We started the regular meeting honoring Supervisor Pat Rego. Pat recently moved out of the county. Pat has served more than seven years. She has served the county well and will be missed.

The board then passed a resolution honoring Randy Schara for over 20 years of service. We approved the appointment of Lewis Lange as IT Director. We approved the appointment of Supervisor Klitzke to replace the departing Pat Rego on the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. We approved the appointment of Soren Weathers as a citizen member to the Families Come First/Comprehensive Community Services Coordinating Committee. We approved the appointment of Andrea Lombard to replace the departing Pat Rego to the Health and Human Services Committee.

In October it was announced that the UW-Platteville Baraboo Sauk County campus would be closing in May 2026. The board authorized the administrator to submit for a grant from the Economic Development Corporation for the redevelopment of the campus. The board also authorized a contract with Kendig Keast Collaborative and InSite Consulting Architects to develop the plan. The project is scheduled to begin shortly and be completed by June 2026.

The board was presented and debated the 2026 budget. Here are some highlights. Equalized value increased over the last year by 8.38%. The average residential property value increased by $46,000 or 16.27%. State law through levy limits only allows the tax levy limit to increase by $709,928 or 2.01%. The average county tax on an average residential property increased by $84.83 or 9.43%. The total levy amount for 2026 is $36,107,602. The operational budget is $146,109,058.  

There were several public speakers that spoke on the budget. Several people wanted at least part of the Sheriff’s Department budget cut due to the housing of I.C.E. inmates in the Sauk County jail. The budget passed unanimously.

Health insurance rate increases of 9.9% are one reason why costs are going up, which puts pressure on our budget. State law states that tax levy limits can only increase by the amount of Net New Construction or 0%. Net New Construction increased by $600,625 or 1,98%. Due to the constant squeezing by the state legislature, we have less money to offer the same services from year to year. This is the reason why some have tried to sell the Sauk County Health Care Center.

The 2026 budget has budgeted zero tax levy dollars for the Health Care Center. This came as a result of losing staff. I believe the effort to sell the HealthCare Center can directly be linked with reductions in shared revenue. While the state legislature has given back tax dollars in the form of tax breaks, we are also paying in other ways or losing service in exchange for the tax breaks. Every referendum for schools or for municipalities is a result of the reduction of state aid to schools or municipalities. The City of Baraboo has seen several referendums that have increased our taxes over the last 15 years. The city of Baraboo just passed a $150 annual service fee for garbage and recycling services. They also just increased the so-called wheel tax to $40 annually. This is a workaround due the constraints on tax levy dollars. The average tax break increase in Wisconsin in 2026 is expected to be around $180. I will be paying $170 more for the garbage service fee and wheel tax increase. This is in addition to the $20 wheel tax I was already paying along with the additional $75 fee for driving a hybrid vehicle. Property taxes have increased by several hundred dollars because of the school referendums. It seems like every time I get a tax break, it ends up costing me more. The millionaire in this state are the people who are receiving the real benefits of tax breaks. While tax breaks were intended to make our lives better, the reality is that they make basic services more expensive for us through fees. They do make those who already have money richer.

I intend to work to keep the Sauk County Health Care Center owned by Sauk County, while pressuring my state representatives to increase state aid to Sauk County.

As always, any opinions expressed here are my opinions and do not represent the Sauk County Board.