On Thursday, February 19 the Clark County Board met at the Courthouse in Neillsville at 7 p.m. The meeting started with the Pledge of Allegiance and Roll Call with 26 present and 3 absent.
The first item on the agenda was a presentation on the Ad Hoc Human Services Department led by Chuck Rueth and Arlene Kodl. Rueth started by explaining that the creation of the Department started in 2023 with the intention to offer services in a more efficient manner and what the Department does currently and their goals for the future. Kodl went on to talk about the make-up of the board and the responsibilities of the new department including an organizational chart explaining the hierarchy and new descriptions for the jobs. They made changes to the budget and will need approval for those changes. They explained that the biggest issue at the moment is that they merged two different departments and are adjusting for the differences. Rueth also explained that they are waiting on three state departments before they can move on a vote.
A motion to accept a Clark County Community Foundation Grant in the amount of $1,000 for the Aging & Disability Resource Center was made by Bobrofsky, seconded by Klabon and passed. A motion to approve the Agricultural Lease Agreement for property in the Town of Green Grove was made, seconded, and passed. This involves the lease of 124.1 acres of land to Berry Farms in the amount of $23,020.56 per year for three years.
The next item on the agenda was the purchase of eight acres of property in the City of Neillsville. They yielded the floor to Curtiss Lindner to answer questions. Most of the questions were about the goals in regard to this purchase. The ultimate goal is to change the entrance to the Fairgrounds so that it doesn’t go through a residential area. One of the long-term goals is to use the extra land for the future expansion of county buildings. There were some concerns raised over taxes and the retention pond. A motion was proposed by Rueth, seconded by Klabon and passed with only Riley Ashbeck and Ryan Ashbeck voting no.
Following that was a vote on amending the County Donation Policy in regard to raising the amount a committee can accept without going to the County Board. Some questions were raised about why there was a limit and the parameters concerning the Board oversight. Most of the concerns about the limitations of donations comes from an ethical standpoint and to insure proper records for accounting. A comment was made that they want to make sure that it is as streamlined as possible to prevent the situation from turning awkward. A motion was made by Waichulis and seconded by Kodl and passed.
The next item was to accept a $15,033.83 monetary donation for Highway Maintenance from the Mennonite community of Clark County. The county admits that the real concern is over the damage that the steel wheel tires do rather than the horse drawn buggies. The Mennonite community makes a yearly donation by using a formula to determine how much to donate. A motion was made by Rueth, seconded by Kolzow and passed.
The board voted to support the 2025 Assembly Bill 900 with a motion by Hasz, second by Johnson. This bill would prohibit farmland preservation tax credits for qualifying acres occupied by solar energy systems not integral or incidental to agricultural use. A motion to affirm the appointment of Kyle Chamberlin as County Treasurer was made by Waichulis, seconded by Klabon and passed. Chamberlin will serve in the position until a successor is elected. The motion for the approval of the December 2025 minutes was made by Boon, seconded by Waichulis and passed. There were no public comments and the next County Board meeting is set for March 26. The motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Klabon, seconded by Johnson and passed.