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Ashland County Land Conservation Committee approves 2026 budgets; grants and state staffing aid boost revenues
Summary
The Land Conservation Committee approved the wildlife damage and 2026 department budgets and discussed several new grants that account for much of the year-to-year increase, including a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service culvert grant and a nearly $300,000 natural flood-management award. Committee members also discussed a state staffing funding boost.
The Ashland County Land Conservation Committee voted to approve the county's wildlife damage budget and the Land Conservation Committee (LCC) 2026 budget at a meeting of the committee.
Committee members and staff said the 2026 budget shows a notable year-over-year increase tied to a set of new and larger grants that will run through 2026 and 2027, and to a larger state staffing allocation under Chapter 92 funding. Mary Jo (department staff) told the committee that a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grant applied for this year grew from an initial $50,000 proposal to an awarded package totaling about $410,000; roughly $260,000 of that will be administered through the county next year and appears on the 2026 revenue and expense lines. She also said the county recently received a final award of roughly $300,000 to fund a natural flood-management position and associated work through 2027.
The committee discussed a separate state allocation through the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) that increases the state's share of county conservation staffing. Mary Jo said Ashland County received about $154,918 from DATCP in 2025 and will see that allocation increase to approximately $188,008.84 in 2026 based on preliminary allocations. The county budgeter said she conservatively budgeted $175,000 but the preliminary allocation will exceed that amount.
Mary Jo and others told members that much of the expense increase between 2025 and 2026 is driven by grant-funded projects that will run through the county department's accounts (for example, culvert replacements on town roads that enter the National Forest and the federal Fish and Wildlife Service award). The grants will flow through county accounting; the department will charge an administrative fee for managing several of the awards.
Committee members also discussed internal budget presentation preferences for the county board and finance committee. Several members requested a one-page summary or cover sheet that shows expenses and revenues at a glance, with the full detailed worksheets available as backup.
Votes at a glance
- Approval of the wildlife damage budget: motion passed (vote recorded as "Aye"; no roll-call tally provided in the transcript). - Approval of the LCC 2026 budget (interim approval pending county board action): motion passed (vote recorded as "Aye"; no roll-call tally provided in the transcript).
Why it matters: Committee members said the new federal grant awards and the larger DATCP staffing allocation materially change the department's expected revenues and allow expansion of specific programs (culvert replacement work, natural flood-management implementation and associated staff). The committee emphasized that the state staffing funding boost is a multiyear allocation tied to the current biennium, not an automatic permanent increase, and staff said further legislative work would be required to secure sustained base funding beyond the current cycle.
Details and context: Committee discussion described the Fish and Wildlife Service application process that expanded to cover four culverts and other materials and supplies. Mary Jo said one Fish & Wildlife grant line in the budget lists $260,000 on the expense side and a slightly larger federal revenue entry on the revenue side; the net effect includes a modest administrative fee for the county. The committee also noted a separate award of about $300,000 to support natural flood-management projects in the Brunzweiler/Brunswick watershed and to fund a project coordinator position through 2027. Mary Jo said the DATCP staffing increase is being implemented under state Chapter 92 rules for county conservation staffing (the state is increasing the share it pays for county conservation positions for the biennium).
What's next: The committee approved the budgets as presented for submission in the county budget process; members were reminded that the committee's approvals are interim and subject to final county board action. Staff said they will provide the requested one-page summary for future finance presentations.
