On Tuesday, November 11, the Clark County Board met at the Courthouse in Neillsville. The meeting started off with the Pledge of Allegiance, and then roll call with all being present including one that was virtual. The meeting started with a public hearing on the budget. First to speak was Dorchester Librarian ReAnna Oestreich. She wished everyone a Happy Veterans Day and thanked those who served for their service. She then wanted to stress how dire the situation was for all the libraries, but especially for the libraries on the border. She asked that those who came to the meeting in support of the libraries stand.
The next speaker was Jim Weitz, the mayor of Abbotsford. He stated that he sits in his office at City Hall and watches everyone that comes into the library. He stressed that public libraries are a public service. The next to talk was Sybil Eichten from Granton. She is a member of the library board and thanked everyone for the work that they’ve done. She is an avid reader but wanted to talk about how libraries are more than just books. They are about connections and about the community. They offer more than just checking out books. They offer a lot of additional resources and support including those for job searches.
The next speaker was Bryce Luchterhand, the chairperson of the County’s Library Committee. He said that he has spent the past year arguing with Marathon County for reimbursement for their citizens and it hasn’t gotten anywhere. So he and the Library Committee are asking the Board to fully fund Clark County’s citizens at 100% with nothing for Marathon County’s citizens. Luchterhand went on to say that there are 10 libraries in Clark County and each municipality is responsible for paying for their citizens. But the municipalities that don’t have a library, mostly the townships, are paid for by the county. The State has a formula for non-municipal patrons that is for a minimum of 70% based on two years prior, ignores inflation, and only accounts for physical circulation (nothing for services or programs). After Luchterhand finished, the public budget hearing closed.
After the hearing, Terri Domaszek presented the 2026 budget. She started by thanking all the veterans. She went through a PowerPoint presentation with an overview of the budget, including how the budget gets distributed, where the funds go, the revenue expected, the debt overview, and the expenditures expected. She went through the formula for the levy increases. Domaszek also highlighted the difference in rates between Clark County and Eau Claire County in regard to land use and valuation. She said that whatever amendments go through, has to be balanced on the other side, i.e. if an amendment has spending go up in an area, it has to go down in another area. Roxanna Reitz asked for clarification on the two percentages listed for the libraries. Domaszek replied that they will cover Clark County residents at 85% and out of county residents at 70%. Pastor Elizabeth Bier asked what the exact dollar amount was for the levy if they moved the library to 100%. Domaszek said that for a $100,000 home the library levy would increase by $2.11.
A motion to reappoint Jim Mildbrand and Kim Metzke to the Clark County Library Committee was made, seconded, and passed. The motion to approve the budget was proposed by Chuck Rueth and seconded by Larry Klabon. Rueth asked for an amendment to include half the cost for the second branch of the court’s remodeling, but only if they receive a grant for it. Jeff Kolzow asked for clarification on how this would affect the budget and levies. Domaszek clarified that this would not impact the levy, and essentially the grant would cover the cost. That amendment was voted on with 28 Yes, 1 No.
The next amendment was proposed by Ashley Thielman to increase the expenditure by $83,073 to increase the library reimbursement for Clark County patrons from 85% to 100%. The motion was proposed by Thielman and seconded by Kolzow before opening up for debate. Scott Johnson commented that communities might consider joining their public libraries with their school libraries. Kenneth Gerhardt’s concern was Marathon County’s residents, having worked on it for over two years, he thinks that Clark County’s residents paying for Marathon’s is unfair. Leonard Stoecker agreed with the addition that they can’t be the only county with this problem and that any effort to solve it would have to go to Madison and the state legislature to force counties like Marathon to reimburse. Tom Wilcox clarified that they have talked to the state representatives who don’t want to touch the issue with a 10-foot pole. Kolzow emphasized that this amendment was to increase reimbursement for Clark County residents only, not Marathon. A few members of the public wanted to clarify a few issues and Wilcox said that the board cannot interact with the public at that time before yielding to Thielman.
Thielman took the time to explain that the reimbursement issue with Marathon has been going on since 2000, but it has gotten really bad in the last eight years. The border libraries (Dorchester, Abbotsford, and Colby) are assets to their communities, similar to schools. But essentially there is nothing that the county can do with the Marathon issue until the state steps up. She also stated the formula that is used is an archaic calculation and that the $83K is not an increase year over year. Jill Hoff asked for a county comparison. Lincoln County is 100% reimbursement, Taylor County is 140%. Roy Tyznik asked where the money is coming from. Domaszek clarified that this would be a levy increase, not a direct expenditure and that the libraries have a separate levy that can go beyond the normal limitations. The amendment needed a simple majority to pass and it failed with 14 Yes, 15 No.
There was a small break while Domaszek adjusted the budget spreadsheet to account for the new amendment that passed. With the new adjustments, the budget was put to another vote and passed with 24 Yes, 5 No.
The application for the WIC grant was proposed by Arlene Kool, seconded by Brandon Hasz, and passed. The approval of membership in the Wisconsin Counties Association was proposed by Joe Waichulis, seconded by Hasz, and passed with a quick question about how the dues were calculated, which is determined by population. The approval of the Designation of Committed Fund Accounts was proposed by Rueth, seconded by Jim Smagacz, and passed. The approval of the Community Services and Social Services Contract was proposed by Kodl, seconded by Scott Johnson, and passed. The approval of the 2026 County Aid for Bridge and Culvert Construction was proposed by Kolzow, seconded by Riley Ashbeck, and passed. The approval of the 2026 Forestry and Parks Annual Work Plan was proposed by Waichulis, seconded by Klabon, and passed. The approval of the 2026 Non-Union Base Wage increases was proposed by Gerhardt, seconded by Kodl, and passed.
The next item on the agenda was to establish the County Board Chair salary and per diem for members of the board and governing bodies. A motion was made by Waichulis and seconded before being discussed. Stoecker asked for clarification for the meeting pay and the new definition involving the four-hour mark. Riley Ashbeck said, that he joined the County Board to make a difference in his community and doesn’t think that the board should vote on their own raises. Wilcox said that if the county citizens don’t like the board members, they can always vote them out. A question was asked about where this money would come from, Domaszek said it would come from various areas including the County Board budget. Stoecker made another observation that the CPI was a fake number developed by the U.S. Government. Raymond Mulderink asked that if they don’t have the $83K for the libraries, how the county could afford the pay raises. Klabon asked for clarification on conferences. This item needed a 2/3 majority to pass and it failed with 18 Yes, 11 No.
The approval of participating in the Employee Trust Fund Income Continuation Insurance Plan was proposed by Kodl, seconded by Thielman. Duane Boon didn’t agree with the vacation statement. It was clarified that the increase in funds is aimed to get the individuals back to work faster by providing them with the means to focus on job searches. It passed with 26 Yes, 3 No. The Acceptance of Grant Funds Supporting the ADRC Holiday Project was proposed by Klabon, seconded, and passed. The approval of the October Board Meeting Minutes was proposed, seconded, and passed. It was mentioned that there will be a ribbon cutting for the County Highway G bridge in Greenwood on November 18 at 1 p.m. The County Clerk reminded everyone that the papers to announce their running for county office will be available for circulation on December 1 and due at the County Clerk’s Office by January 6 and encouraged anyone who is not intending to run to fill out forms of non-candidacy. Wilcox mentioned that the board has received an invitation to tour a Solar Farm in Green Grove. The December meeting was set for December 18. A motion to adjourn the meeting was proposed by Waichulis, seconded by Ryan Ashbeck, and approved.