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District Attorney Matt Leusink provided his annual report during the Dec. 19 meeting of the Waushara County Board of Supervisors.
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Waushara County Administrator, Melissa Pingel, reported the new EMS center in Wautoma will have a grand opening from 2 to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 19th. The Highway Department building construction continues and is on schedule to open in February, and the Government Center scheduled to open in May. She said she plans on taking all department heads to the Government Center for a tour to plan for placement of furniture.
Pingel also said the county employees will recognize Martin Luther King Day and have a training at the Courthouse on Jan. 15th. She expressed appreciation to the board for supporting the Employee Appreciation Dinner for the staff. The staff continues to work with the Tyler System and there are still some growing pains with time keeping and payroll. She also plans to meet with all department heads in January concerning year end budget and capital improvement planning.
The UW-Extension Report was given by Area Extension Director Pat Wagner and the Department Staff including Heidi Hensel-Buntrock, 4-H Program Educator; Natasha Paris, Regional Crops Educator serving Waushara/Marquette/Green Lake/Adams Counties; Laci Monroe, FoodWise Coordinator; and Adam Hartfeil, Regional Livestock Educator serving Waushara, Adams and Green Lake Counties.
Hensel reported the 4-H Program continues to grow and last year they hit a record of 300 enrolled in 4-H and as of Dec. 19th for this year they have 291 enrolled. The Art program is most popular with 80 participants. She continues to hold Cloverbud Camps for Kindergarten-2nd Grade. This year the 4-H Camp was held at Camp Lakotah with a record number of attendees at 174 from five area counties including 54 from Waushara. Hensel the 2024 camp will also be held at Camp Lakotah.
This past year there were many additional entries and booths at the Waushara County Fair and the building was overcrowded. This year they 4-H will swap buildings with the Commercial Building giving 4-H adequate space. Hensel also provides activities for the A+ After School Program at Riverview, Redgranite, and Parkside in Wautoma and does many events at local libraries in the summer.
Paris, Regional Crops Educator, reported that she is impressed with the programs at Hancock Experimental Station and there were many small field days with so many crops in addition to potatoes. She reported on the drought and how it affected the corn and soybean crops and reported that we are still in a drought. Paris added she also has been working with Amish in Green Lake and Marquette Counties, concerning crops. Hartfeil, Regional Livestock Educator, has been doing outreach and events including education on cattle vaccines. He said he attended Farm Technology Days in Baraboo, and plans a 2024 Cow/Calf Producer Meeting on Jan. 11 event at Signature Farms, County Rd M, Coloma, on winter feeding and forages. On Jan. 18 he will hold a meeting in Waushara County in the Courthouse Demonstration Room on grazing and raising healthy calves and cattle. Hartfeil will also have a free webinar available – Beef 101 in the Spring of 2024 for farmers with 40-60 acres and how to grow and support healthy cattle. For more information go to Livestock.extension.wisc.educ.
Monroe, FoodWise Coordinator, reported her targeted audience includes low-income families. She has partnered with the A+ After School at Parkside, Riverview and Redgranite. She will be working with the Wautoma Hornet Market on healthy snacks for kids. Monroe also worked with the Waushara County Food Pantry supplying information on how to prepare the turkey for holiday meals.
Waushara County District Attorney Matthew Leusink told the board that the DA’s office is staffed with two assistants to help alleviate the case load. Most of the cases through his office include methamphetamine. There were 64 methamphetamine cases filed, 66 marijuana, and a handful of other drugs (Cocaine, Fentanyl, etc.). He said that they now can use two courtrooms as they have two judges. This is great preparation when they move into the new Government Center. The total number of cases filed in 2022 was 581 and to date in 2023 it is 588. Total felony cases filed in 2022 was 243 and to date cases there are 249. He added an interesting note that in 2000 there were 97 felony cases.
This year the DA’s office had 51 criminal OWI cases and a total of 120 non-criminal, with an OWI Homicide from last year that ended in a prison sentence. They have one pending traffic homicide and a pending overdose homicide. In 2021 the office had 10 jury trials, in 2022 there were 14 and in 2023 there have been 10. Barry West, Informational Technology Director, reported he and his assistant, Jacob Hansen, are working to make sure the move into the new Government Center goes as smooth as possible. Presently they work with the network, have an IT inventory, and work with 350 employees, 200 computers, and 50 servers.
Following the reports, the board approved the 2024-2026 Contract with EMS Employees Union Local 425 and the motion failed to approve a BolaWrap Devise for the City of Wautoma Police Dept. A resolution authorizing reorganization of the Parks and Building & Grounds Departments to create one new department – Facilities and Park Management was approved.
The next regular meeting of the Waushara County Board of Supervisors will be held at the Waushara County Courthouse, Wautoma, at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 16 following the Grand Opening of the Wautoma EMS center.
Pingel also said the county employees will recognize Martin Luther King Day and have a training at the Courthouse on Jan. 15th. She expressed appreciation to the board for supporting the Employee Appreciation Dinner for the staff. The staff continues to work with the Tyler System and there are still some growing pains with time keeping and payroll. She also plans to meet with all department heads in January concerning year end budget and capital improvement planning.
The UW-Extension Report was given by Area Extension Director Pat Wagner and the Department Staff including Heidi Hensel-Buntrock, 4-H Program Educator; Natasha Paris, Regional Crops Educator serving Waushara/Marquette/Green Lake/Adams Counties; Laci Monroe, FoodWise Coordinator; and Adam Hartfeil, Regional Livestock Educator serving Waushara, Adams and Green Lake Counties.
Hensel reported the 4-H Program continues to grow and last year they hit a record of 300 enrolled in 4-H and as of Dec. 19th for this year they have 291 enrolled. The Art program is most popular with 80 participants. She continues to hold Cloverbud Camps for Kindergarten-2nd Grade. This year the 4-H Camp was held at Camp Lakotah with a record number of attendees at 174 from five area counties including 54 from Waushara. Hensel the 2024 camp will also be held at Camp Lakotah.
This past year there were many additional entries and booths at the Waushara County Fair and the building was overcrowded. This year they 4-H will swap buildings with the Commercial Building giving 4-H adequate space. Hensel also provides activities for the A+ After School Program at Riverview, Redgranite, and Parkside in Wautoma and does many events at local libraries in the summer.
Paris, Regional Crops Educator, reported that she is impressed with the programs at Hancock Experimental Station and there were many small field days with so many crops in addition to potatoes. She reported on the drought and how it affected the corn and soybean crops and reported that we are still in a drought. Paris added she also has been working with Amish in Green Lake and Marquette Counties, concerning crops. Hartfeil, Regional Livestock Educator, has been doing outreach and events including education on cattle vaccines. He said he attended Farm Technology Days in Baraboo, and plans a 2024 Cow/Calf Producer Meeting on Jan. 11 event at Signature Farms, County Rd M, Coloma, on winter feeding and forages. On Jan. 18 he will hold a meeting in Waushara County in the Courthouse Demonstration Room on grazing and raising healthy calves and cattle. Hartfeil will also have a free webinar available – Beef 101 in the Spring of 2024 for farmers with 40-60 acres and how to grow and support healthy cattle. For more information go to Livestock.extension.wisc.educ.
Monroe, FoodWise Coordinator, reported her targeted audience includes low-income families. She has partnered with the A+ After School at Parkside, Riverview and Redgranite. She will be working with the Wautoma Hornet Market on healthy snacks for kids. Monroe also worked with the Waushara County Food Pantry supplying information on how to prepare the turkey for holiday meals.
Waushara County District Attorney Matthew Leusink told the board that the DA’s office is staffed with two assistants to help alleviate the case load. Most of the cases through his office include methamphetamine. There were 64 methamphetamine cases filed, 66 marijuana, and a handful of other drugs (Cocaine, Fentanyl, etc.). He said that they now can use two courtrooms as they have two judges. This is great preparation when they move into the new Government Center. The total number of cases filed in 2022 was 581 and to date in 2023 it is 588. Total felony cases filed in 2022 was 243 and to date cases there are 249. He added an interesting note that in 2000 there were 97 felony cases.
This year the DA’s office had 51 criminal OWI cases and a total of 120 non-criminal, with an OWI Homicide from last year that ended in a prison sentence. They have one pending traffic homicide and a pending overdose homicide. In 2021 the office had 10 jury trials, in 2022 there were 14 and in 2023 there have been 10. Barry West, Informational Technology Director, reported he and his assistant, Jacob Hansen, are working to make sure the move into the new Government Center goes as smooth as possible. Presently they work with the network, have an IT inventory, and work with 350 employees, 200 computers, and 50 servers.
Following the reports, the board approved the 2024-2026 Contract with EMS Employees Union Local 425 and the motion failed to approve a BolaWrap Devise for the City of Wautoma Police Dept. A resolution authorizing reorganization of the Parks and Building & Grounds Departments to create one new department – Facilities and Park Management was approved.
The next regular meeting of the Waushara County Board of Supervisors will be held at the Waushara County Courthouse, Wautoma, at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 16 following the Grand Opening of the Wautoma EMS center.