Ashland County to stop administering Home Energy Assistance Program; Westcap to assume services Oct. 1

Economic support staff informed the committee that Ashland County will not administer the Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program (WEAP) for the upcoming program year and that Westcap will assume administration beginning Oct. 1. The county will complete its current contract through Sept. 30 and continue to serve residents under that agreement.

Staff said the decision resulted from funding and workload concerns: the county has been receiving funding based largely on the number of applications; competition from other agencies that accept online applications, combined with additional time‑consuming program services (such as furnace repair/referrals and summer services), had strained local resources. In prior years the state provided supplemental funds mid‑year when local allocations ran short, but staff said that process is uncertain.

At the federal level staff said LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) funding had been reduced in proposed budgets and that uncertainty influenced the county decision. Staff said Westcap will provide the WEAP services starting Oct. 1 and that residents will continue to have access to the full program (furnace repair/replacement, cooling, water heater and water conservation services) through Westcap rather than the county.

Committee members heard that the county could have given 30 days’ notice to withdraw from administration and that state officials responded to the county’s notice by offering additional funds; county staff described the decision as driven by funding uncertainty and sustainability of local operations.

This was an informational update; no committee vote was recorded at the meeting other than direction to complete the current contract through Sept. 30.