Sauk County supervisors approve rules changes after debate on chair pay and term limits; board backs SNAP funding request and certifies proposed 2026 budget

Sauk County supervisors adopted a package of changes to the county's rules of the board after more than an hour of debate over a proposed increase to the board chair's monthly pay and whether to remove a three-term limit for the chair. The board also approved a resolution asking the state to help fund local SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) administration and certified the proposed 2026 county budget for publication, setting a public hearing for Nov. 11 at 6 p.m.

The rules package (Resolution 59-20-25) was moved by Supervisor Klitzke and seconded by Supervisor Carver. The meeting record shows two contested amendments: Supervisor Fordham moved to remove the proposed change that would raise the chair's monthly pay (identified in the packet as change number 1), and Supervisor Birchell moved to remove the provision that would delete the three-consecutive-term limit for the chair. Both amendment motions failed in recorded roll-call votes. After debate and additional procedural discussion, the full rules package passed on final vote 25 in favor, 5 opposed, with 1 supervisor absent.

Why it matters: The package contains multiple edits to how the board conducts its business; several supervisors said the proposals were intended to streamline organization and avoid ad-hoc rule changes during the board's organizational meeting. Opponents raised concerns that certain changes (notably the chair's pay and the term-limit language) either were inappropriate at this time or could have unintended effects on governance or public trust.

What supervisors said: "When I became Board Chair, the salary was $900 and I reduced it down to $650 particularly because I did know that we were bringing an administrator on board," Supervisor Klitzke said, explaining the origin of the pay-change proposal and why it remained in the packet. Supervisor Birchell said of the proposed chair pay change, "I could not possibly support a 40% increase in anybody's salary," calling the proposed percent increase excessive. The board's interim corporation counsel advised the board that "the Wisconsin statutes governing county government ... contain no provisions limiting how many terms a supervisor may serve for," noting there is no state statutory prohibition on consecutive service and that this was a core point in debate over the term-limit language.

SNAP resolution and public comment: The board heard a public-comment presentation about the state's SNAP administrative changes and then passed Resolution 63-20-25 requesting state support for income maintenance administration related to SNAP. Eleanor Vita, who identified herself as a citizen member of the Health and Human Services Committee, told the board she had prepared a handout estimating county-level impacts of recent federal and state SNAP policy changes. Vita summarized her method to the board and provided a range for Sauk County's likely cost burden, saying the county's share could be "between $138,000 and $190,000," with the lower number reflecting a 25% change in the federal match and the larger number accounting for increased workload and penalty exposure. After discussion the board approved Resolution 63-20-25; the clerk recorded the final vote as 29 in favor, 0 opposed, 1 abstention.

Budget certification and community comments: Administrator Wilson presented the proposed 2026 county budget, highlighting that the net-new-construction rate used for levy limit calculations is 1.98 percent and outlining expected revenue and cost pressures (notably wage steps/cola and health-insurance increases). The administrator said departments were asked to hold non-personnel increases steady and that the budget process included review by oversight committees and department heads. The administrator also confirmed the packet includes a plan to budget the county health-care center without direct levy funding next year, contingent on operations and revenues during the coming year. After the presentation the board moved, and carried, a motion to certify the proposed 2026 budget for publication and to set a public hearing for Nov. 11 at 6 p.m.

Public commenters urged support for the Sauk County Nursing Home and related services. Judy Bridal told supervisors she urged them "to fully fund our Sauk County Nursing Home in the 2026 budget as proposed by administrator Wilson and finance director Wilson." Other commenters, including John Miller and Marilyn (registered from Waniwok), also urged full funding and recommended supervisors visit the facility.

Other business and votes at a glance: The board approved several additional resolutions on the consent and committee agendas with little debate. Those included appointing an interim corporation counsel and approving an engagement letter (Resolution 60-20-25), changes to the county's offered vision insurance (61-20-25), the acquisition of a JJ Keller safety-management subscription (62-20-25), a TAP grant application for trail planning (64-20-25), an MOU with UW'Madison Extension (65-20-25), lake monitoring and Healthy Lakes and Rivers grant applications (66-20-25 and 68-20-25), an application to the Department of Administration for local project grants (67-20-25), adoption of the amended Farmland Preservation Plan (69-20-25), an amendment to the Town of Merrimack zoning ordinance regarding short-term rentals (70-20-25), the annual multi-discharge variance filing to the DNR (71-20-25), and acceptance of a state/local cybersecurity grant and related budget amendment (72-20-25). Votes on most of those items were recorded as unanimous or nearly unanimous in favor in the meeting record; specific tallies are listed below in the actions section.

What comes next: The county will publish the proposed 2026 budget and hold a public hearing Nov. 11 at 6 p.m. Supervisors seeking to propose formal budget amendments were asked to submit them in writing to the accounting office by Oct. 27 so staff can vet and prepare materials for committee review.

Ending note: The board recognized outgoing staff and volunteers and adopted the rules package and budget schedule that will govern its work in the months ahead.