The Walworth County Board Executive Committee on July 14 voted to refer a Racine County resolution concerning modifications to Chapter 980 and the impacts of 2017 Wisconsin Act 14 to the county980 committee for further study and recommendation.
Committee members described Chapter 980 cases as those covered by the civil commitment law for certain sexually violent persons and said the item is complex. Staff and committee discussion said Racine and Kenosha counties have had difficulty identifying placements for individuals released under Chapter 980 and that Racine approached Walworth County because Walworth County had previously contracted with a landlord to place a person in the community and reportedly had one additional bed available at the time.
Carlo, identified in the meeting as chair of Walworth County980 committee, briefed members and recommended referral to the 980 committee. Committee members expressed concern about the potential precedent of accepting placements from other counties and noted the state law's intent to return individuals to their home counties. Financial implications were discussed: staff said the state pays for the contracted housing but the county must identify and broker a suitable facility, and the county may face judicial consequences or fees for failing to secure placements promptly; one speaker said the short-term cost of housing elsewhere could reach roughly $1,000 per day in some situations.
The committee approved sending the matter to the 980 committee and asked to be notified when that committee convenes. The 980 committee membership provided in the meeting included the committee chair (Carlo), the vice chair, an IT director, the GIS supervisor (Dale Drana), an administrative analyst from Health and Human Services (Lisa Catalyk), the deputy director of Land Use and Resource Management, the correctional field supervisor (Penny Vogt), and Angela Serwa, contract specialist with the state.
Committee members said the 980 committee would meet as soon as possible to consider whether Walworth County could or should host placements, whether counties could coordinate regionally, and the county's obligations under state law.