Walworth County committee members on July 14 discussed implications of a Governor-approved biannual budget increase for state conservation funding and possible local technology investments tied to the department's 2026 operating budget.

Staff told the committee that the Governor's budget included a one-time increase of about $3.3 million for 2026 and a little over $4 million for 2027 that will be allocated across Wisconsin's 72 counties. The staff presenter said the new funding will finance state-allocated staffing percentages for county conservation offices: the first position at 100 percent, the second at 70 percent and the third at 50 percent. The presenter contrasted that with prior allocations, saying the previous pattern had been lower support for the second and third positions.

"The first position is allocated 100%, the second position at 70, and the third position at 50%," the staff presenter said. Committee members noted this would reduce local-tax support for those positions and help stabilize staffing in the short term.

Committee discussion focused on whether the extra state funds preserve existing county positions or will be redirected within the department. The staff presenter and members said the increase is intended to cover conservation positions and not shift to other county departments; staff also cautioned that the grants are one-time increases for 2026 and 2027.

Separately, staff described a change in scope for a previously proposed capital project to replace department software. Instead of procuring a new vendor, the county will pursue enhancements with the current vendor to add online submittals and payments for permits, field inspection tools, and better GIS integration. Staff said budgeting for laptops and tablets is included to support field work and GIS-enabled inspections.

Staff and committee members discussed a recent effort to create a GIS database of conservation practices covering roughly 10 to 15 years of work to document locations and funding sources. The database is intended to help target outreach and match landowner interest with appropriate funding sources.

Committee members also raised several implementation issues: the capital and device costs are higher than typical desktop replacements; integration of an existing local "pumping card" system into the vendor product (Tyler) is in discussion; and staff noted the possibility of future AI tools to curate grant and funding opportunities for landowners, while cautioning about the staff time required to maintain curated resources.

There was no formal vote on budget details at the committee meeting; the department will return with budget requests during the county's budget process in September. Staff encouraged supervisors and committee members to submit suggested budget amendments to their county supervisors or to the administrator, Mark, for consideration.

Staff also offered to demonstrate new technology at a future committee meeting, including a drone demonstration that will be shown this week in zoning, and to present the GIS archive to committee members.