Dunn County wants to be ‘hub’ for UW-Extension

By LeAnn R. Ralph

MENOMONIE  —  Now that the state Legislature has approved budget cuts that will scale back the reach of UW-Extension, Dunn County would like to be the hub for extension services for Dunn, Eau Claire and Chippewa counties.

The Dunn County Board approved a resolution at the February 17 meeting to communicate the county board’s desire to be the hub county for a University of Wisconsin Extension service area consisting of Dunn, Eau Claire and Chippewa counties.

So what’s the big deal about UW-Extension?

4-H Youth Development for one thing.

There’s also agricultural, horticultural, family living, child development, economic development and nutrition education services for area residents.

The state Legislature’s cut in funding of $250 million to the University of Wisconsin system means that UW-Extension will take a $3.6 million hit this year, said James Tripp, county board supervisor and chair of the community resources and tourism committee.

The state budget for 2015-2017 of $73 billion signed by Governor Scott Walker in July will total a $7 million reduction for UW-Extension over the two-year period.

The 2015-2017 budget of $73 billion, in spite of the budget cuts, is $2.6 billion more than the 2014-2015 budget and is $4.4 billion more than the 2013-2015 budget. Some of the increased spending is due to allocating money for the new Milwaukee Bucks stadium, due to increased borrowing to fund roads and bridges and due to increased borrowing to offset a reduction in tax revenue.

Prior to the decrease in state funding, each county had its own UW-Extension office with its own set of  four educators.

The decrease in state funding will mean that one office will provide UW-Extension services for three or more surrounding counties.

Approximately 80 UW-Extension positions will be eliminated because of the budget cuts.

The proposed reorganizational plan for UW-Extension will replace individual county department heads with a single “area leader” responsible for administering UW-Extension services to all the counties in a particular “area.”

Dunn County has the facilities, the expertise, the background, the personnel and the motivation to provide the UW-Extension hub, Tripp said.

According to background information included with the resolution, “Dunn County has more than adequate facilities in the Community Services Building and technology capabilities to meet the increased staffing and needs of a UWEX Hub County Office. By approval of this resolution, the Dunn County Board of Supervisors reaffirms its long-time commitment to and support of UWEX by expressing its desire to have Dunn County be named as a Hub County.”

Dunn County recently finished a $12 million renovation of the former Dunn County Health Care Center this past year and turned it into the Community Services Building for county offices.

The Dunn County Board unanimously approved the resolution stating that Dunn would like to be the hub county for UW-Extension for Dunn, Eau Claire and Chippewa counties.

Town hall meetings are planned in April to find volunteers to do some of the work that was covered by UW-Extension, Tripp said.

Other business 

In other business, the Dunn County Board:

• Appointed Mark Dietsche, Town of Grant, to serve on the Dunn County Zoning Board of Adjustment to fill the unexpired term of Mike Kneer.

• Appointed Larry Glynn of Ridgeland to fill the unexpired term of Mark Dietsche as alternate on the Dunn County Zoning Board of Adjustment.

• Appointed Marshall Multhauf to fill the unexpired term of Paul Gunness on the Civil Service Rating Committee.

• Approved for a first reading an ordinance revision that would establish a cutoff time for receipt of documents filed for recording by the Register of Deeds office at 3:30 p.m. on any official business day when the Register of Deeds is open to the public. Documents received after 3:30 p.m. will be processed on the next business day. For all other purposes, the Register of Deeds office will remain open until 4:30 p.m. each business day.

• Approved a resolution establishing the salaries for the county clerk, county treasurer and register of deeds at $61,600 for 2017; $62,500 for 2018; $63,400 for 2019; and $64,400 for 2020.

• Approved a resolution recognizing Paul Gunness, chief deputy of the Dunn County Sheriff’s Department, for his 31 years of service as a deputy, sergeant, lieutenant, and captain in the sheriff’s department.