May Update: County Newsletter
Happy May everyone. I hope we’re all surviving the weather right now; I’m looking forward to seeing the fruits of our cold rain take shape in the coming weeks, and I think it’s going to be great. There are many events that are about to take off here in Kenosha for the summer, but as the representative of District 2, I am going to shout out the Music at Twilight series at Kemper. The first one is June 3rd (I have a county board meeting that night, but I hope to make it after!). The schedule is linked here and below; it’s a really lovely way to see our beautiful lakefront and enjoy local artists.
I have a few things to report on the county board this month that might be of interest. At the end of last month, the supervisors and all the county departments participated in a budget visioning session. This gave us a peek at what we can expect when we work on passing the 2026 budget later this fall. In the prior year, the county was able to maintain its S&P AAA rating, a proud stamp of approval for our financial status. The past few years’ budget process has gone relatively smoothly, but we can expect a few more challenges this year. For one, about one third of funds received for the budget (particularly in Human Services) come from federal and state grants, many of which are in a state of precarity or being slashed altogether. One example of this is in District 2. I have received messages from constituents about the Kemper shoreline, which is in a state of disrepair. The price tag for these repairs are $34 million , and the plan to cover it was to apply for a FEMA BRIC grant, but due to federal funding cuts, this grant is no longer available. The new plan of action is to apply for several smaller grants, undergoing the project in smaller installments over 10 years. If these small grants are also unavailable, the project will need to be budgeted for in other ways. This discussion did lead some supervisors to suggest that Kemper is a liability, but you can rest assured that this viewpoint did not gain any traction in the discussion, and the general feeling around the Kemper Center is that we need to maintain it and keep it in the community.
In more exciting news, construction on the ceremonial courtroom has begun, and there is a plan for the centennial celebration on August 24th. This project has been a labor of love for many in the community, who have done aggressive fundraising to make it a reality. No doubt the finished product will be a proud representation of our community’s investment in justice and our history. Speaking of the courts, yesterday the legislative committee passed a resolution along with many other counties in the state to request reinvestment in county courts from Governor Evers. The specific ask is to increase Circuit Court Costs Appropriation by $70 million payable to Wisconsin Counties in the Wisconsin State Budget. The state funding for county courts has not kept pace with costs; the costs are supposed to be about 50:50 and many estimates say that it is currently at about 80:20. The courts of many counties in the state are hoping that by banding together in solidarity, we can make sure to keep our courts funded so they can operate efficiently and serve the community as they are intended.
One resolution to put on your radar, as it had a fairly divided reception in committee, is an upcoming resolution to lower the age of deputies working for the county Sheriff’s department from 21 to 19 years old. The resolution passed in the finance committee with a vote of 2 ayes and 3 nays, and the first reading of the resolution came to the board last night. The second reading (and vote) will occur on June 3rd. As someone who works with 19-year-olds as the main component of my day job and who cares a lot about building trust between the community and law enforcement, I do have some hesitation about this change. The sheriff’s department has been making many positive changes lately, including mental health resources for deputies and an embedded social worker on staff. I would like to see the investment in strong public safety continue. Please reach out if you have strong feelings about the resolution, as I’d like to know how folks feel. If you have really strong feelings, you can also attend the meeting and speak during citizen’s comments.
I appreciate everyone’s engagement and support. As always, if you have thoughts or suggestions, I am always happy to hear them. I hope you have a wonderful start to summer, and I will see you again in June.
Links and Recordings
Music at Twilight (Kemper) Schedule: https://www.visitkenosha.com/event/music-at-twilight-concert-series/26/
Budget Visioning Session (April 29th): https://www.youtube.com/live/_J1U9z5yyOg?si=O8igqf0pJGFRNNLW
County Board Meeting (May 6th): https://youtu.be/lx0ufyZ4NL4?si=ko5bZX69vHB2mgdx
Legislative Committee Meeting (May 20th): https://www.youtube.com/live/MPW5NCrGahc?si=9GuYqvXBEWJDWVOQ
State of the County Address and County Board Meeting (May 20th): https://youtu.be/zZE79sD9kQ0?si=LMKlFDOOXUxqclTQ