 Welcome to Sheboygan County government working for you This is the first of what we hope to be a monthly program dealing with Sheboygan County government the departments that we have the issues that we are dealing with and some of the people that are Providing these services that are you're paying for Sheboygan County taxpayers Tonight we would just like to give a short overview of Sheboygan County government And county government in general and some of the departments that we have in Sheboygan County For your information, I am chairman Dan Lemahue. I've just been recently elected as chairman of the Sheboygan County board and I have served Sheboygan County for 12 years as Sheboygan County supervisor I live in the village of Usberg represent that that district and Have served on both personnel and finance committees as member and also as chairman and in April the board elected me as chairman I'm self-employed. I I am not retired so I can't give full time to this job as county board chairman and county board supervisor but As my work permits being self-employed I am giving this this service to the county as chairman Along with me tonight is our administrative coordinator Adam Payne who has been with the county for a little over a year and Adam would you introduce yourself to the viewers too? Certainly good morning. Good afternoon or a good evening depending on when you see this program it's a pleasure to be here today with the chairman Lemahue and Again, my name is Adam Payne. I'm the Sheboygan County administrative coordinator. I started my responsibilities in January of 1999 So I have about a year and a half of Experience working here now and very pleased to be to the community. We've returned here from Our roots essentially my parents my grandparents were born in this area And it's just good to be back to Sheboygan County and working for the county board With that Dan would you be would you be able to start on giving an overview of Sheboygan County government? Sure Adam Most of what I'm going to say throughout this program You're probably familiar with but but as we discuss this back and forth. Hopefully the viewers will we'll get an idea too of What County government is all about most people are a little bit more familiar with their municipality their village or the city Their school boards But are not as involved with County government. So so during this show We just like to give a little overview of County government Sheboygan County is one of 72 counties in the state of Wisconsin or the 12th largest County in the state of Wisconsin and County government by its nature is is The authority is given through the state the state statutes More specifically chapter 59 of the the Wisconsin statutes gives the county government the the authority to Levy taxes and act laws develop programs and appropriate funds so on our own we we do not have a lot of authority but through the state government we have been given that authority and Through that we collect the taxes appropriate funds and develop our programs Most of the programs that that we deal with on a day-to-day basis are mandated by state government and so we act as a extension of state government to provide the programs that they have set up Organizational a county government is set up similar to a federal and state government. We have three different areas we have the Legislative which would be the county board the 34 supervisors of the county board. We have the executive branch would be Yourself as a minister of coordinator and we have the judicial we have the five courts that we have set up in the courthouse dealing with judicial issues that we come through the courts, so the Authority that that the different departments have for example the executive is a little different than it is at state or federal level But we still do have the executive legislative and judicial areas They think it'd be helpful to give an overview of how county government or the county board works itself Sure, we have on the county board. We have 34 county board supervisors Representing the 34 different districts of Shabbat in County These districts are set up hopefully evenly by population presently with the 1990 Census the districts were set up to have a little over 3,000 residents in each district so as the districts are set up we tried to Balance each district so that they have as close to I believe the numbers 3,055 residents per district and Tried to set up our districts as closely to that as possible as the census is being taken this year and in early 2001 we get the The new census numbers we will have to do with some redistricting and we will set up these 34 districts or however many districts we have that's the one opportunity we have as a county board to change the size of our county board every 10 years after the census and Depending on the where the population shifts are we would set up our districts accordingly presently there are 16 supervisors representing districts in the city of Shabuagan and 18 supervisors representing districts outside of the city of Shabuagan if the population would shift dramatically in any of these areas we would have to Increase the number of supervisors in the outside of the city of Shabuagan or decrease in the city depending on the population We won't know that until the census is finished. That's why it's important to get these numbers in and get accurate numbers so that we have proper representation on the county board and on other boards The preliminary figures show that the population in Shabuagan County is increased from approximately a hundred and three thousand to a hundred and twelve to a hundred and thirteen thousand So the numbers of people that we represent will increase By each district After each election the way we set up the county board is The first meeting county board meeting after the election we elect a chairman vice chairman and executive committee and This these positions are elected by the other county board supervisors and After that meeting where the chairman vice chairman and executive committee are elected The chairman and the executive committee make recommendations for the other committee assignments for the other 10 standing committees and At that time the recommendation comes from the executive committee and the full board will vote on those committee assignments I Think it would be helpful to the to the listeners to Just have an idea of what the the committees are on the county board Other than the executive committee the standing committees are the agriculture committee Emerge emergency management committee the finance committee and And reporting to the finance committee would be the finance department the county clerk the county treasurer and information systems departments The health care centers committee Which the three health care centers that we presently have report to that committee health and human services board The only committee that we have that has more than five members We have nine members on that that board six of them are county board supervisors and three are non supervisors Under the health and human services board there are several divisions division on aging community programs Social services and public health and the veterans department. So the health and human services board is a very active board Highway is another committee land conservation law committee Normally when you think of law committee, you think of the sheriff's department The sheriff's department reports to the law committee the clerk of courts child support enforcement agency the district attorney's office The coroner family court commissioner game wardens and register and probate again a very active committee the law committee personnel committee Under which the county printing department and corporation council report to that committee the property committee and the resources committee Which covers the departments of planning the marsh park conservation clubs and the airport operations, so You can see that there's a large committee structure. There are other than the executive committee we have the other standing committees and We Appoint those committees and for the next two years those committees give oversight to these different departments that report to them So you have 12 standing committees and With a broad array of responsibilities overseeing all of these departments. Can you touch on how the county board exercises its powers? basically the again through chapter 59 of the Wisconsin status the county board is Allowed to pass ordinances and resolutions How our process works is a County board supervisor or or a committee can bring a resolution or an ordinance to the county board Normally they come to the committee structure and a committee will bring a resolution or an ordinance and It will be presented to the board at our monthly meeting a county board meets once a month and At that point it will be referred to a different committee if the Personnel committee brings in a contract for approval That would get referred to if it's a contract for the sheriff's department would get referred to the law committee There will always be a committee committee or committees that that a resolution ordinance will be referred to After that that committee will hold a meeting a public meeting Where there can be a public input on that resolution or an ordinance and that the departments can Come in and and defend and promote that resolution or an ordinance During that that open meeting the public can can give their input It will be debated it can be amended that committee can recommend amendments to it And then the following month at the full county board with their recommendation that Document will be either passed or or denied or amended so the process takes Several months you need the time to develop the the resolution ordinance you need to Bring it to the committee or to the board needs to be referred and then come back the following month So there is some time for public input for a debate on that issue The difference between an ordinance and a resolution Probably the easiest way to put it would be an ordinance would be our way of passing a law legislation Something that is going to be put on the books and and it's enforceable We can if it's something that the public has to abide by at the point that we pass it It's enforceable a resolution is more of a An opinion in the form of a resolution Something that that we feel is important enough that as a county board we should take a stand on it and And and and make a statement on it and we pass that in a form of a resolution and So it's more of an opinion and in formal form Sounds like there's a real strong committee system in place here now you've touched on the Origins of county government and being an agent of the state the broad authority the the statutory authority being from chapter 59 34 county board Member board 11 12 standing committees with the executive committee ordinances versus resolutions Maybe you should take just a few minutes to just summarize your roles and responsibilities as the new county board chairman before I do that Adam, there's just one thing that that I thinking back to the committee structure and How the committee is work and bring these resolutions and ordinances through I Said the the county board meets once a month and many of our viewers think why that's a That's a gravy job. They meet once a month. They get this huge paycheck Every month and all they have to do is come to that one meeting a month the way County boards are set up differently throughout the state Some boards when they have their county board meeting it lasts all day. They go through Payroll vouchers they go through everything as a full board our board is set up where the committee is due the bulk of the work and Not as much time is spent at the full county board meeting The 11 standing committees that we have plus the executive committee There are with the 34 supervisors with five members on each committee with the nine on the human services board Approximately half of the supervisors have one committee assignment and the other half have two committee assignments These committees might meet every week the finance committee meets once a week Every week and the law committee meets three out of four weeks of the month the Health and Human Services Board meets three out of four weeks of the month Plus there are various other meetings that they need to attend. So a county board supervisor Is not just spending one night a month? Doing his work as a county board supervisor the in fact I I looked it up the last year that we have Final information for for the number of meetings that supervisors attended There were The supervisor that attended the fewest meetings and through the course of a 12 month period attended 54 meetings The highest was 184 meetings a supervisor in a 12 month period Attended 184 meetings the average for the for the 34 supervisors was 110 meetings a year So you can see that there is there's a lot more work than 12 county board meetings a year so the time spent is much greater than then what appears when when just the county board meets and We get coverage of our monthly meeting and it lasts an hour hour and a half and people think boy They they don't spend a lot of time in county government, but but the time is spent at the meetings Which are public meetings the public's invited to attend give their input Listen to the decisions that are being made the debates that are taking place so Just just so the viewers are aware that that even though The the fall county board is limited in the number of times it meets the committees especially during budget time or Depending on on the on the committee and the work involved spend much more time at their jobs than just that one meeting and Then you ask me about what my my role as county chairman is Actually, I'm learning that right now. I've been chairman now for one month and After serving 12 years on the board Serving on committees being committee chairman My involvement with the board has been working on issues working With a committee working with different departments When I was on a personnel committee who is was active in negotiating contracts dealing with grievances Your time is very structured because you have to deal with these issues every month as County board chairman. I'm not a member of any of the standing committees as Avoiding member and ex official member of all the committees. I see my role as chairman as being Support to all the committees Finding out what the issues are that they are dealing with and and supporting them if if if that is my position If I would disagree with an issue explaining why it would disagree or how I think in an issue or a resolution should be changed but working with the departments and the committees to To get their legislation passed to deal with the issues that come before them act as the liaison between the different committees if there are if there are problems between committees to deal with them and And make sure that the committees are working together that the departments are working together That's not just the role of the chairman, but I think it's the role of the executive committee to be proactive and making sure that the Different committees are working together the different departments are working together We all serve the the residents of Sheboyin County and we don't need to be Not cooperating with each other when when we're all we all have the same purpose to serve the residents of Sheboyin County so I guess I see my role more as as Not a mediator but but somebody that that brings it all together and make sure that the different departments and committees are working together, but again, I've been doing this for one month and And I'm learning a lot and there's a lot of demands in my time initially as chairman The first two weeks. I thought the only reason I was chairman is to sign things because every time I came to the office there was a stock of papers to be signed and I thought the only reason you needed a chairman in Sheboyin County was to sign documents But I'm finding out that there's probably a lot more involved than just signing documents But I think you know, that's about all that I would have to say about the the legislative end of it, but I think our listeners need to hear more about the the the departments we have the legislative or the executive end of it and the 1400 Are so employees that we have and and and from your end of it. You know, what are you doing for Sheboyin County? Before I touch on the three administrative areas that are outlined in the statutes, I wanted to Touch on again in terms of my experience I was rather brief at the beginning and it's been a pleasure working here the last year and a half you touched on all the roles and responsibilities of the county board supervisors and emphasize the time commitment and it is an incredible time commitment and it takes a lot of people who are very conscientious to fulfill those Responsibilities prior to you hiring me for this position you and the executive committee a year and a half ago I work for the Wisconsin Land and Water Conservation Association and I work for 72 county boards across the state and I got a pretty good feel for how different boards Operate and their roles and responsibilities and the leadership that is presented at some in some counties versus others And all I can say is that it's been a pleasure working with our county board because they are very conscientious They're very dedicated and having started under the wing of chairman Gilligan Jim Gilligan as most people know in this community has been on the county board for 37 years and To take a rookie such as myself under his wing and to be able to benefit from those 37 years of experience on the county board Was very helpful my first year and a half here But with that said I'll look at looking forward to going on and obviously looking forward to working with you Administratively, there's essentially three areas or three administrative arrangements in the statutes first there's the executive level and statewide as you said there are 72 counties nine of those counties have a county Executive which is an elected position and they have very clear statutory authority They appoint the different department heads. They appoint the committee members. They present develop and present the budget They can veto the county board if the county board makes a decision They can veto that decision although the county board that can then can come back and override that on a two-thirds vote There aren't any Minimum qualifications to be an elected official and the answer to the and the answer to the people they have four-year terms So again, there are nine county exec statewide administrators is the other level of Administration in county government 10 of the 72 counties have an administrator. They also have very clear statutory authority They they're appointed by the board. However, not elected by the public the board therefore can provide can have some very rigid professional requirements and Most administrators or administrative coordinators or people at that level throughout the state It's not unusual to have a master's degree and have a great deal of experience in management They also prepare the budget presented to the county board They appoint supervisors and the appoint department heads to respective committees But that has to be then confirmed by the county board and finally if they're not doing a sufficient job The county board can eliminate that position unlike an executive that again answers to the people the administrative coordinator My position 53 the remaining 53 counties are required by law to have an administrative coordinator However, not all of them have hired a Staff professional to carry out that role sometimes the county board chairman or chairperson Would take on the role of administrative coordinator. It could be designated to the county clerk The roles and responsibilities between the administrator and the administrative coordinator are relatively similar however The key differences the statutes are very clear in on the roles and responsibilities of an executive or an administrator an Administrative coordinator those responsibilities are granted by the county board so similar responsibilities would again be Development of the budget Supervision of department heads again very similar to the administrator But the key difference is that is authorized and granted by the county board So there can be a real variation amongst those 53 counties There are 23 departments in Sheboygan County and you touched on the 12 standing committees and the oversight responsibilities of those departments in terms of the administration again in Sheboygan County We have an administrative coordinator form of administration We work with 23 different departments to implement the decisions of the county board Department heads do not make policy. They implement policy And it's our job to carry out your decisions in the county board's decisions the best of our ability just very quickly for our viewers Those 23 departments 16 of them are appointed We have an airport building services child support corp council family court commissioner finance health care centers health and human services Highway information systems land and water conservation personnel planning and resources printing extension and veteran services Great deal of responsibility throughout the county that most people may not be aware of we also have seven elected officials County clerk clerk of courts corner sheriff district attorney register of deeds in the treasurer and again those elected officials Answered to the people who put them in those positions Adam I Think I talked too long today. We're almost running out of time Could you and just a minute or so just summarize what you're you feel your roles and responsibilities are I'm the chief administrative officer in Sheboygan County My roles and responsibilities include supervision of all the non-elected department heads But I share that supervision with each of the 12 standing committees My responsibilities are somewhat similar to yours working with your supervisors But I'm working with your employees to coordinate the overall management and administration of all 23 departments To certainly be your point person for the budget development and make sure we're establishing targets and goals and that we have a very Functional process to go forward Personnel issues are recommending recommending policy programs of new initiatives new initiatives in the county, but I emphasize recommending the final decision is the county board so Great deal of responsibility a great deal of challenge and the key I would say in terms of my position is I see myself as being a catalyst to provide leadership and to be a Catalyst for continuous improvement as you know We've raised the standards in Sheboygan County and we have very high expectations of ourselves and of the people we work with and and I find the department heads as a whole a great pleasure to work with They're very good hard-working people and we have raised expectations We seek continuous improvement and I'm in a position now where I can help the county board make sure we hold people accountable So I would say in a nutshell. Those are some of my roles and responsibilities. Very good as we wrap up this half-hour show I realized that This is our first time at it and we had Way too much material that we were trying to present tonight. We we we have not Gotten over some of the issues we want to talk about I think for our viewers We would just like to to welcome you back next month. We hope to do this every month As we we get away from a general overview We would like to bring some specific department heads and issues to you in this program next month, we would like to discuss our Healthcare centers we would like to bring Jean Lerbey or our head of our health care centers along with us to this program and we would hope to give an overview of the plan that we have in place to downsize our health care facilities to to build new facility at Rocking Hall and We'd be Willing to give all this information and hopefully we can get it into this half-hour format and that as We continue with this program shabuagan county working for you working for the taxpayers of shabuagan county We can bring the issues to you that you want to hear about Please contact us and let us know What issues you would like us to bring to this program? Even give us a suggestion for a name we don't have a good name for this program We haven't given a lot of thought to this so if you have any suggestions for a name We're going to stick with shabuagan county working for you until we get a better idea or a better suggestion But thanks for viewing watching this show. Thanks for Your comments as you give them to us in the coming month, and we hope to see you again next month. Thank you