By Kellen Olshefski
Staff Writer
The Walworth County Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted the 2014 county budget and set the county’s tax levy Nov. 12 at its monthly meeting.
The bottom line for county property taxpayers is a tax levy that is essentially the same as it was a year ago. That levy translates into a tax rate of $4.71 per $1,000 of property value.
That means the county’s portion of local tax bills will be $471 for each $100,000 of property value.
Before adopting the annual budget, the board debated several final amendments.
Supervisor Carl Redenius presented an amendment to remove funding for the purchase of the White River County Park, but his motion failed and funding for the purchase of the park remains in the county’s 2014 budget (see separate story).
A second amendment, takes an increase of approximately $200,000 in transportation aids and utilizes an additional $78,516 of the approximately $60.8 million tax levy to fund the workmen’s compensation fund, which, according to County Administrator David Bretl, has not had enough money budgeted for it in past years.
Bretl told board members to keep in mind that they had denied a request for an additional assistant district attorney and, with adoption, will still come in lower that the preliminary budget he presented in early September.
The amendment was approved unanimously.
A third amendment, also approved unanimously, led to an increase in the capitol improvement plan for an additional single axle plow truck, the result of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation requesting the county increase its level of service, particularly during winter operations, according to Walworth County Board Chairwoman Nancy Russell.
The board would be keeping two trucks as reserves, rather than retiring them and there would be no impact on the budget.
A fourth amendment to remove funding for an additional agriculture agent in the University of Wisconsin-Extension office and restore funding for administration support for the 2016 Farm Tech Days was voted down.
According to Supervisor Dan Kilkenny, without the additional agent, the extension would still get the job done, however, they want to make sure farm technology days are a success and didn’t want to see Agriculture Agent Peg Reedy get stretched too thin.
Redenius said Reedy gave him the impression she didn’t need a second agent or help, and that’s why he presented the amendment.
Kilkenny said he felt Reedy was showing she was a good employee and might have put in 20-hour days, but he didn’t think it would be easy for her.
Supervisor David Weber said he was concerned with the board denying the availability of the added agent to get planning done up front with the county taking on such a huge project to showcase the county.
Funding for the additional agent will remain in the budget.
A final budget amendment, and amendment to the county’s consolidated fee schedule, will add to the waterfront zoning permit.
The amendment removes fees for the removal and replacement of invasive species only. A general permit will still be required however.
According to Kilkenny, Redenius brought the amendment before the board after one of his constituents, removing buckthorn, had to pay for a double permit.
“I’m glad to see he brought this forward because, again, I think that if someone is removing something that the state and environmentalists are telling you to remove, it shouldn’t cost you money or be a difficult process,” Kilkenny said.
The amendment to the budget and consolidated fees schedule were both approved unanimously by the board.
The board’s next meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Dec. 10 in the Walworth County Board Room at the County Government Center, 100 W. Walworth St., Elkhorn.
