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Northwest Regional Planning Commission: Sawyer County revolving‑loan fund to return to state; $1M mobile‑home funds and rehab program outlined
Summary
A Northwest Regional Planning Commission representative told Sawyer County officials that the county’s revolving loan fund will be returned to the state and briefed the board on housing rehab programs, a new $1 million mobile‑home targeted fund and regional economic development grants and loans.
A representative of the Northwest Regional Planning Commission updated Sawyer County supervisors on multiple regional programs, including the recapitalization of county revolving‑loan funds by the state, availability of a new mobile‑home owner targeted fund and timing for applications to a state rehabilitation program.
The presenter said the county’s revolving loan fund — administered regionally for years and used for housing rehabilitation and small business loans — will be turned over to the Wisconsin Department of Administration beginning April 1; remaining balances and future loan repayments will be sent back to the state and pooled for a new statewide program to rehabilitate vacant or underused buildings. The speaker said administrators will coordinate with county staff when loan repayments occur so checks can be issued to DOA.
The planning commission representative noted the region had recently received an allocation of about $1,000,000 in mobile‑home‑targeted funds intended to repair or replace substandard mobile homes for tenants at or below about 80% of county median household income. The funds are structured as long‑term loans to be repaid monthly; the presenter cautioned that tenants with no current mortgage or loan obligations on their units may face challenges in accepting a new repayment obligation.
The representative also summarized other programs: the commission manages a regional Community Development Block Grant housing rehabilitation program (with Douglas County as lead), the Small Business Administration microloan program recently provided $300,000 for technical assistance to small businesses, and the commission is updating a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy required for its Economic Development Administration designation. The speaker said the CEDS draft is open for public comment through Oct. 24, 2025, and that the commission will consider a forestry resolution at its next executive committee meeting.
Ending
County staff were advised that program timelines require coordination with state agencies and that applications for recapitalized state funds are expected to open in late spring 2026 with awards in early 2027; supervisors requested continued updates and coordination on housing programs and fund implementation.
