The Price County Executive Committee met on Aug. 4 to recommend approval of the preliminary 2023 county budget.

The budget includes a 3% wage increase with no health insurance increase. The county mill rate has a decrease of 0.97% for an anticipated levy of $7,666,525. The county board then approved the net new construction level of $100,638.

In the county administrator's report, Nick Trimner said the Wisconsin Counties Association is gauging interest from member counties in pursuing the buyout option for the opioid settlement. This would be 40% of the total $400,000 over 20 years with a one-time lump sum of $230,000.

The board approved the first-year allocation of the carbon sequestration credit revenues that are anticipated to be $1,089,000. A draft resolution will be provided for the full county council.

The committee recommended that $1 million in first year revenues go to establish a reserve fund, with 2.5% of annual revenues into the fund for subsequent years. The county Forest Improvement Fund will receive up to $300,000 of the remaining balance. The County Park Improvement Fund will receive up to $850,000 of the balance or amount to be determined.

Law Enforcement Committee approves resolutions

The Price County Law Enforcement Committee met on Aug. 12, where a resolution recommending full board approval of a Public Safety Answering Point grant was approved. The PSAP is responsible for receiving 911 calls and processing those calls according to a specific operating policy.

The committee approved a recommendation to move forward with drafting ordinance language regarding possession of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), and for obstruction of an officer. Both changes would shift the violation from the state to the county level for more efficient processing.

In the County Sheriff's report, Brian Schmidt said the second K9 training was completed. Mindy Gabler will be appointed as the county humane officer and will undergo the required training.

Forestry and Parks Committee approve road funds

The Price County Forestry and Parks Committee met Aug. 8, where the members recommended a resolution to provide funding to the town of Lake for paving Omaha Road from County E to the Smith Lake Boat Landing. The recommendation sends the resolution to the full county board for consideration.

In the board updates, the department reported $829,000 in stumpage through July.

The Timm's Hill playground equipment is now installed. The Cranberry Creek shooting range improvements are almost complete and the Solberg Lake Park improvement project continues and a volleyball court was installed at Smith Lake Park.

Camping numbers are down, according to the reports. The staff are asking for a review of non-motorized vehicle violation fine amounts after assessing damage to trails and parks this summer. There was also statue damage at Concrete Park.

County buildings and grounds work ongoing

The Price County Buildings and Grounds Committee met on Aug. 9, where board updates included news that the county courthouse landscaping project is finished, according to the meeting minutes. The penthouse exterior work is also complete. The hallway ceilings will also be replaced next with the project.

The contractor for the Safety building chiller project is waiting for equipment. The Normal building window project is ongoing with the portion completed.

The county fairground property status is still waiting for a hydrology study. The Antique Association agreement was completed. The Fair Association and UW-Extension / 4-H agreements should all be completed before winter.

Work to repair water damage caused by a winter water pipe break at the Wisconsin Concrete Park's Friends of Fred Smith House is ongoing. The subfloor work is complete and the electrical work was approved. The insulation and drywalling should be completed by the end of August.

The Price County Health and Human Services Board met on Aug. 10, the members were informed that Bay Area Rural Transportation is requesting county support with the purchase of a new bus.

In the department director's report, Sarah Reese-Socha said an offer was made to a new public health nurse following the resignation of Chelsea Onchuck. The department also hired Callie Podmolik as the foster care coordinator.

The town of Emery Board of Supervisors accepted a bid from American Asphalt to blacktop approximately 3,500 feet of River Road starting at County Road D for $152,734 at the Aug. 2 meeting. This includes 3.5 inches of hot mix asphalt on 20 feet of roadway and shouldering. American Asphalt was the only bidder.

The board reviewed the bridge inspection report from the Price County Highway Department. Some light repairs are required by town road workers. The sufficiency rating was still too high to qualify for a grant to rebuild the bridge.

Bulletins now available for the general public at the town hall included a new recycling booklet; a state of the town bulletin; and a survey regarding the direction of the city of Phillips for long term planning purposes.

The recycling booklet emphasized the need to clean recyclables thoroughly or the materials will be labeled "dirty" and result in lower marketing or landfilled and resulting in additional charges to municipalities. The town currently recycles with a $1,300 state recycling grant. If Emery were charged the average $90 per dumpster "dirty fee," it would cost the town an additional $2,300 annually to recycle.

The town board is working to secure state and federal grant funds to offset local taxes. The board submitted a $960,000 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grant application to resurface Martins Drive. The application requires federal engineers in the project which raises the cost substantially.

There is only $3 million available for town projects and grant dollars are highly competitive with more than 400 towns applying for them statewide. If the application is not approved the town can still apply for less competitive state grants as they become available in 2023. However, not all blacktop roads are eligible for a grant.

The town received $7,000 in State Disaster Aid grant funds for wages and machine use costs, and worked with the U.S. Forest Service for $additional funding and supplies to repair the National Forest Roads that were washed out from the April 13 storm. The town received five large culverts, 900 yards of crushed gravel and $4,500 to go toward repairs.

Emery also received $30,250 from the American Rescue Plan Act as a result of COVID restrictions. Because of inflation, these grants help maintain a healthy budget which helps keep local taxes at a minimum. The town board is considering applying for a RAC grant of $200,000 or more which can only be used on National Forest roads.

The town of Lake Board of Supervisors met on July 14, where they approved three gravel related actions to include the purchase of 1,500 yards of crushed gravel at $12.25 per yard for River Road. The board also approved the purchase of the remaining 2,000 yards of crushed gravel from Samuel's Pit for $7.25 per yard as a stockpile. A third action was approved to investigate crushing 10,000 yards of gravel for 2023.

After a board member shared the concern of a constituent regarding Rocky Carrie Park property lines and whether the new owners adjacent to the park must cross the park to reach the road. The board approved an action to have Rocky Carrie and Crane Chase Park properties surveyed to find the corner posts.

Items discussed and tabled for future meetings include concern of dumpsters being used to dispose of building materials; seeking assistance from the county sheriff's office to enforce ordinances.

Board members expressed concern that the recent installation of fiber optic by Telcom resulted in damage to town roads and culverts. Invoices were sent to Tjader & Highstrom, who have been contracted by Norvado, for materials to make repairs and for work already done.

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