Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By PAMELA JANSSON
Hurley — The Iron County Board of Supervisors approved on Tuesday Part A of Phase II of the county’s budget reconciliation plan, as presented by board member Kurt Wolff.
As lead coordinator of the process, Wolff reminded board members that the county incurred a $2.6 million deficit by dropping carbon credits and stumpage from the 2024 budget.
He said that $1,750,000 of the debt has been resolved during the past three months.
Wolff added that remaining progress will be possible with further expense cuts and by increasing the tax levy.
He said the levy dropped by $46,000 in 2023 and that the loss is not sustainable. “You have to increase it this year because if you never address that, you never make up that gap.”
Wolff said that when debt grows too large it becomes unmanageable.
“We may get carbon credit revenue one day,” said Wolff. “But until then, we need to go back to core revenue matching core expenses.”
Regarding a potential rise in taxes, Board Chairman Larry Youngs said that a key question will be “how much is it going to cost the average taxpayer?”
Board members also:
— Approved a $40,000 loan to the county Fair Board, whose members plan to buy a stage for the fairgrounds located in Saxon. Fair Board Secretary Cortney Ofstad told the board that renting stages in recent years has cost about $16,000. The loan from general obligation funds will be repaid.
— Voted to approve $85,000 to replace heat pumps in the courthouse, with funds drawn from the county’s remaining allotment from the American Rescue Plan Act, which was associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
— Approved the appointment of logger Eli Ladwig as a non-voting, advisory member of the county’s Forestry Committee.
— Approved the appointment of Paul Mullard to the UW Extension Committee.
— Designated Chippewa Valley Bank of Hurley as the county’s designated financial institution. Board member Roxanne Lutgen said that Chippewa would be the county’s primary banking institution “but not exclusive to all our needs.”
— Approved the first phase of changes to the county’s personnel policy handbook.
— Approved a one-year refinancing extension of a loan relating to Saxon Harbor, which was rebuilt after a 2016 storm.
— Heard from county board member Roy Haeger that the county’s IT Committee is considering changes to the board meeting that would facilitate a better listening experience for virtual audience members. He said the changes, if approved by the county’s Finance Committee and the board, likely would cost about $3,000.
— Approved the rezoning from RR-1 (Recreation Residential) to R-3 (Rural Residential) of property owned by Justin and Cody Fields at 4597 N. Wallace Road in Mercer.
— Heard a presentation from Mary Pardee, area extension director for Iron, Ashland, Bayfield and Douglas counties for the Extension office associated with the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Pardee explained her office’s role in providing services to the county.
— Gave a round of applause to Serena Tauer, who has attended board meetings for the past few years as a representative of the county’s 4-H program. Tauer graduated from Hurley High School on Saturday and will attend Gogebic Community College in the fall.
— Tabled action on tribal funds associated with the American Rescue Plan Act.
— Tabled action on an offer to purchase parcel no. 0218-000, 32 acres, in Gurney.
— Tabled action on supporting an application from Forecastle Timber in Fitchburg to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Legacy Program.
All votes were unanimous with Doug Swartz absent.
The board’s next regular meeting will be on June 25 at 6 p.m. in the board room of the Iron County Courthouse.
