July Update: County Newsletter
Happy July folks,
It’s the summer, and as such, I hope everyone is relaxing and enjoying the weather. Also as such, there is not a lot of new business to report on the county board. I will give you what updates I have, and as always, feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns.
At our first county board meeting on July 7th, we had just a few items of business to note. We passed a moratorium on Battery Energy Storage Systems officially, along the same lines that were discussed in June’s update. Essentially, this moratorium allows us to take the time to develop protocols around these kinds of systems before allowing installation to move forward. There are safety and environmental impacts that these systems have, and we want to make sure we approach installation of new infrastructure with intention and care, especially for the sake of those who live in close proximity to the site in Wheatland.
At our second meeting on July 21st, there were a few resolutions discussed, and I was impressed with the attention and care that were taken with each. One resolution that was brought to the board by Gabe Nudo was a resolution to bring an item back that got killed in committee, around the power of the County Executive to fire division heads. This item was voted and approved in the last County Board term but ultimately vetoed by the Exec. Supervisor Nudo proposed to bring it back, but it was voted down in committee. Ultimately, the board voted against bringing it out of committee after lengthy discussion. I voted in favor of bringing it back, simply because I thought the discussion would be valid, and we would arrive at a more conclusive view of how the current board feels about the issue.
Later, there was a resolution to purchase a property, and this purchase was controversial, leading to a conversation of the role of the County. Last year, the County was forced to make a purchase of a house on Burlington Rd. for the purpose of housing recently incarcerated individuals, who had served time for sex offenses. This was required by the state, and if we didn’t purchase a property, there would have been exorbitant legal fees. This house was next door to another house but far from anything else. The proposal at the board this month was to purchase the other house, since the family was uninterested in living there anymore, given the living arrangement of their new neighbor. This passed at both Public Works and Finance committees, but Supervisor Decker proposed a resolution to send it back to committee. She argued that we had no plan for the property, that there is no urgency in the purchase, and that we shouldn’t be in the role of purchasing real estate unless there is real pressure to do so. I agreed with Supervisor Decker’s position, and there was a robust discussion to follow–some folks thought we should not return it to committee and just vote it down outright. Ultimately, the resolution to send it back to committee passed by one vote, and they will continue to modify it to outline a more comprehensive plan.
Moving forward, I wanted to draw people’s attention to a public forum happening tomorrow (July 23rd) about the incoming Red Oak Ridge power plant proposed to be built across from the Mount Pleasant data center on Hwy. 195. The power plant is in Kenosha County and will be able to generate up to 1,186 megawatts, becoming the second largest power plant in the state. Constituent Ron Story and I wrote a letter to the editor in the Kenosha News a few months ago, raising awareness about the environmental impact of the power plant, and if you feel strongly about this, please follow the link below to participate in the public forum (Zoom option included). I know many people are concerned about data centers right now (myself included), but keeping in mind all the accompanying infrastructure is also important.
On a lighter note, please join us on August 22nd for the celebration of 50 years of the Kemper Center! There will be an all-day event that includes the Public Market in the morning, a car show, multiple live bands, and a night that concludes with fireworks. It will be a blast, and I hope to see you there!
Links:
County Board (7/7/26): https://www.youtube.com/live/NYzLiYR1qgQ?si=GtqgXK9Z6bCSDoAm
County Board (7/21/26): https://www.youtube.com/live/CQ9CkUXS4Rs?si=y7ecZ9zR8lnWT0Br
Red Oak Ridge Public Forum Information: https://www.kenoshacountywi.gov/m/newsflash/Home/Detail/3585
Red Oak Ridge Power Plant letter to the editor, Kenosha News (Knezz and Story): https://kenoshanews.com/opinion/letters/article_19de7b06-68e3-46ad-8b42-f112039c77d6.html
Kemper Center 50th Anniversary Information: https://www.visitkenosha.com/event/celebrate-50-years-of-kemper-center/5095/