JOINT LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE 

LANGLADE, LINCOLN, MARATHON, PORTAGE,

WAUPACA, AND WOOD COUNTIES  

MINUTES

Date and Time:  Monday, August 19, 2013, 9:00 a.m.

Meeting Location:  Central Wisconsin Airport, Lower Level Conf Rm, Mosinee WI

 

Attendees:  David Anderson, Sandi Cihlar, Bill Clendenning, Sarah Diedrick-Kasdorf, John Durham, Jon Hochkammer, O. Philip Idsvoog,  Nan Kottke, Dennis Kussmann, Keith Langenhahn, Lance Pliml, Mary Kay Poehlman, Randy Scholz, John Small, Camille Solberg, Tom Tiffany, Brent Vruwink, Ed Wagner, Mandy Wright, Gary Wyman, Elroy Zemke, Bill Zeitz, Mary Palmer

 

1.    Call To Order

 

2.    Approval of the June 10, 2013 Minutes 

MOTION BY IDSVOOG; SECOND BY CLENDENNING TO APPROVE THE JUNE 10, 2013, MINUTES.  MOTION CARRIED. 

 

Introductions were made.

 

3.    Update By and Discussion With Visiting Area Legislators

Representative Tom Tiffany, 12th Assembly District:

·         Mining in the north is being watched with interest in Madison. 

·         Voted for the budget

·         There is a movement to increase the speed limit to 70 on interstate highways. 

·         What will we do or how will we fund transportation issues?  Raise gas tax, registration fees, tolling, cut other funding in State government?  Right now there is about a $250 million shortfall.  Idsvoog would like to see toll roads implemented. 

·         It is now the responsibility of the counties to hold DNA samples for a year.  Zeitz would like to see this issue repealed and scaled back.  Tiffany feels it should not have been part of the budget, but addressed individually.

·         Durham – It costs Marathon County $192,000 per mile to pave.  Is it sustainable?  Bonding is up to a billion dollars.  We need long term thinking and planning.  Not just the next two years or budget cycle.  Tiffany said the high speed rails are all losing money.  His example was Seattle/Portland they upgraded their high speed rails and increased speed by 5 miles per hour but it did not increase ridership.  Hochkammer said the federal government will not be providing funding for roads in the future.  The State needs to develop a long term plan.

·         Medicaid is draining the budget.  Hochkammer – if more money is not made available for human services the State should give the counties more flexibility in administering the programs. 

·         Tiffany – both Petrowski and Wright voted to take the federal money.   Tiffany voted against taking the money.  6,500 people are losing Badger Care coverage with the implementation of the affordable care act.

 

Representative Mandy Wright, 85th Assembly District:

·         Did not vote for budget.  Doesn’t like the increase in property taxes. 

·         Redistricting is a cost savings.  The control is being looked at being moved from the legislators to a committee. 

·         Concerned about school vouchers.  More than half the public schools are losing money.  Doesn’t agree in giving money to private schools.  We are spending $420,000,000 this year in private schools. 

·         Selling of public lands did pass with restrictions. 

·         Lots of issues on who has control of cell towers, wells, etc.

·         Health Care – very concerned on cost and how it could have been handled differently at the State level.  We have refused billions of dollars from the federal government and are spending over a million dollars more and covering fewer people.

·         Concern was expressed on the amount of money the country is in debt 

·         Communication issues.  There are huge pockets of dead zones in Marathon County.  Rural citizens need to rely on the legacy copper lines (land lines).  AT&T wants to drop all landlines and go cell only.  Wright - $30 million was offered to the State a couple years ago, and again, Wisconsin denied those funds for expansion of broadband.  To repeal landlines is not the way to go.  Hochkammer - it’s crucial that we have broadband in Wisconsin – rural schools, farms, etc.  Fewer land lines creates a funding shortage.  That money will go away.    

 

4.    Updates from WCA Representative and Review of WCA Resolutions

Jon Hockhammer, Wisconsin Counties Association (WCA)   

·         On the WCA website there is a 26 page analysis on what impacts County government.  Some responses are as follows as well as issues being worked on –

·         Counties are happier than 2 years ago. 

·         Municipalities are not having a conversation with the counties when it comes to raising or demolition of buildings.  Counties have to pay taxes whether the building is demolished or is vacant.  It should be put on a special tax so when the county receives it in demolition they do not need to pay the tax for educational facilities.

·         WCA is the only one lobbying against making a first offense OWI a felony because the costs will be passed on to the counties.  If the State would provide additional funding, WCA would lobby in favor of it. 

·         Tax Increment Financing (TIF)– Senator Petrowski is looking to expand TIF laws to include towns.  WCA is monitoring this. 

·         WCA believes in local control and accountability.  On October 1 there will be a County caucus on bipartisan issues. 

·         Issues continue on frac sand practices.  There is good information available on the WCA website.  Other states are interested to see what Wisconsin is doing on this issue. 

·         There will be an educational seminar as a follow-up to ACT 10 on August 26 in Stevens Point. 

·         There are currently two vacancies on the WCA Board of Directors.  The WCA conference will be held at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison on September 23 starting at 9:00 a.m.

 

Sarah Diedrick-Kasdorf, WCA, addressed the 2013 Resolutions presented by the WCA Resolutions Committee.  Of the 45 resolutions, most were adopted, 6 were recommended to adopt as they reaffirmed current positions of the WCA and 7 were recommended for indefinite postponement. 

Most of the resolutions came from Walworth, Eau Claire, and La Crosse Counties. 

 

Phil Idsvoog thanked everyone who supported keeping Skyward in Point. 

 

Everyone is encouraged to contact your local officials when an important issue arises. 

 

5.    Update On Federal Issues By Senate And Congressional Representatives 

Camille Solberg, Senator Ron Johnson’s Office, gave an update of what the Senator is involved in.

David Anderson – Congressman Sean Duffy’s office  

·         The Congressman has completed 25 of 26 counties town meetings. He will have a Job Fair in Marathon County this Fall.  He is working to bring together leaders on homelessness and hunger.  

·         Appropriations process will continue upon return on both sides.  It has been difficult to have the house and senate work together on big issues. 

·         Border issues and immigration – how to address undocumented immigrants.  Those that want to become citizens will have to go through the whole process.  It will be an interesting debate to watch.  Immigration is a concern in Marathon County. 

·         Anderson said transportation funds are being questioned.  Senator Tiffany commented that to get rid of the mandates from the federal government to the state would be beneficial and allow greater flexibility at the state levels.  And Small asked Tiffany to do the same with State funds for cities, villages and counties. 

 

A concern was brought up on how far government should go on watching or snooping on Americans. 

 

FAA – is supported by Duffy. 

 

The airport towers will have a short fall of funds as of September 30th.  Could we lose our funds here at the Central Wisconsin Airport.  Get things done instead of a partisan split. 

 

A comment was made that college graduates are not getting jobs so why bring in people from other countries?

 

6.    Thank you Waupaca County for Hosting Today’s Meeting

 

7.    Next Meeting Date December 2, 2013, Host Wood County

 

8.    Meeting was Adjourned at 10:30 a.m.  MOTION BY SMALL; SECOND BY WAGNER TO ADJOURN THE MEETING.  MOTION CARRIED.   

 

 

Respectfully submitted by,

Mary Palmer