Administration Committee — Agenda Packet

1 Sawyer County Administration Committee Meeting Thursday, March 12, 2026 @ 10:00 AM Sawyer County Board Room AGENDA 1. ZOOM LINK a. To view or participate in the virtual meeting from a computer, iPad, or Android device please go to https://zoom.us/j/92546130740. You can also use the dial in at 1-312-626-6799with the Webinar ID: 925 4613 0740. Use *9 to Raise/lower hand and *6 to Unmute/mute. If you are on a computer, click the "Raise Hand" button and wait to be recognized. If you are on a telephone, dial *9 and wait to be recognized. If additional assistance is needed please contact the County Clerk's Office at 715-634-4866 prior to the meeting. This meeting will be recorded and will be available on our website at: https://sawyercountygov.org. 2. CALL TO ORDER 3. ROLL CALL 4. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 5. CERTIFICATION OF COMPLIANCE WITH THE OPEN MEETINGS LAW 6. MEETING AGENDA 7. PUBLIC COMMENTS At this time, members of the public will be given the opportunity to address the Committee. Please adhere to the following when addressing the Committee: • Comments will be limited to 3 minutes or less per individual. • Comments should be directed to the Committee as a whole and not directed to individual Committee members. • The Committee cannot respond to your comments during this time. • Please sign in and fill out a public comment sheet if you wish to speak on an item. 8. CONSIDER APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM PREVIOUS MEETING a. Draft Admin Minutes 2.12.26 9. COUNTY CLERK REPORT a. County Clerk Department Report 10. VETERANS SERVICE OFFICE REPORT Page 1 of 14 2 a. Veteran Service Office Report 11. VETERANS TRIBUTE a. • Demolition RFPs (Discussion and Possible Action) • Committee Design Discussion 12. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY REPORT a. IT Report 13. HUMAN RESOURCES REPORT a. Human Resource Report 14. SAWYER COUNTY ADMINISTRATION a. County Administrator's Report 15. TAX LEVY FREEZE DISCUSSION a. Resolution 2026-____ CPI Legislative Action to Address County Funding Challenges 16. CLOSED SESSION (DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION) a. Consideration of motion to convene in closed session pursuant to: Wis. Stat. § 19.85(1)(c), “considering employment, promotion, compensation or performance evaluation data of any public employee over which the governmental body has jurisdiction to employ or exercises responsibility,” to wit, for purposes of discussing employee performance evaluation and reconsideration of employment terms. The Committee will reconvene in open session immediately following the closed session, and may have discussion and take official action on matters discussed in closed session. 17. BOARD APPOINTED COMMITTEE UPDATES 18. CORRESPONDENCE, REPORTS FROM CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS 19. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS 20. ADJOURNMENT Page 2 of 14 3 DISCLAIMER: A quorum of the County Board of Supervisors or of any of its committees may be present at this meeting to listen and observe. Neither the Board nor any of the committees have established attendance at this meeting as an official function of the Board or committee(s) or otherwise made a determination that attendance at the meeting is necessary to carry out the Board or committee’s function. The only purpose for other supervisors attending the meeting is to listen to the information presented. Neither the Board nor any committee (other than the committee providing this notice and agenda) will take any official action with respect to this noticed meeting. Copy sent via email to: Committee Members, Associated Staff and News Media. Note: Any person wishing to attend whom, because of a disability, requires accommodation should call the Sawyer County Clerk’s Office (715.634.4866) at least 24 hours before the scheduled meeting so appropriate arrangements can be made. Page 3 of 14 Minutes of the Meeting of the February 12, 2026 Sawyer County Administration Committee of the Sawyer County Board of Supervisors Board Room; Sawyer County Voting Committee Members (X) Present: Others Present: Chair: Ron Kinsley Mike Markgren Vice Chair: Ron Buckholtz Liz Klein Tom Duffy- Absent Gary Elliot John Righeimer Mike Coleson Stacey Hessel Call to Order –Chair Ron Kinsley called the meeting to order at 10:00 am. Certification of Compliance with the open meeting law was met. Roll Call taken; quorum was met. Meeting Agenda – Set Public Comments – None Minutes from the previous meeting dated: January 8, 2026 Motion to approve by: Mr. Righeimer Second by: Mr. Buckholtz Motion carried without negative vote. County Clerk Report- Ms. Klein provided a written department report. The department updated the Notary policy, created a Senior Resource bulletin board and is updating elections documents and procedures. Valentines for Veterans and Meals on Wheels were collected in the Clerk’s office. The ballots for the April 7 election shipped today. Ms. Klein is attending the WCCO conference and a PIO training course in March. Veterans Service Office Report - Mr. Elliot provided a written report of January department activity: 594 phone calls, 1081 letters/emails/faxes sent and 168 office visits. VSO contacts have been steadily increasing. 18 disability claims were filed in January with $54,234.17 awarded in Veterans’ favor. The department is co-hosting counseling sessions at La Crosse Vet Center, hosting Coffee & Conversation, and hosting a Northern WI Tribal VSO training for 20 counties. The social media report was provided. The VSO will be delivering Valentines for Veterans again this year. Veteran’s Tribute Update- The environmental results came back clean on the building site. Mr. Markgren provided a timeline for next steps: purchase, demo, design and bid packages, with a proposed build starting in June and completed by Veterans Day. Motion to move the Veterans Tribute forward with purchase, as presented by Mr. Markgren, with contingency of a fuel oil tank being removed by owner by: Stacey Hessel Second by: Mr. Buckholtz Motion carried without negative vote. Information Technology Department Report - Mr. Coleson provided a written IT report on ongoing IT projects. Page 4 of 14 Human Resources Report - A written report was provided on staffing and recruiting for open positions within the county. Namekagon Transit Garage- Transit received a grant to build a garage at their site, which is located on County Property. Discussion included concerns about the placement interfering with Fair parking, and the County paying insurance on the building. These issues will be addressed by Mr. Markgren prior to the County Board decision. Motion to approve for forwarding to County Board by: Mr. Buckholtz Second by: Ms. Hessel Motion carried without negative vote. County Administrator Report— Mr. Markgren updated the committee on the staff survey responses for the Wellness Day, work with Adam Lamoreaux on a grant that did not have enough local participation to apply for, closing out 2025 financials, and monthly meetings for the radio tower project. He reported progress on the WOJB tower. CJCC had a well-attended meeting and will present changes to their Bylaws at County Board. Justice Point received a $10,000 donation from a community member. Elected Official Wages— A resolution proposing the next term of wages for elected officials was presented by Mr. Markgren. The proposed 2027 base wage for the Clerk of Court is set at $76,501; 2028 is $78,414; 2029 is $80,374 and 2030 is $82,384. The proposed 2027 base wage for County Sheriff is $101,005; 2028 is $103,530; 2029 is $106,118 and 2030 is $108,771. Resolution 2026-____Establish Elected Officials Wage was approved for forwarding to County Board on a motion by: Mr. Righeimer Second by: Mr. Buckholtz Motion carried without negative vote. Mr. Markgren presented a resolution requesting the State help pay for the cost to counties for internet security. Resolution 2026-____Establish Membership with MS-ISAC was discussed and approved on a motion by: Mr. Righeimer Second by: Mr. Buckholtz Motion carried without negative vote. Board Appointed Committee Updates – Namekagon Transit is meeting today Correspondence, reports from conferences and meetings– None Future Agenda Items- Continue work on Veterans Tribute Adjournment – 10:56 am Next Meeting: March 12, 2026 Time: 10:00 am Location: Board Room Minutes recorded by Liz Klein, County Clerk Page 5 of 14 County Clerk Department Monthly Report, Ending February 28, 2026 County Clerk Desk Activity/Revenue YTD: Activity Number of Licenses/Permits Total Revenue (including amounts sent to the State of Wisconsin Dog Licenses (Late Fees) 0 $920.00 Marriage Licenses Clerk (County Retains) = $55/license Mediation = $20/license State = $25/license Waivers = $10/license $300.00 Plat Books Mailing Fee Map GL 218-00-42000 GL 218-00-42001 $30.00 Copies $0.00 General Department Report: February was a busy month in the Courthouse for customer service. I distributed the April ballots to municipal clerks and sent election and dog notices to both papers. I attended training webinars on open records, the County Board organizational meeting process, and elections. Laura streamlined the election instructions and materials boxes for municipal clerks, and I have been providing training via detailed emails and one-on-one calls, emails and walk-throughs with several new clerks. I made some updates and improvements to the Clerk areas of the website and am in email discussions with IT and Civic Plus on how to improve the home page of the website for a better customer experience. Page 6 of 14 Page 7 of 14 Page 8 of 14 Page 1 of 2 __________________________________________________________________________________________________ March 12, 2026 To: Administration Committee Ron Kinsley, Ron Buckholtz, John Righeimer, Stacey Hessel, Thomas Duffy IT Department Report Agenda items: none Service Requests February Completed 51 Open 9 New requests Department February 3 Administration 5 Animal Control 1 County Clerk 2 Court 1 District Attorney 2 Health & Human Services 32 Land Records/Survey 1 Sheriff 4 Treasurer 1 Veterans 1 Zoning and Conservation 4 Tasks completed • 2 PC installs (Clerk, Ambulance Admin) • Onboarding/Terminations: 6 • ADRC Dementia web content • Overtime report created for Fed requirements • Birkie: remote phones and cameras. • Network infrastructure maintenance o Firewall replacements for Courthouse, Ojibwa o VMWare server upgrade from version 7 to 8 • Uniflow Cloud printing conversion Mike Coleson Sawyer County IT Director 10610 Main Street, Suite 58. - Hayward, WI 54843 Phone 715-634-8185 Email mcoleson@sawyercountygov.org Page 9 of 14 Page 2 of 2 Tasks in progress • Novus updates o Zoning documents: move LOMA and POWTS documents into Laserfiche, just like the other Permit documents. o Permit streamlining o TRH modifications for 2026 o Ad Hoc reports for Zoning staff • Replace streaming service for jail TVs to eliminate unauthorized uses. Pending Tasks • Email data backup. Currently not done. • Planning for 2027 phone system replacement • Planning for ADA web site content compliance 2027 (software proposals) Page 10 of 14 Sawyer County Human Resources February 2026 Report 2026 Turnover 2/8/2026 Brad Bates Ambulance PT 2/8/2026 Amber Elcombe Sheriff PT to FT 2/8/2026 Mikailah Kosterman Sheriff PT to FT 2/9/2026 David Brown Sheriff PT 2/9/2026 Jake Erickson Ambulance FT 2/23/2026 Miranda Strenke Ambulance PT 2/23/2026 Abigail Barnard Ambulance FT Staffing Snapshot • Vacancies: 7 • New Hires: 5 Hired PT Clerical for Ambulance Recruitment Activity Recruiting for: Resident Assistant – Transitions LTE Environmental Health Technician Administrative Assistant/Receptionist – ADRC Children’s Supportive Services Supervisor Part-Time Maintenance Jail Officer Deputy Sheriff Employee Relations Ongoing support to employees and department heads related to employee relations matters, including leave administration, workplace concerns, and accommodation requests. Policy and Compliance Continued Focus on: • Filling vacancies • Supporting employee retention and engagement • Continued policy review and updates Page 11 of 14 RESOLUTION 2026 - RESOLUTION URGING LEGISLATIVE ACTION TO ADDRESS COUNTY FUNDING CHALLENGES UNDER WISCONSIN’S TAX LEVY FREEZE WHEREAS, Wis. Stat. §66.0602, enacted as part of Act 25 of the 2005-2007 biannual state budget, established the current property tax levy freeze imposed by the state, which limits Wisconsin counties, including Sawyer County, by restricting annual property tax levy increases to the amount of net new construction; and WHEREAS, under current law, increases in property values resulting from market appreciation or countywide revaluations do not raise the total levy, and county budgets can only grow automatically in proportion to new construction, plus any adjustments for closing or amending tax incremental districts; and WHEREAS, if there is little or no new construction, the county’s levy limit remains the same, often causing budget pressures and resulting in service cuts or referendums for additional revenue; and WHEREAS, the current law’s structure does not allow counties to keep up with inflation and rising costs, which steadily reduces their ability to fund essential operations, including public safety, infrastructure maintenance, and health and human services. These costs continue to increase each year due to inflation, workforce expenses, materials, fuel, and unfunded state mandates, ultimately leading to budget shortfalls and potential cuts in critical services, which negatively affect residents and local economies over the long term; and WHEREAS, the current law’s structure has created disparities among counties, with those experiencing low net new construction growth facing significant challenges in raising revenue for essential services. Sawyer County’s new net construction rate for 2025 was only 1.457%, well below the rate of inflation, limiting the county’s ability to increase its levy and keep up with rising costs; and WHEREAS, the equalized property valuation for Sawyer County increased from approximately $3.19 billion in 2005 to $6.55 billion in 2025, representing a growth of over 105%; yet, the county’s allowable levy increase has been based solely on net new construction. This has resulted in a cumulative levy increase that is significantly lower than the growth in property values and inflation during the same period; and WHEREAS, relying solely on alternative funding sources such as state aid, grants, or temporary relief programs to cover budget shortfalls exposes local governments’ funding to instability from sources like sales taxes or fees, state budget cycles, and political shifts; and WHEREAS, removing the current Levy Freeze legislation and returning to the traditional method of increasing property taxes based on valuation can cause property values to fluctuate significantly due to market conditions, leading to volatile revenue streams; and WHEREAS, removing the Tax Levy Freeze alone can also cause homeowners to face sudden tax spikes from increasing property assessments, even if their income stays the same; and WHEREAS, aligning levy growth with the actual costs of providing services and applying inflation-based adjustments to existing local governments’ levy limits, as determined by an independent source such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Consumer Price Index Page 12 of 14 (CPI-U) Midwest Region—which provides the CPI for Wisconsin—would support essential local operations while protecting taxpayers from sudden, discretionary increases. The CPI -U for the Midwest region was 2.7% for the 12 months ending December 2025; and WHEREAS, to better protect taxpayers from sudden spikes caused by large CPI increases related to events like recessions, it is also essential to impose a cap on how much Levy inflationary costs can increase, such as setting a 3.5% annual growth limit; and WHEREAS, linking the levy to a CPI -based model with a 3.5% annual cap allows revenue to accurately reflect cost pressures and ensures steady, predictable growth that keeps pace with inflation and overall economic expansion, reduces tax burdens, and avoids sharp, market-driven increases; and WHEREAS, predictable and capped revenue growth helps local governments plan capital projects, manage debt, and deliver services with greater confidence, thereby reducing their reliance on emergency budget adjustments. It also encourages local governments to prioritize spending, find efficiencies, and avoid dependence on volatile real estate markets; and WHEREAS, adopting a CPI -based levy model with a 3.5% annual cap balances funding stability and taxpayer protection, providing a sustainable alternative to mill rate volatility and assessment-driven tax swings. This approach offers transparency and reassurance to taxpayers that property taxes won’t increase unpredictably, fostering trust and stability in local governance; and WHEREAS, aligning levy growth with actual service costs and inflation adjustments would sustain essential local functions while protecting taxpayers from abrupt, discretionary hikes; and WHEREAS, local governments, including counties, require sustainable and predictable revenue growth to preserve service quality and address the needs of their residents; and WHEREAS, implementing a CPI -based system would require consistency, the allowable levy increase for all shall be the lesser of 3.5 percent or the annual percentage change in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI -U), as certified by the Department of Revenue. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Sawyer County Board of Supervisors in session this 19 th day of March, 2026, hereby urges the Wisconsin Legislature to enact legislation allowing counties to increase their annual property tax levies by up to 3.5% or the rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U), or a combination of CPI and population growth, whichever is less. Relief from levy limits on the following items would GREATLY assist all counties and municipalities: 1.) Labor, 2.) Energy, 3.) Union Contracts, 4.) Health Insurance, 5.) Mandated Services, such as out of home placements. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that such a statutory adjustment would provide counties with a modest but essential tool to keep pace with rising costs without imposing an undue burden on taxpayers. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that copies of this resolution be sent to the Governor of Wisconsin, the leadership of the Wisconsin State Senate and Assembly, our local legislative delegation, the Wisconsin Counties Association (WCA), and all Wisconsin Counties, in support of this important legislative change. Page 13 of 14 Information contained in this Resolution was recommended for adoption by the Sawyer County Board of Supervisors at its meeting on March 19, 2026, by the Sawyer County Administration and Finance Committees on March 12, 2026. Administration Committee __________________________________ __________________________________ Ron Kinsley, Chair Ron Buckholtz, Vice Chair __________________________________ __________________________________ John Righeimer, Member Stacey Hessel, Member __________________________________ Tom Duffy, Member Finance Committee __________________________________ __________________________________ John Righeimer, Chair Stacey Hessel, Vice Chair _____________________________________ _____________________________________ Tom Duffy, Member Jeff Hoehne, Member _____________________________________ Marc Helwig, Member ________________________________________________________________________________ This Resolution is hereby adopted by the Sawyer County Board of Supervisors this 19th day of March, 2026. ___________________________________ __________________________________ Ron Kinsley, Liz Klein, Sawyer County Board of Supervisors Chairman Sawyer County Clerk Page 14 of 14