Damakant Jayshi

Marathon County funding will be cut completely for five local nonprofits if the Board of Supervisors this week approves proposed amendments to the budget, eliminating support for The Women’s Community and other crucial human services programs.

The Women’s Community provides support to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking, among other emergency services, while the United Way’s 211 program offers emergency assistance for people in distress, including those with mental illness. The Judicare Mediation Program provides mediation in non-criminal cases. All three would lose their county funding under the proposals.

In addition, North Central Community Action Program, which assists low-income community members in several ways including securing affordable housing; and the Marathon County Historical Society are also on the chopping block. The cuts range from $15,000 to $55,000 for a total of $198,133 for the five contracted services.

Jane Graham Jennings, longtime executive director of The Women’s Community, told supervisors that Marathon County has been a partner with the organization serving victims of abuse over 30 years, recognizing the value “we provides as a sole agency supporting victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and human trafficking.”

Jennings also said The Women’s Community partnered with law enforcement to provide advocacy and support to families who have children who are abused and neglected. In 2021, the services of The Women’s Community were deemed essential to the health and safety of Marathon County.

She listed data she said demonstrated the value of the services they provide.

“In 2021, we had three domestic violence-related homicides,” she said. I don’t know the exact number of that cost but you can imagine the high price tag for the investigation, for charging, the trying and the sentencing, not to mention the loss of life. And those are just the homicides.”

Speaking of the organization’s lethality assessment program, an initiative in partnership with law enforcement that connects victims who are at high lethality directly with advocates, Jennings said, “We are literally preventing homicides.”

Jennings said the organization needs significant financial support and the amount that the county provides, $55,000, is used as a match to get additional funding of over $100,000, “that without the funding from the county, we wouldn’t be able to get.”

Then she made a direct appeal for continued help from the Board of Supervisors.

“For every survivor in this room, for every survivor on this board, I hope you will continue this partnership,” Jennings said in conclusion.

Most of these reductions or eliminations have been proposed by Supervisor Chris Dickinson.

The 19 amendments – including one that purports to reduce the general property tax levy by more than $3 million – will be discussed by the Marathon County Human Resources, Finance and Property Committee on Wednesday. Chair of the committee, Supervisor John Robinson, proposed the amendment on the tax levy.

The 38-member Board of Supervisors will formally adopt the budget on Thursday. The board can accept, reject or amend the amendments resolutions by a simple majority. The total proposed budget for the county is about $218.5 million, and the property tax levy is about $58.5 million.

Among those listed as facing significant cuts for 2023 are the Nurse Family Partnership Program of the county’s Health Department through two separate amendments, with Supervisor Tim Sondelski proposing a cut of over $760,000 and Supervisor Gayle Marshall going for a $620,000 reduction in funding. The NFP Program is a “voluntary home visiting program model that supports low income, first-time mothers and their babies.” If either of the amendments are approved by the 38-member Board of Supervisors, the program that residents say is vital for the community will suffer an irreparable blow.

In his 2023 budget message, County Administrator Lance Leonhard said that keeping the Nurse Family Partnership, which replaced the Start Right program, will save money in the long run.

“Despite first year startup costs, the savings are still significant in 2023, with an estimated savings of $372,972,” he wrote. “In subsequent years, savings will amount to approximately $646,476 per year over prior budgets.”

The Family Keys project, a proposal to reunite families and keep children out of foster care, is also part of the budget discussion and once again facing elimination. The roughly $327,000 cost of the program is funded through a grant and not through taxpayer dollars – but some supervisors still want to nix the initiative. Supervisor Tony Sherfinski proposed the elimination of the pilot program.

Among the county government’s departments specifically singled out to face big cuts are the Marathon County Public Library with an allocation of over $3.38 million and the Dept. of Social Services which has been allocated nearly $22 million.

All county departments will be impacted through cuts proposed under reduced wages and salaries, and supplies and expense accounts.

For the library, two cuts totaling $640,000 have been proposed. In his note to the county board, Leonhard said the library’s personnel budget has been reduced by $350,000 for 2023, given that it has maintained the target of reserve fund at $300,000.

The budget for the library was the dominant topic at the educational and budget discussion meeting of the Board of Supervisors on Nov. 3. A majority of residents who spoke during a public hearing on the 2023 budget urged the board to pass the library budget as proposed. Some, however, asked the supervisors to reduce the budget, contending that the library makes available “pornographic” materials to children.

With discussions of cuts in the budget for their organizations, representatives from these organizations addressed the supervisors at the public hearing on Thursday. They pointed out the services provided by the organizations to the community and asked for the county’s continued support.

Some residents also raised their concerns over the proposed cuts.

“Proposed amendments include cuts to programs and services helping our community’s most vulnerable (Health Dept’s Nurse Family Partnership home visiting program, Social Services, The Women’s Community, and more),” a resident told Wausau Pilot & Review.

The amendments are not about only cuts, though.

One proposal, from Supervisor David Baker, seeks to create a new position that of county auditor – at $133,561 – either through ARPA funding or through a cut in the County Administrator’s Justice Alternatives budget to the tune of $116,621. The position bypasses the county administrator and has been proposed to report directly to the Board of Supervisors.

[For details on the proposed amendments proposing cuts, click here, and go to page 13.]