On Thursday, June 26, the County Board met in Neillsville at the County Courthouse for their June meeting. After the Call to Order, the Pledge of Allegiance was said and then Roll Call was taken. 27 members were present with only two being absent. The first order of business was to reappoint Peter Kaz to the Board of Adjustments.
Next on the agenda was the annual report from the IT Department. They reported that last year they had 1.5 million dollars budgeted, spending only 1.35 million with $136,000 going back to the general fund. Some of the things that the budget covered was replacing computers, photocopiers, updating telecommunications, support during HVAC updates, and improving internet access, among many other projects. They reported that there were no major cyber security breaches within the year. After the report, some members of the board asked about the TDS situation within the county that was clarified. TDS had chosen to protect their territory with the intent that within their territory, they will have offered high-speed internet to everybody by 2030. At the moment, all indications show that TDS is doing everything that they said that they would. A motion was made to accept the IT annual report and passed.
The next item was a presentation that covered the duties and responsibilities of constitutional officers (such as the Clerk of Courts). The presentation also highlighted what was required for a proper balance of power between Constitutional Officers and the County Board with the limitations of each.
Following that was a discussion on the purchase of 4.69 acres of land in the town of Washburn that is to be enrolled as County Forest. The tract of land in question is 75 feet wide and a half mile long and directly connects to public land. It would affect access to two trails. This purchase would not go overbudget and it would give legal access forever. An amendment was introduced to purchase the land, but not to enroll it as County Forest. That amendment failed with 12 voting yes, 15 no, and 2 absent. The original motion to purchase the land and enroll it as county forest passed 27 yes, 0 no, and 2 absent.
The last item on the agenda was the approval of the Sherwood Forest Cemetery addition plat. That passed with no issues. A few members were curious about the age of the cemetery, which is an old cemetery but is still being used today. After that the May minutes were passed, the next meeting was set for July 17, and the meeting adjourned.