We started this month by honoring Andrea Lombard, Robert Spencer, Shelia Carver, Mark Detter, and Dennis Polivka for their service on the county board.

We also honored Kelly Felton for 30 years of service to Sauk County.

We also honored Steve Pate for 27 years of service to Sauk County.

Morgan McArthur from the Sauk County Institute of Leadership spoke to the county board.

The following appointments were approved by the board.

Jamie Phephles and Lynn Eberl to the Board of Adjustment.

Bonnie Rosas, Lenora Aspero, Abby Kelley to the Families Come First/Comprehensive Community Services Coordinating Committee.

Robert Sitton to the UW Campus Commission.

Last month we postponed the vote to approve the Rules of the Board for 2026-2028 term to allow new members time to review the rules. Tonight the board voted 26-1 to approve the rules.

The board voted 26-0 to authorize the County Administrator to enter into a memorandum of understanding to continue efforts to establish a partnership with the Sauk County Development Corporation for county wide economic development programs. The goal is to establish an economic development organization that includes all municipalities along the county as one entity. Currently each municipality may have their own economic development team. This would enable the county to work more cooperatively utilizing common resources to benefit the county as a whole. This type of structure already exists in other counties in Wisconsin. The board also passed a resolution authorizing the creation of one full-time Marketing Coordinator position for the administration department. This will replace what is currently the executive assistant position. The case was made that this person was already performing many marketing functions and the new title would better align with current duties.

The board voted 26-0 to assign funds from departments that exceeded expenditure but had funding available to cover those expenses, and departments that exceeded expenditures that needed funds to cover those expenses. The additional funds that were required came from the contingency fund to the tune of $121,860. The contingency fund typically has $350,000 set aside each year.

The board voted 26-0 to amend the 2026 budget to purchase an electronic emergency notification system. The cost is $249,071.02 and it will come from the general fund balance. This cost will cover the purchase, installation and configuration of the system, along with support for 5 years. After the 5 years there will be an annual reoccurring cost of $9,400. It was already budgeted for $8,500 per year for the current system. The current system is Code Red. They have been hacked here in Sauk County. This led to looking for a new system. The new company, HQE Systems INC, also provides additional services that will protect Sauk County employees in the field.

The board voted to rezone lands in the Town of Spring Green from Resource Conservancy to Recreational Commercial. The intent is to expand an already existing wedding/event venue by 4.7 acres to allow for additional parking and vegetation replanting.

The board voted 26-0 to rezone land in the Town of Troy from exclusive Agriculture to Agriculture. The intent is to allow the expansion of a nonmetallic mining operation.

The county voted 26-0 to authorize an amendment to the budget due to additional grant funding from the USDA to the Sand County Foundation, which works in partnership with the Sauk Soil and Water Improvement Group and Sauk County’s Land Resources and Environment Department. The additional grant was for $100,000 with $88,000 dedicated to financial assistance to landowners and $12,000 going towards technical assistance to Sauk Soil and Water Improvement Group staff.

The board voted 26-0 to authorize the County Administrator to accept a Notice of Discharge grant. The grant is $560,246. This grant is used for implementing measures to control agricultural or urban storm water runoff pollution sources.

The board voted 26-0 to amend an ordinance on ATV trail crossings and routes on highways.

The board voted 26-0 to approve reimbursement for supervisors attending the Wisconsin County Highway Association conference this year.

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