Land and Water committee presses for clearer budget detail, discusses $100,000 deer-damage program and tree-planting funding

Adams County’s Land and Water Conservation Committee reviewed its draft 2026 budget Tuesday, pressed staff for clearer line‑item and position detail, and discussed how a $100,000 wildlife‑damage allocation is spent and publicized.

Committee members sought more transparency about who receives county funds in the Land and Water budget and requested that position titles appear alongside wage and benefit lines. County Finance Director Kyle explained changes to the draft budget, including removal of grant revenue not expected in 2026, a modest increase in fee revenue and an adjustment to health insurance assumptions to a 9.5 percent increase. Land and Water Department Director Colton said wages and benefits in the parcel reflect three positions: the director, a water resource specialist and a resource conservationist, and that payroll detail is maintained by human resources.

Committee members said the current presentation is too broad for that department’s budget lines and asked staff to include position titles so residents can see where money is allocated without disclosing individual benefit elections. County staff told the committee the human resources office keeps the wage and step information and that releasing detailed benefit elections could raise privacy concerns; the committee was also directed to publicly available salary‑schedule material on the county website.

The committee spent significant time on the county’s wildlife‑damage program, which receives funding from a surcharge on hunter licenses routed through the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Wildlife Damage Specialist Maddie Paff said much of the program pays for administrative work tied to crop‑damage and deer‑shooting permits and that Adams County currently has one cooperating farm listed as open to the public on the DNR damage‑program registry. That farm received eight tags and may distribute them at the farmer’s discretion; hunters who bring their own tag may also hunt the property during regular season, with prior permission.

Committee members suggested using part of the $100,000 allocation for roadside signage to make the public more aware of managed‑hunting locations and reduce crop damage and vehicle collisions. Staff said the DNR used to provide signage and that the county could pursue coordination with the DNR; one committee member proposed reserving $10,000 of the wildlife‑damage funds for signs as a discussion point. Staff also noted that revenue to support tree‑planting comes primarily from occasional rental fees for a mechanical tree‑planter and from annual tree/shrub sales rather than a steady dedicated budget line.

Committee members discussed tree planting and living snow fences as erosion‑control and wind‑break measures. Colton said Adams County expects roughly $88,000 in cost‑share funds from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) next year to support cost‑share practices, noting the funds are not restricted solely to living snow fences or trees but can be used for several conservation practices.

On the wildlife items tied to USDA/DNR programs — the crop prices used in the county’s damage reimbursement schedule and the deer donation agreement — the committee voted to accept the package. The motion to accept the USDA/DNR agreements was made by Supervisor Turcos and seconded by Supervisor Morgan; Supervisor Posadolski recorded the lone dissent. The motion passed and will move forward to the county board.

Clarifying details discussed included that the Land and Water wages budget covers three positions; the single cooperator farm listed on the DNR site comprises about 150 acres across several fields and was assigned eight tags; Adams County currently has no participating processors for the venison donation program (the line item is $0 because there are no processors); and DATCP cost‑share funding of approximately $88,000 is expected for cost‑share projects next year.

Committee members directed staff to return with clearer budget displays showing position titles and to continue coordinating with DNR and DATCP on signage, tree‑planting support and cost‑share options.