Sauk County Board Chairperson Tim McCumber and Vice Chair John Deitrich review numbers during the April board meeting.
Sauk County Board members agreed to join a multi-county economic district Tuesday despite misgivings from supervisors about creating a larger government reach.
Sup. Marty Krueger outlined the resolution from the Economic Development Committee, which he said supports an application by the Madison Region Economic Partnership to become a designated regional entity. The group would consist of Sauk, Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Jefferson and Rock counties.
“This is a collaboration,” Krueger said. “In effect, we are already in this regional entity.”
The resolution was approved on a 26-2 vote. Sup. Terry Spencer and Sup. Andrea Lombard voted against it. Supervisors Jake Roxen, Brandon Lohr and Tim Teelin were absent.
The proposed Madison Region Economic Development District in southcentral Wisconsin was formed after the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy was submitted to the federal Economic Development Administration in 2019.
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Sauk County was “an active participant in the completion of the CEDS,” according to the resolution passed Tuesday. There are 41 census tracts within the district. Sauk County has one. They “have felt the impact of adverse economic conditions and meet at least one applicable measure of economic distress for unemployment and per capita income,” according to the resolution. It is based on a period of two years, which will end in December.
The county had previously applied for the creation of such a district nearly a decade ago, but economic distress numbers shifted in the county during the process, making it no longer eligible, Krueger said.
Sup. Tim McCumber, board chairperson, said the county is not paying any money because the district is privately funded. The county remains independent and not beholden to other county decisions. The voting body assigned to the district would only decide whether to approve grant applications.
“The EDA just allows us to be in a better position to have federal dollars come into the area, which will be easier not only for the county to apply for assistance, but our business owners as well,” McCumber said.
Sup. Andrea Lombard announced she could not vote for such a measure because of her decades-long membership in the Glacial Area Conservancy Federation which has been oriented against “global governance.”
“Every time we are going to get money from the state or federal government, the agreement comes with strings and those strings are more often than not encumbering,” Lombard said. “Our freedoms are disappearing and we need to be very careful not to step on the toes of Sauk County residents to get money that will eventually enslave them.”
Formation of the district would bolster economic development in a partnership already being forged because of a proposal to construct a $10 million bridge connecting Dane County to Sauk County via the state trail system, Krueger said. That investment will extend beyond the area, into more northern counties as well.
“We are not joining a group where somebody is going to tell us what to do,” Krueger said. “This is a collaboration.”
Sup. Smooth Detter expressed a similar wariness against more government control, but acknowledged that the county has a choice to remove itself from the district at any time via a simple majority vote.
“If any of this feels uncomfortable, we have zero commitment to this,” Detter said. “We’ve gotten into these agreements with other counties — we just got out of one a few months ago — we realized we were the one carrying all the weight and getting the least benefit out of it. So if nothing else, we’re flexible.”
GALLERY: Sauk County Board of Supervisors proceedings
Gruber pushes back
Sauk County Supervisor Carl Gruber pushes back against assertions by others that reducing the number of supervisor districts would be motivated by personal gain while discussing the measure during the July county board meeting.
Gibson expresses
Sauk County Supervisor Shane Gibson expresses concern over the potential absence of a nearby representative for county residents if the board reduces its number in response to census numbers, which haven't been released to county officials yet, during a county board meeting in July.
Krueger tells
Supervisor Marty Krueger tells fellow Sauk County board members that he can't support a measure reducing the number of supervisory districts until he sees the census numbers.
Reppen questions
Sauk County Supervisor Timothy Reppen questions whether a measure to reduce the number of supervisors also means a reduction in committee size during the July county board meeting.
Flint asks
Sauk County Supervisor Mike Flint, center, asks whether officials can do work before the release of the 2020 census numbers to prepare for the possibility of having only eight days to redistrict the county during the June board meeting at the West Square Building.
Dividers down
Polyglass dividers pile up in a corner of the meeting room of the Sauk County Board of Supervisors after about a dozen supervisors removed the shields from their seats and placed them on the ground at the beginning of their June meeting, laughing and smiling as they moved them.
Laying out early numbers
Sauk County Finance Director Kerry Beghin gives the first quarter financial report to county board members during the May board meeting alongside County Administrator Brent Miller at the West Square Building.
Gruber talks
Sauk County Supervisor Carl Gruber talks during the April board meeting about the county courthouse clock tower repair plans to fellow board members.
Bushweiler speaks
Sauk County Supervisor Michelle Bushweiler speaks from behind a partition and mask during the April board meeting.
Public health officers speaks
Public Health Officer Treemanisha Stewart speaks during the February meeting of the Sauk County Board of Supervisors, providing an update on COVID-19 cases and vaccines.
Speaking on ATVs
Bob Spencer of the Baraboo Bluffs ATV-UTV Club expresses gratitude for support from the county during the March meeting of the Sauk County Board of Supervisors at the West Square Building.
Peper speaks
Sauk County Supervisor Brian Peper speaks during the February meeting of the county board of supervisors. Peper said Brian Desmond, who was recommended to be the next county corporation counsel, "seems like a well-qualified gentleman."
Lohr echoes frustration
Sauk County Supervisor Brandon Lohr echoes frustration over state law that allows little control over conditional use permit approval during a Land Resources and Environment Committee meeting in late January.
Reppen listens
Sauk County Supervisor Tim Reppen listens as fellow supervisor Rob Nelson talks about an amendment he proposed to the 2021 budget during the November meeting of the Sauk County Board of Supervisors.
Lohr questions
Sauk County Vice Chair Brandon Lohr asks a question about the district attorney's office during a board meeting in September where DA Michael Albrecht asked for approval to petition the state for funding of more than two positions within his office. A grant expiring in mid-2021 would leave him with five attorneys while state guidance indicates he should have 7.26 based on his caseload.
Hiring process
Interim Administrative Coordinator Dave Bretl tells the Sauk County Board of Supervisors about the hiring process for the first county administrator during its meeting in September.
McCumber listens
Tim McCumber, who oversees the Executive & Legislative Committee poised to make a decision about the new county administrator, listens during the Sauk County Board of Supervisors meeting Aug. 19 in the county board room. McCumber advocated for a restructuring from the current administrative coordinator to allow for more policy decisions to be made by board members.
Sauk County Supervisor Rob Nelson
Sauk County Supervisor Rob Nelson talks about his amendment to the resolution stating that the county has no authority to issue a mask mandate during a July 2020 board meeting. Nelson supports a resolution that would allow Sauk County Health Officer Tim Lawther to proclaim a mask mandate based on his authority to protect the public from contagion. The amendment was defeated on a 5-24-1 vote.
Sauk County Board swearing in
Supervisors Peter Kinsman of LaValle, from left, Rebecca Klitzke of Rock Springs, Del Scanlon of Reedsburg, and John Dietrich of Reedsburg, take their oath of office in May 2020 at the Sauk County Board meeting.
Screnock swears in
Sauk County Circuit Court Judge Michael Screnock swears in county supervisors in May 2020 at their first in-person meeting since March of that year.
Krueger outlines
County Board Supervisor Marty Krueger, who also oversees the Finance Committee, outlines the budget process during their October meeting in the county board meeting room of the West Square Building.
Miller speaks
Shawano County Administrative Coordinator Brent Miller answers a question about budget priorities in September during the public forum in the Sauk County board room to decide between four finalists for the newly created county administrator position. Miller was ultimately chosen and began with the county in October.
Sauk County Board meeting
The Sauk County Board of Supervisors approved the hiring of outside special counsel to represent and advise the board throughout investigations and possible litigation the board is currently facing during the February 2020 meeting.
Sauk County Board emergency
Sauk County Vice Chairman Bill Hembrecht is seen on a video screen while fellow county board members convene during their March 2020meeting in Baraboo. Six other supervisors phoned into the meeting. The board voted to suspend its rules to allow for supervisors to phone into board meetings amid COVID-19 concerns.
Sauk County Board vaccine vote
People register to speak during the public comment portion of a December 2020 Sauk County Board meeting, during which members considered a resolution to support the end of personal conviction waivers for vaccinations in schools and day care centers. The board voted against the motion.
Public comments on vaccine waiver
More than 40 people registered for public comment at a December 2020 meeting of the Sauk County Board of Supervisors. A majority of the speakers addressed a resolution the board voted on to support the state Legislature ending the use of personal conviction waivers for vaccinations, which allows for parents to opt out of having their children vaccinated before entering school or day care centers.
Sauk County Board of Health
The Sauk County Board of Health considered a resolution to request that the state legislators remove the use of personal conviction waivers used at public schools and day cares for parents to opt out of vaccinations in December 2020. Residents of Sauk and surrounding counties attended the meeting to oppose the resolution.
