 Welcome to Sheboygan County Government. Working for you, my name is Adam Payne, County Administrator and co-host of this program with the County Board Chair. The Chairperson is not seated next to me today, but rather across from me. Today, we have the opportunity to interview our new County Board Chairman, Mr. Tom Wagner. Welcome, Tom. Thank you, Adam. Tom is not new to County Government. He started on the County Board in 2008, but I thought we'd take a 30-minute program and learn a little bit more about the chief elected official on the Sheboygan County Board and overseeing Sheboygan County Government. Tom, please set the stage for us. Tell us a little bit about yourself and what made you decide to run for County Board Chairman. Well, as you said, I've been involved in County Government for eight years now and was on a number of different committees, Transportation and Law Committee, and then eventually Finance Committee. Finance Committee always has a broader view. Then for the last four years, I was the Vice Chairman, which included being on the Executive Committee, so I think it was an opportunity that I thought was really a little bit of my duty, in fact, in all honesty, to step up to the plate and take on the chair role. I worked with Roger Tastruti for four years, and Roger was kind enough to involve me in an awful lot of things, so I had a pretty good idea of what went on in his role. Excuse me. So I decided to run for the office, and I spent six years before, in the late 80s and early 90s, on the City Council in Plymouth and was on their Planning Commission for a while and was president of what they called their Utility Commission, the municipal utility. So I've always had an interest in government and been interested in serving those types of things. And as you've heard me say at County Board meetings before, I've had the pleasure of working with a number of chairs and vice chairs over the years, but I don't think I ever saw a stronger team in collaboration that I saw between you and Chairman Tastruti, and when you obviously threw your hat in the ring for chair, no one was surprised, and it was a unanimous vote, strong support. So I appreciate that leadership and you continuing to be leading the helm here. Prior to being on the County Board, and I don't know about your timeframe on the Plymouth Common Council, but a little bit about your background. You were a former school principal. Right, I was a teacher to begin with in Elkhart Lake and then I became the elementary principal and served in that role, which I enjoyed both of the roles and it just happened to work out that I moved into being a principal and it was a real good move for me. I enjoyed it tremendously, it was a great job. Retired from there and going to do County Board was going to be part of what I was going to do, but then I also did a two-year stint at a little small parochial school. It's kind of a part-time principal and I enjoyed that for two years and then I said, I'm retired after 35 years in education, but it was a wonderful career and I have nothing but the best memories of all those things. And in addition to County Board Chairperson and leading the County Board, the Executive Committee, you're also real involved with the Wisconsin County Mutual Insurance Corporation. I am. Wisconsin County's association is of course the umbrella group for all 72 counties and one of the organizations they have is the Wisconsin County Mutual Insurance Corporation, which 52 counties are members of that and I'm on their board of directors and they handle liability insurance in particular. For example, if there's an accident with a truck or in the Sheriff's Department, those are two of the areas and we handle all those claims for 52 counties. I'm also on the Community Insurance Corporation, which is a little kind of a step-child of that, which handles the same type of things for school districts, cities and towns. So I handle that. Most recently I got on the Group Health Trust board too, so I think I've got enough there and that's really in health insurance that they provide actually now to our county too. So much for retirement. My wife's happy though, because that allows her to do what she enjoys doing, which is a lot of volunteer work, which is great. Well, I know the Wisconsin County's association really tries to tap leaders throughout the state, so we appreciate your involvement with that because that helps us be even better aligned with the county's association, which helps makes good things happen for county governments, so appreciate that leadership. Let's go back and set the stage a little for our viewers and give them a sense of what are the roles and responsibilities of being a county board supervisor. In 2008, you threw your hat in the ring. You wanted to be on the county board. You know, what are the roles, responsibilities, how does a county board operate? Well, first of all, when I was considering running for this, I was told by people that observed that this was a professional operation and that I would enjoy it. And I have to tell you, I think that's really true and of course it's not really about enjoyment, and hopefully it's supposed to be about serving. You hopefully are trying to make a difference. That's why you're there. That's what you're doing. I think we all work better if we have some enjoyment out of something, and I certainly do. We're a policy-making organization. We handle the budget. That's our biggest, for any public entity, that's the biggest event of the year. And we have oversight over different things. I think there's a lot of people, including myself, who didn't realize the reach of county government was at 17, 18 departments. You know, we're really an arm of the state of Wisconsin. We do a number of things because we need to that they ask us to do or in some instances tell us what to do. For example, I think the state of Wisconsin is one of the few states you won't see a vehicle plowing the snow that says Wisconsin DOT on it because we do that for them. They compensate us for it, but in other states you might see an Illinois Department of Transportation or something like that. It's really a very collegial relationship with the state and we're dependent on them and they're dependent on us. Yeah, definitely the right arm of the states and administer a lot of their programs and services. And I've heard you share this with some of your peers recently on the board that, you know, if you are looking to run for the executive committee or ultimately be vice chair or county board chair, it's really helpful to get a flavor of the different roles and responsibilities which you pick up as a board member by serving on different standing committees. How many standing committees are there and you were on finance, exact transportation and law when we served? Could you give folks a little bit of a flavor for what those committees do? Sure, and that is basically half of them. We have eight of them. Transportation handles two main areas would be, number one, our airport which some people wouldn't, I think, always realize that, you know, we own the airport and we have responsibilities out there and then also, you know, our transportation structure, our county roads where you have to maintain and we have to plow not only our county roads but we frequently plow. We do plow for the state and then we also plow sometimes for the different townships who contract with us to do that. So there's a lot that goes into transportation. The law committee, of course, we deal with, you know, the jail over there, the sheriff's department and that entity which is obviously crucial to the safety of our constituents. Those are two of the biggest areas, I think, that they deal with. And finance, obviously, a lot of the heavy lifting there and you've been involved with the finance committee for a number of years now and as chair, are really a regular participant of those meetings. What generally happens at finance? Well, the finance committee is really, they carry the main water, the county administrator yourself presents a budget to go over and meet with all the different departments. They put together eventually the budget that is submitted to the county board and they have a lot of meetings starting towards the end of August and September into October because that's our heavy budget time relative to that. Although in all honesty, I kind of joke about it but it's really not a joke. I think our budget will be passed this year on November 1st as a date, first Tuesday in November and the next year's budget starts on November 2nd. But in reality, I think the key to, I think, the success that we've had and I think we've had some success in Sheffield County and this predates me is that you can't look at a budget just as one year, you have to realize what is the impact of this going to be two, three, four years down the road as best you can determine it. And by solid planning, you don't want to, you want to avoid things that come up and surprise you as much as possible. There's always going to be things that surprise you in finance because something you couldn't have planned for does occur but you want to plan for those things that you think may occur. Yeah, and we do have, as you know, a very thoughtful board, a five-year capital plan, a very collaborative planning budget development process and I know Chairman Distrudi took pride in it and I know you do as well that if you look at the fiscal track record of Sheffield County the last 10 years, eight of them during Tom's tenure, on average every year the property tax levy has gone up less than 1%. Less than 1% for the last 10 years. Of course we saw some reductions, some increases that may have been a little more than that but on average less than 1% a year, that's a remarkable achievement. With that said, challenges. As you think about some of the key challenges that are facing county government today, what comes to mind? Well, we're still under revenue cap so we don't get a lot of new money. That forces you and sometimes that's a real good thing. We've combined departments, we've done a number of things. I think most of the low-hanging fruit, if not all of it, is gone and I support doing that but we have transportation issues, for example. It gets expensive to maintain the roads and to build new roads and if you put off maintaining roads or you do one of the processes instead of a better process because simply you don't have the money down the road that starts to catch up with you and you have more expensive roads to construct. That's a challenge for us. It's certainly a challenge for the state of Wisconsin. They're probably in a worse situation than we are and it's certainly a challenge for the federal government too. And just prior to this interview, as you know, we've been talking about how we're going to address our transportation needs, a lot of focus on that. There's also been a lot of focus on our health and human services department and helping people with mental illness as well as drug abuse. Yeah, I'm happy to see that one of the things and I've been a big supporter of this, encouraging the people along the lines relative to the drug court that we're going to be starting health and human services. Tom Eggebrecht, the director over there, will be a main player there. I believe it's Judge Stengel who is going to be doing that, the district attorney's office. And it's not about the drug court is not about letting people off. It's really about finding a better consequence and treatment that keeps them from coming back. And there's been some other counties who've had a lot of success with the drug court, so no sense to reinvent the wheel. We've looked at some of those and it saves in human costs, which is really important, but also can save money for the county. And that's a win-win, so I'm really pleased to see that happening. Yeah, well said. So challenges, transportation, maintaining critical programs and services, whether it's health and human services or law enforcement. But then let's turn our attention a little bit more to key accomplishments. We briefly touched on the fiscal track record that I think you and I and the board as a whole takes pride in, but what are some other accomplishments that come to mind? Sure. Well, we dredged the Sheboygan River. We were involved with that. That was a huge one. I think the purchase of Amsterdam Dunes, that was a unanimous vote, I believe, of the county board. And we purchased that for $4.1 million. We received, I think it's $2.4 million in stewardship funds. We still have, I believe it's three lots out there that we can sell along Lake Michigan. We have also some lots that we can do for wetland mitigation, which would be health social. I'm really, that was really a very positive thing. And I think just the idea of combining some of the departments that we've combined over the last number of years, I think it makes it for a more efficient operation. And the whole thing is about service to taxpayers. That's what we're about. Yeah, it wasn't too much more than a decade ago. We had 1,350 employees. Now we have closer to 825. So a lot of consolidation, a lot of streamlining. When you say that to people, I know I was out just a week ago at an event in Plymouth, and when you tell people that there's 800 employees in Sheboygan County, and you start going through a little bit of the list of what we are involved in, many people are surprised by that. There's a lot that goes on in county government, and it's there. The county board didn't have any competition. This year we didn't have any new board members, which is, I don't believe, ever happened before. I think it reflects a couple of things. One, a good, solid team, thoughtful decision makers that the public supports. And also, you just don't see a lot of people step up and run for county board or elected offices, and part maybe because they don't see the value and the opportunity to really service above self and the satisfaction that goes with that. But as you think about your transition, what's changed from being 25 county board supervisors to now being the county board chairperson? Well, you certainly, I'd like to think I've had a broader view even when I was a supervisor, but you can't help but have even a bigger view when you're the county board chairman. Your job is to, it's a little bit like an orchestra conductor. You've got 24 other members of the orchestra, and it works best if people are playing along with the same music. That does not mean that they can't disagree and should disagree, because out of disagreements sometimes comes a better solution. But I think we pride ourselves on civility and having disagreements appropriately so, and then after the decision is made, you move on. And anything I've ever done in my life, once a decision's made and it's best just to move on, and then you deal with the next situation that comes up. But we have a wonderful group, I think you were mentioning. They're good people. They run really because they are interested in serving and you can see that. And glad to have them all back. Yeah, yeah. I am too. What's your read? What's your thoughts on why you think more people don't run for office, whether it's county board or Plymouth Common Council? You know, I think time is certainly a factor. Even though we're local politicians and nonpartisan, local elected often, and not wild about the term politician, but in all honesty, we are if we're elected. You know, there's a little bit of a negative impact of that on people. And also I think, you know, putting your name on a ballot is an interesting event because, you know, you really don't know. There aren't a whole lot of polls ahead of time on something like this saying, you know, and you know, you could be embarrassed or whatever else. And I think, but I think time is really the biggest one why people probably don't run, you know. With our society today, everything's pretty busy. And I think that also is really why younger people, it's hard for them when they're balancing family and work and so many things. Yeah, yeah. So when you become an elected county board supervisor, you're not just thrown into the fire, although it may feel like that sometimes. There is some orientation. There's some opportunity for growth. How does the county help a supervisor be successful? There is some training for the county through the county and that's important. And then also you can receive some additional training through some workshops through the Wisconsin Counties Association. And I think that's helpful. I always advise new members. I like to think this is what I did. You listen more than you speak and you learn more than you teach. And after a while you develop a relationship with the people and you've gained knowledge and that's helpful in helping to solve problems. And, you know, we really are a strong committee structure in the county. We use our committees heavily. That's where a lot of the challenges and difficulties are vetted. Still is on the county board floor. It's still up for debate. But frequently by the time it gets to the county board floor it's not that it's so programmed. I could see somebody possibly thinking that. It's basically that the issues have been flushed out and the problems have been flushed out at the committee level. And by the time most of those resolutions and ordinances get to the county board floor they've gone through their process. I think you raised an excellent point. Obviously we've had the TV8 following our county board meetings for a number of years now. We appreciate that. And so many of the decisions are actions taken with not a lot of discussion or strong votes and just as you said a lot of that heavy lifting and discussion and debate happened at the committee level and every resolution and ordinance is referred to two committees. So one committee introduces it, they discuss it, goes to the board, goes back to another committee, comes back. It's really been an effective process for us. Absolutely. And I would point out to you when we purchased Amsterdam Dunes $4.1 million purchase which is a big deal and should be a big deal. Watching that you could have said there weren't a whole lot of comments on that but it was simply the fact that the information had gone to those two committees. Also any of the supervisors, they were given a tour of the site, they were given the information I believe they needed. So by the time it got to that point they were ready to go with their vote. Another tactic that we've used and you're going to be leading the charge on perhaps at the same time this program is going to be shown throughout the community is our annual county board leadership form. What's that all about? Right. Basically that is where we get together as a county board and we do more listening than anything else where there's all sorts of different department heads who will present all sorts of issues to us and not only the immediate issue which we're usually pretty well versed on already but also what are the projections down the road or what do we see three years down the road or five years down the road, where are we going? So I really think it's a little bit of a vision thing. It creates a little bit of a vision because if you have a vision then that part that you might have a question about makes more sense when you see it with the whole package and we'll bring in maybe somebody from the outside to I know we brought in John Holcomer a number of years from the Wisconsin Counties Association to make a presentation and it's always helpful sometimes to get somebody from the outside to give you a fresh look at something. You're not an expert unless you come 50 or 100 miles from out of town. That's right. And I think this is going to be our 17th annual county board leadership form and personally where I have found it so valuable is when the chair or the finance committee the executive committee gives me direction on the budget and this is the goal that we want our county administrator to strive to achieve for the board and then we have discussion as you said at the leadership forum about our fiscal outlook and challenges. It just has helped our budget process be so much smoother. I think it's been one of the secrets to our success. Absolutely. Without question. And that plays a role in that along with the finance committee and really the department heads to it's a team effort without question because there's a lot of complexity to it and that's as I said the most important document we do all year. Another issue that you and I certainly have heard a lot about over the years and I think we've made some progress but there's always room for improvement. Shared services. What do you hear from your constituents? What do you see are some good things that Sheboygan County has done to be more efficient and share services with other local units of government? Well I think generally taxpayers think that whenever possible all the units of government should share a service whenever possible not duplicate anything and that they don't want the silos and they're certainly relative. They're paying taxes to both entities in many instances and why can't certain things be shared? For a number of years we've shared Bernie Romer in purchasing. He does a great job for us and I know I'm sure he does a great job for the city because everything I've ever heard they're pleased this punch to have them and then there's some economy of size there and when you're doing that he picks up something well he might not have had if he was just at the county so I'm sure he brings value back to us on top of that but anytime we can do that is really important. As you know as your role on the transportation committee years ago our highway department works with all the other municipalities or not all of them but many of them predominantly the towns and providing services and that's a shared service we gain efficiencies there and then a more recent one that you had a chance to vote on some big feelings about it but our consolidated emergency dispatch service what's in play there? I think that had been going on for I heard anywhere from 20 to 30 or 40 years and basically what it came down to is the city of Sheboygan had their own dispatch center for the police department and the rest was in the county so there are two dispatch centers and that at some point is a duplication of service the other thing was with cell phones in the city of Sheboygan it would first go kick out to the county and then have to go back to the city well we all know in certain emergencies even a minute or a minute and a half can matter and the city of Sheboygan was interested in getting out of it and I think in the long run it's going to be best for everybody in the county it's the right way to go there are some counties who have within their jurisdiction four or five of them and I don't think that in the end the taxpayers want I think we'll have a more efficient system and a better system the way we've gone to it I know Ozaki County Tom Moldy administrator there has shared with me his frustration I think they have five different dispatch centers there and it's very parochial and no one wants to give it up and for the county board it was a tough decision for supervisor Wagner and others to make because it actually didn't save money there was more cost to the county to provide the service it shifted the cost from the city to the county so we absorbed that we didn't save any money from a county perspective doing it but from a standpoint of service delivery, efficiency and treating all of our taxpayers the same with an equal service regardless of where you call from it was the right thing to do I think in the end that is one of those votes there's most of the votes in all honesty that you take on the county board floor are fairly routine like any governmental body it's pretty clear and that's why you have a 25-0 on some of those but there are certain votes that are more challenging and deserve even more time and that would have been one of them and that was an interesting debate as it should have been but I think in the end it really comes down to for me what I thought was the right thing to do and in the end hopefully you're elected to do what you think is right so you've got a broader perspective than some board members and certainly some people in the community because of your work on the Wisconsin Counties Association and interacting with county board chairs and other supervisors from across the state what's been your perspective how is Sheboygan County operating how do we compare and contrast to the 71 other counties it appears from what I can tell and I do get a chance to talk to a lot of county board chairs through my role with the Wisconsin Counties Association and frankly that's a real opportunity that I use because sometimes if we have there's something that's coming up here there's somebody else that I know that I can that I've known now for a number of years that went through the same thing maybe two years ago or something like that so they can give me their point of view having gone through it and sometimes it's not always so much they'll tell me what we should do they'll tell me what we should do that and that's always helpful but no we're well respected within the county family if you want to call it that and I know people call us and for our thoughts on certain issues and what is Sheboygan County doing and I take great pride in that because I always know when I'm at these places you always represent yourself but you're also representing your entity which in this case is Sheboygan County when I travel the state well I'm proud to work for you that just about concludes our program any other comments or anything else you wanted to share Tom that we didn't get a chance not really I'm fine excellent interview excellent overview and Tom mentioned just a couple of minutes ago that transportation is one of those key challenges that we're striving to address and it's not just Sheboygan County it's all local units of government state and it is one that is building and to the credit of a number of our board members under Chairman Wagner's leadership we're looking to solve this problem next month our transportation director Greg Schnell will be here he's doing an excellent job as our transportation director a lot going on not only with maintaining our roads and infrastructure but we're looking to build a new transportation complex in Plymouth which is consolidating three facilities into one long-term a real investment in our community so until then thank you for joining us if you have any questions or you want to learn anymore about our fearless elected leader Chairman Wagner please don't hesitate to contact our office 459-3103 459-3103 we have a new assistant working for us Elaine Bosman just started this week and she replaced Kayla Renz who had been the chair and my assistant for the last nine years and a very very good one so we're going to miss Kay but we welcome Elaine and we thank you for joining us we'll see you next month