Damakant Jayshi
Marathon County’s Human Resources, Finance and Property Committee on Wednesday approved a proposal to lower the tax levy in the 2023 budget but rejected other amendments that proposed reducing or eliminating funds to county services and departments, as well as several nonprofits.
All of the amendments will, nonetheless, move forward to the Board of Supervisors meeting on Thursday where members will discuss the amendments before adopting the 2023 budget.
The tax levy is being brought down from 9.4% to 3.1%, said Chair of the HRFP Committee, John Robinson. But Robinson and chair of the County Board, Kurt Gibbs, cautioned their colleagues about “unintended consequences” of such a move, even though the intent is understood.
A lengthy discussion arose over amendments proposed by committee chair Robinson and by Supervisor David Baker. Both of these related to the North Central Health Care facility remodel. Robinson’s proposal sought to pay $3,199,572 for the NCHC projects through the county’s reserve fund. Baker proposed using ARPA funding of $1.5 million each for the NCHC nursing home and other projects. His aim was also to reduce the tax levy funding for the projects.
But Robinson expressed concern over the implications for lowering the levy limit by $3 million once temporary ARPA funds go away. Gibbs said the county cannot risk any audit from the U.S. Treasury Dept. or the Internal Revenue Service if they are found trying to make an end run for ARPA funds to pay for debt service. Baker said he was not suggesting paying for debt service or reducing the operating levy.
Finance Director Kristi Palmer cautioned that Wisconsin has a levy limit law and the operating levy limit needs to pay for daily operations. Robinson’s amendment was approved but Baker’s proposal was not recommended.
An additional 18 amendments which aimed to either eliminate programs or slash the budget for several key Marathon County programs, including funding for the Marathon County Public Library and Social Services, was not recommended. Neither was rejection of a revised family reunion pilot project fully paid for through federal funds, wage and salary reduction for county staff and creating a new position of county auditor, among others. Two of the amendments were withdrawn.
Most amendments are in line for another round of discussion. A simple majority is needed to either approve or reject each of them.
Supervisors vigorously debate merits of amendments
During Wednesday’s budget discussion several supervisors – both members of the HRFP Committee as well as those who proposed amendments – as well as those who joined the discussion, shared their views on each proposal.
Supervisor Alyson Leahy said affected departments, already under financial pressure, have already decreased their budget.
Supervisor Chris Dickinson, who proposed five of the amendments including eliminating support for The Women’s Community and other crucial human services programs, said his intent is to reduce the tax levy and added that the government should not be funding nonprofits. “There is no argument against the merits of their work,” he said, adding these nonprofits are providing good services.
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. For The Women’s Community, the decision would create a ripple effect, as the county’s funding is used for significant matching grants to support their services.
Dickinson also said other nonprofits that previously stopped receiving funds did not collapse. He said that only after several supervisors offered their amendments, the committee chair proposed to reduce the tax levy. Without that kind of push, he said, the levy would not have been reduced.
Supervisor Gayle Marshall, who has sought to drastically reduce the Health Department’s Nurse Family Partnership Program, said the program was discretionary, one the county is not mandated to support. She also asked about a 2019 decision to gradually reduce the county’s contribution to nonprofits until it came to zero.
At least among those who attended the meeting, in person and virtually, there was no appetite to eliminate nonprofit funding.
Supervisor Matt Bootz, chair of Public Health and Safety Committee said The Women’s Community and the Judicare Mediation Program worked with the Marathon County Sheriff’s Department, which would also be impacted by defunding those services. Judicare, he said, diverted more than 250 cases from reaching court, thus saving time and money.
Jane Graham Jennings, longtime executive director of The Women’s Community, told supervisors last Thursday they are the sole agency supporting victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and human trafficking and that they 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.
County Board Chair Gibbs and some other supervisors emphasized the value provided by the nonprofits. “If we are going to defund, we need to have a discussion beforehand because we have contracted their services,” Gibbs said.
Supervisor Yee Leng Xiong asked whether the organizations were informed about the proposed cuts and whether they have so far met expectations. County Administrator Lance Leonhard replied by saying that the organizations have indeed delivered on their services.
Xiong, who heads a nonprofit for the Hmong community, also pointed out that nonprofits do leverage the funding from one source, like government, as a local match for additional funding.
Supervisor Kody Hart expressed a similar concern, suggesting that the organizations should be informed if the county is to stop providing funds and not doing so would be detrimental. Supervisor Leahy agreed, saying that withdrawing funding would hurt organizations that are providing vital services to the community.
But it is not just the financial contribution that matters, Supervisor Ann Lemmer said. She said the budget is also a value statement. What kind of message the county sends to those who are vulnerable is also important, she said. Lemmer suggested the committee should proactively recommend not to move the proposals forward so as to send a message on the proposed cuts.
County Library figures prominently again
Supervisor Michelle Van Krey, who sits on the Library Board, and the board’s President, Sharon Hunter, again requested the County Board not cut funding to the library. The 2023 budget for MCPL is $3.38 million.
Hunter listed several services that are paid for by the money it received, while Van Krey said any reduction would impact the library branches, most of them in rural areas, and might even lead to their closure. She said she can understand that some supervisors are upset over some books in the library but cutting funds sends the wrong message.
During the discussion on the library Dickinson, who has proposed a cut of $365,000, said the Library Board has been slow in responding to the concerns of residents and supervisors over the books which they believe have pornographic content. He said the County Board has just two powers over the Library Board – appointments and budget – and should use them when the situation demands.
Gibbs asked whether reducing funding of $365,000 over books would appear as punitive. Corporation Counsel Michael Puerner said the County Board has the authority to appropriate funds to the library but if the funding is tied to removing of books, there could be a little risk.
The Marathon County Board of Supervisors meets Thursday to formalize the budget.
