July Update: County Newsletter
Happy July all; I hope you all are making the most of your summer. I always enjoy showing off Kenosha in the summer–I had a bunch of friends up for the 4th of July, and everyone is always so impressed. We have a lot to be proud of in our community.
On the County Board, we only had one full meeting, but I still have several updates for everyone. Early in July, the human services committee requested a preview of our budget for this year. We begin budget discussions in September and October, but because of the many funding cuts to federal grants and Medicaid, we wanted to get a good idea of what we might expect to see, so we can anticipate allocations. The link to this meeting can be found here, but I’ll include a few highlights. Of the different subdivisions, aging and disability services is likely the least impacted and children and family services will likely be the most impacted. I will also note that this meeting happened before the Medicaid cuts were official, but they assured us that they had plans A, B, C, and D prepared for different contingencies. For budget purposes, it’s important to understand that there are some services that we are required by law to provide and others that the community has come to depend on but that are not required by law to provide. The average citizen does not know which are which, and I will be sure to update if there are any disruptions in vital services. The funding is interdependent, and cuts affect entire areas, not just the programs that get cut. Human services is one of my highest priorities, so I will fight to keep programs for those in need functioning as well as possible, and keep the nonprofits that take care of our community running smoothly as well as I can.
One program we have already received word about related to the budget bill is SNAP-Ed. Despite extensive advocacy efforts by UW-Extension, UW–Madison’s University Relations, and partners such as the Wisconsin Counties Association, the congressional budget reconciliation bill signed into law on July 4 eliminated all National Education and Obesity Prevention Grant Program (SNAP-Ed) funding effective September 30, 2025. SNAP-Ed has been funding grants that provide local nutrition education throughout the state for 30 years through UW–Madison Extension. Extension is currently navigating the difficult process of winding down Our local SNAP-Ed program, FoodWIse. They are exploring all possible avenues to sustain the program’s capacity through alternative funding structures, but most staff will be laid off and programs concluded by September 30. I imagine this will be the first of many closures of this type, and I will try to keep you updated as much as I can in case these are services your family takes advantage of.
We also received an update from the County Executive about the recently-passed state budget and what allocations will affect Kenosha County. There is a $6 million allocation to support erosion control in the Kenosha Dunes and funding for 2.5 additional Assistant District Attorney positions in our DA office. While these are state-funded positions, there is a local cost associated with needed additional support staff that will need to be passed at the County Board for approval. Additionally, the budget includes $20 million allocated across counties across the state to cover court costs. The Kenosha County Board approved a resolution last month to request $70 million, and although this doesn’t hit that mark, it will still assist with costs for operating the courts.
On the Public Works and parks side of things, the county received a grant for 700L from the EPA for Pike River restoration. This is great news on a project that so many have worked very hard for, especially when grant funding is harder to come by. There was also a great update from our Director of Parks Wyatt Moore about the new trail developments within the combined Petrifying Springs Park and UW-Parkside trail network. I’ve included a link to the trail map in the links below. All future phases of the Pike River Restoration take place on UW-Parkside property. Kenosha County was awarded a grant through NOAA to support engineering services, which are currently underway. Once the plans and specifications are complete, UW-Parkside will take over the construction activities.
Prior to the July 15th County Board meeting, the board had a presentation from attorney Sam Hall about the Jensen Hughes report assessing Kenosha County’s emergency preparedness during the unrest in August of 2020. He also updated us about the status of three cases against the county related to the unrest. A link to the recording of this meeting can be found here, but the readiness assessment covers five major areas: (1) efficiency of the Emergency Management Division and suggestions for improvement; (2) hesitancy to activate the Emergency Operations Center and suggestions that it should be utilized more frequently so it isn’t so unfamiliar; (3) suggestions for improving communication with the public; (4) running tabletop exercises for emergencies to play out different scenarios; and (5) revisiting particular policies at the Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office also provided an update on improvements that they are working on. I spared you a lot of detail from the presentation, so if you are interested in more, please check out the recording linked below.
The following County Board meeting didn’t have too much by way of notable items, and I’ve given you a lot of information already today. Please, as always, reach out if you have any questions or suggestions for any friends who might want to have regular updates. This is certainly not just limited to constituents in District 2! I hope to see you all out there; enjoy the last part of summer.
Links:
Human Services (7/1/2025): https://www.youtube.com/live/QupxpOABodE?si=rb9vzugBB7WFzIIs
Meeting of the Whole & County Board Meeting (update about emergency preparedness assessment, 7/15/2025): https://youtu.be/mPT9OX8ox5s?si=Y47GR33jNr755ULH
Trail Map for new trails near Parkside and link to web-based trail app: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/e6a011ea4d934f998df12ffe5bdaf381/page/Map