August & September Update: County Newsletter

Sep 20

Hello good people of Kenosha County,

Thank you for your grace on missing a month this summer. August was a quiet month for the County Board, and I was able to actually take some time off between my teaching terms. I’m happy to report back on everything that has happened in August and September.

In August, there was only one County Board meeting, on August 17th. There was a vote about creating a tax district for Rock Lake, and many members from the community showed up to speak out against it. The proposal was put forward by members of the community who wanted the lake “cleaned up” of normal plantlife, many of which were native plant species. While the overall effect may have been that the aesthetics of the lake were changing, it seemed like the tax district would be overkill for the problem, and it would open up avenues for changes to happen without input from many of the other community members, and the changes were unprecedented. The board voted unanimously against the proposal. During this meeting, it was also announced that the county has received another AAA bond rating for this year, establishing our continued financial health as we get closer to budget season. We also passed a resolution that protects against predatory lending processes, which was brought to our attention by a Kenosha resident during citizen comments a few weeks before (speaking up makes a difference!)

At the September 1st Human Services Committee meeting, we continued our discussions of how we can address homelessness in Kenosha. The issue continues to be complicated because of municipal zoning ordinances and the mismatch of spaces willing to be overnight shelters vs spaces that are zoned for residency. We are still committed to finding solutions, and we need to determine priorities for what housing assistance looks like. First and foremost, I believe finding overnight shelter for folks sleeping outside during the winter is crucial, and more sustainable housing solutions is a close second. I want to voice my appreciation once again for Supporters of Shelter (SOS) for all their hard work and vigilance.

There have been a few resolutions related to County Board rules and committees. These resolutions have resulted in valuable discussions about what the rules are and how committees are constructed under different Board leadership. At the September 1st meeting, the board voted on a proposed rule-change regarding standing committees. There is a rule that no supervisor can serve on more than 3 committees, but the Executive Committee has generally not been counted as one of these standing committees. The resolution called to formalize the convention excluding the Executive Committee from the standing committees. The board passed the resolution with only Supervisor Nudo voting against it.

On September 15th, there was another resolution related to committees on the agenda, this one authored by Supervisor Nudo. This resolution aimed to fix committee sizes at 7 members, rather than being at the discretion of the board chair. There was a decent discussion on the floor about this policy. I personally have seen a lot of issues that have come out of the committees currently being set at 5 people. It is easy for resolutions to die in committee, and when one or two folks are absent for any reason, it can be difficult to meet quorum or for there to be appropriate representation from the community. While I understand the precedent that the board chair sets the committees, it seems that there should be some guardrails to maintain the integrity of the representative nature of the democratic system that we’re working in. For that reason, I voted in favor of this resolution; however, it did not pass on the board floor. It was voted down 14-5. There were some board members who agreed that it would be better to raise the size of the committees but thought it would be complicated to implement in the middle of a term the way it was proposed. Overall it was a productive vote.

At that same County Board meeting, I did have an additional vote that was unusual that I want to make sure I explain. There was a vote to reappoint Tim Stocker to the Library Systems Board, and while these votes for appointments are almost always unanimous, I did vote against this particular appointment. As I explained on the floor, I have appreciated working alongside Supervisor Stocker on the County Board, and I am happy to work with folks as colleagues who have differing views from me. However, in 2024, Supervisor Stocker authored a resolution intended to restrict and segregate library materials, and at the time I spoke out against this policy in the meeting during citizen’s comments before I was a supervisor on the board. I feel very strongly about equitable access to education and our libraries are instrumental to this access. Because of this, because this resolution dealt directly with library policy and this position advises on library policy, I voted against this particular appointment. As expected, most of the board voted in favor (except for Supervisor Tagliapietra) and the appointment was approved overall.

In addition to our usual meetings, the board had an overview of capital improvement projects from the finance department, and we have a good idea of what to expect as we head into October (budget season!). This is a busy time for the County Board, as we discern the county’s spending for the coming year, and I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback. Thank you all for listening, for showing up, and for being engaged. I am so happy to be your contact and your voice in the county.

As a fun side note, Supervisor Kirby and I were on the Kenosha Connects podcast in August! I will add a link to the episode in the links section below. It is a bit more colorful than typical government, so if that’s not your style, feel free to skip, but we had a lot of fun!

Enjoy the beautiful weather! I will see you all in October.