By LeAnn R. Ralph
MENOMONIE — Two years ago, the Dunn County Board prioritized departments using a 1, 2 or a 3, with 1 being very important and 3 being something county board members would consider eliminating to save money.
Over the past 10 years, the revenue available to Dunn County to pay its bills has remained flat, while at the same time, operational costs have increased.
At a special meeting of the Dunn County Board March 29 to consider ways for funding a capital improvement plan, Paul Miller, county manager, asked county board members to review the priorities from two years ago.
One option would be to privatize programs, departments and services, Miller said, noting that the county board had prioritized the home health care program with a 3, so the program had been dropped.
Miller said he was asking Dunn County Board members to review the priorities so county staff would have a better idea of the services they could cut to balance the 2022 budget.
“When you cannot do everything, you have to eliminate something,” Miller said.
County staff need guidance from the Dunn County Board, he said.
Miller asked county board members to give him feedback on the priorities, the potential for reduction of services and how to possibly increase revenue by April 5 so that if necessary, certain items could come before the Dunn County Board at the April 21 meeting.
The Neighbors
The Neighbors is a significant portion of the county’s debt and a significant portion of the budget, said Gary Bjork, county board supervisor from Colfax.
The Dunn County Board could certainly discuss whether to sell the county’s long-term care facility, whether to lease it to a private company or whether to close some of the buildings, Miller said.
Two years ago, the county board gave The Neighbors a priority of 2, so it was “not the highest and not the lowest,” he said.
“Everything is on the table,” Miller said.
The Neighbors had total expenses of $14.8 million in 2016 with revenue amounting to $13.7 million, according to information included in the county board packet.
Referendum
Going to referendum to ask the residents of Dunn County to allow the county board to exceed the revenue limit is an option, said Gary Stene, county board supervisor from Colfax.
According to state law, municipalities can only levy a certain amount in property taxes every year, and the levy can only be increased by an amount that correlates with the value of new buildings that have been built.
Over the past 10 to 12 years, the net new construction in Dunn County has lagged behind the Consumer Price Index (CPI), so that while operational expenses have increased, the county’s ability to raise more money has not been able to keep up, Miller had explained earlier in the meeting.
“Government is a service … we cannot cut ourselves to success,” Stene said.
Every governmental entity is “cannibalizing itself” to try to cover expenses. A referendum to exceed the revenue limit may not be a “great option but it’s an option,” he said.
Diane Morehouse, county board supervisor from Menomonie, said she, too, would like to see some options for generating revenue.
David Bartlett, county board chair, said he would put the issue of trying to find ways to generate revenue on the agenda for the executive committee.
Broadband
Sheila Stori, county board supervisor from Menomonie, asked about broadband and the county’s directional plan.
Fiscal sustainability would be a good item to add to the directional plan, and broadband could be added to the plan although “I don’t know where the money is coming from,” Miller said.
Vaughn Hedlund, county board supervisor from Boyceville, said he did not want Dunn County to be at the top of the list for per capita.
Earlier in the meeting, Miller had said that Dunn County, with its population of 45,000, is in the top one quarter of counties for the per capita debt burden.
The county can provide some services, but the county “cannot break the bank,” Hedlund said.
The question will be how to attract people to live in Dunn County without burdening them with taxes, he said.
“How can we grow our way out of this?” asked Steve Jenson, county board supervisor from Elk Mound.
The signs for economic development in Dunn County “are looking up,” Miller said.
The Dunn County Economic Development Corporation is bringing on a new executive director, and the possibility of development is starting to look more promising, he said.
1-2-3
Here are the priorities of the Dunn County Board from February of 2019, with 1 being the most important and 3 the least important.
Administration, the county manager, human resources and the finance department were all prioritized at a 1.
The information technology (IT) department and the Criminal Justice Collaborating Council were prioritized at a 2.
Child support, circuit court, clerk of courts, county clerk, county treasurer, district attorney, emergency management and communications, 911, emergency planning, land and water conservation and solid waste and recycling were all prioritized at a 1.
The corporation counsel, environmental services, economic support services, the Aging and Disability Resource Center, the birth-to-three program, the medical examiner, The Neighbors, nutrition, environmental health, Register of Deeds, veterans services, surveying, planning and zoning and UW-Extension were all prioritized at a 2.
Other departments prioritized at a 1 included human services, family and children’s services, behavioral health services, public health, nursing, public works, highway, the sheriff’s department, patrol deputies and the jail.
Departments prioritized as 3 included home health care (subsequently eliminated), the transit department and outside agencies (which would include the Dunn County Economic Development Corporation, the Mabel Tainter Theater and the Dunn County Humane Society).
Outside agencies were listed as having expenses of $200,000 in 2016.
The transit division was listed as having expenses of $965,698.
Examples
Here are examples of departments or services the Dunn County Board could consider eliminating that were included in the county board packet:
Administration — contract out financial services; contract out human resources services; contract out IT services; cancel the Criminal Justice Collaborating Council (a levy impact of $253,615 in 2016); contract out the county manager.
Highway Department — reduce the schedule of road improvements; change the snow plowing policy; reduce staffing.
Sheriff’s Department — reduce the number of patrol deputies; eliminate the DARE program ($72,711 in 2016).
Land and water conservation services — eliminate non-mandated programs; reduce staffing.
Planning and zoning — contract out and reduce staff.
Surveying — contract out and reduce staffing.
Corporation Counsel — contract out.
Emergency Management — pursue a two or three-county 911 center.
Human Services — eliminate non-mandated programs; reduce staffing.
Health Department — reduce from a Level 3 health department to a Level 2 or a Level 1.
The Neighbors — sell or lease the operation; permanently close a house(s) (The Neighbors had a levy impact of $1.17 million in 2016).
Facilities — contract out custodial services; contract out property maintenance.
UW-Extension — opt out of Extension; reduce staffing (a tax levy of $328,904 for UW-Extension in 2016).
Veteran’s Services — reduce staffing.
Solid Waste and Recycling — sell or lease the transfer station.
Libraries — fund less than 100 percent.
Leased positions — general policy and procedure for evaluation.
The Dunn County Board approved a $76 million budget in 2016 with a $21 million property tax levy.
