment process This involves bringing a resolution to the County Board twice. The first resolution would be to seek support for the recruitment process and the second would be to appoint a new County Treasurer. 06/02/26 Resignation notice submitted effective 10/09/26 07/07/26 Executive Committee – Present resolution supporting recruitment process 07/14/26 County Board – Present resolution supporting recruitment process 07/15/26 HR – Public Recruitment Starts 07/29/26 HR – Public Recruitment Closes 08/04/26 Executive Committee – Closed Session to review applications and select finalists for interviews 08/10/26 Executive Committee – Closed Sessions to Conduct Interviews in the evening 08/11 – 08/14/26 HR – Conduct reference checks on behalf of Executive Committee following interviews 08/18/26 Executive Committee – Closed Session to discuss reference checks and finalize selection 08/19/26 HR – Make offer of employment on behalf of Executive Committee 09/01/26 Executive Committee – Present resolution to appoint new Treasurer 09/08/26 County Board – Present resolution to appoint new Treasurer Possible start dates for the new Treasurer, depending on need for notice: • 09/28/26 start as an LTE and have 2 weeks with Patty before she leaves • 10/12/26 official start date as County Treasurer If the County were to hold a special election, that would occur on April 6, 2027. In addition, the County would need to hire someone to temporarily perform the statutory duties of the Treasurer at one of the busiest times of the year for that office, and that would be an additional unbudgeted cost to the County. A brief timeline for election process is included below. • October 10, 2026 Vacancy effective • April 6, 2027 Spring election • December 31, 2028 End of current 2025-2028 term • January 1, 2029 New 2029-2032 term of office starts – ends on January 2, 2033 I want to thank Patty Schimmel for her extraordinary service and dedication to the citizens of Chippewa County and wish her all the best in her much deserved retirement. If you have any questions or concerns don’t hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, Jason Bergeron County Board Chair Page 13 of 13