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Rock County backs resolution urging state help for circuit courts; board replaces $70M figure with '50% of operational expenses' language
Summary
The board passed a resolution urging Governor Evers and the Wisconsin Legislature to increase funding for county circuit courts. Supervisors amended a $70 million template figure and replaced it with language asking the state to cover 50% of county circuit court operational expenses; the amended resolution passed on a roll-call vote.
The Rock County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution urging Governor Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Legislature to increase state funding for county circuit court operations. The board amended a template figure of $70,000,000, replacing that dollar amount with a request that the state cover 50% of county circuit court operational expenses.
Clerk of Circuit Court Amanda Nelson, who helped draft the resolution, told the board the $70,000,000 number initially came from the Wisconsin Counties Association and that the packet provided to supervisors broke down that calculation. “The County's Association partnered with the Wisconsin Clerks of Circuit Court Association, to advocate for increased funding in this year's budget cycle,” Nelson said.
Supervisor Schwartz moved to replace the $70,000,000 figure with language to “cover 50% of county circuit court operational expenses;” Supervisor Wilson seconded that amendment. The amendment to the amendment passed earlier in debate (22 yes, 5 no, 3 absent). After additional discussion and a unanimous-consent procedural step, the board voted on the resolution as amended and approved it, 25 yes, 2 no, 2 absent.
Supporters said the percentage language better reflects shifting costs and protects the county if estimates change. Schwartz told the board that, based on 2024 figures, a 50–50 split would amount to roughly $1.2 million for Rock County. Opponents worried the 50% approach could exceed the template dollar figure; others said the board should be cautious about adopting specific numbers without fuller detail from the state.
Nelson said the intent is that the resolution, if passed by counties, will be forwarded to the governor's office and to the county's legislative delegation and used by county associations in their lobbying work. She said the resolution had been circulated as a template to clerks across the state. The board directed that official copies be circulated as described in the resolution.
