Sawyer County finance panel reviews 2026 budget; supervisors keep pay unchanged

The Sawyer County Finance Committee reviewed the administrator's proposed 2026 budget on a meeting that opened with public comments from the Hayward Lakes Visitor and Convention Bureau and ended with votes to approve minutes and to keep county supervisor pay unchanged.

Mindy Simons, director of the Hayward Lakes Visitor and Convention Bureau (HLVCB), addressed the committee during the public-comment portion and urged continued county support as the panel considers its 2026 budget. "Sawyer County tourism generated a $151,000,000 in economic impact," Simons said. "They generated a $110,500,000 in state and local taxes and supported 960 local jobs." Simons told the committee the HLVCB would be seeking a $50,000 county contribution and described how room-tax revenue is restricted under Wisconsin law to tourism promotion and development that generates paid overnight stays.

Committee members then reviewed a multi-part administrator presentation on the 2026 budget. The presentation highlighted several items the committee was asked to note: net new construction at 1.457 percent (the highest in 15 years), an initial projection of a 5 percent health-insurance increase that was later confirmed as a flat renewal, and stronger-than-expected county-forest stumpage revenue (reported at 100 percent of budgeted revenue for the year).

Finance staff told the committee that, after reviewing department requests, the administration had reduced a proposed fund-balance draw dramatically from an initial departmental request figure described as around $3,000,000 to roughly $382,000 (the transcript contained slightly inconsistent figures for the final rounded value). The slide deck also summarized levy components and noted the county's tax-levy rate moving from 2.46 to an estimated 2.43 under the administration's proposal and forecasted a continuing debt-service levy in the 2.7 to 3.1 range depending on ambulance purchases.

The proposed levy-exemption categories identified in the presentation included culvert construction and repair, EMS, payments to public libraries and payments for general-obligation debt service. Staff said ambulance fees and ambulance-related levy items are handled outside the statutory levy limit and that ambulance-related revenue had a small surplus last year that was carried into the 2026 proposal.

Committee members reviewed a five-year capital-improvement program (CIP) summary and a debt-service repayment schedule that projects outstanding principal and interest through 2044. The presentation noted that ambulance purchases typically create year-to-year variance because ambulances are purchased on an approximate every-other-year cadence.

The committee also reviewed proposed changes to the county fee schedule for 2026. Items singled out in the presentation included a proposed increase to operating-while-intoxicated (OWI) assessment from $250 to $300 and a proposed increase to an amended driver's-safety plan fee from $50 to $75 in the human services schedule; a proposed $600 fee for an adoption home study under children-and-families fees; a proposed $300 notice-of-commencement administration fee from the treasurer; and zoning-permit fee adjustments (examples in the slide notes: $25 and $50 increases in some categories and a proposed tripling of the penalty when work begins before a permit is issued). Staff said the changes are intended to clarify language and recover administrative costs in specific areas.

On outside organization funding, staff noted historic context: the county board passed a 2017 resolution encouraging municipalities to adopt room-tax ordinances to support tourism promotion; since that resolution only a small number of municipalities have implemented room taxes countywide and the county has continued to provide annual support to the HLVCB. Simons told the committee that four municipalities currently share a portion of room-tax revenue with the HLVCB while six municipalities in the county have some form of room-tax ordinance (the transcript discussed those two numbers in sequence; committee materials reflected both statements).

Committee members also discussed an approximately $9,000 shortfall the Senior Resource Center listed between its request and the administration recommendation. Members deferred a final decision until a later meeting when full-board consideration is scheduled and staff ("Mike," identified in discussion as the county administrator) can be present to address details.

Procedural votes: the committee approved the minutes of the previous meeting on a motion by Tom Duffy, seconded by Jeff Haney. Later, the committee voted to keep the county board supervisors' pay for the 2026' 27 term unchanged; the motion to keep the pay the same was made by Stacy Hessel and seconded by Mark Hellwig. In both instances the chair called for the ayes and announced approval.

The meeting closed after brief updates from board-appointed committees and a report that a public-works committee had referred consideration of expanding ATV/UTV use on county roads to a tribal council for consultation.

Votes at a glance

- Approval of minutes: Motion by Tom Duffy; second by Jeff Haney; outcome: approved (recorded yes votes: John Regheimer, Stacy Hessel, Mark Hellwig, Tom Duffy, Jeff Haney).

- Keep county supervisors' salary for 2026-27 unchanged: Motion by Stacy Hessel; second by Mark Hellwig; outcome: approved (recorded yes votes: John Regheimer, Stacy Hessel, Mark Hellwig, Tom Duffy, Jeff Haney).

Why it matters: The committee's review sets the administrative recommendation that will be discussed at a public hearing and taken to the full board. Decisions about the levy, the proposed fund-balance draw, fee adjustments, and outside-organization allocations (including the HLVCB request) will affect county revenues, municipal room-tax distributions and services that rely on county appropriations.

Next steps: The committee noted a public hearing and further full-board consideration in November on the proposed 2026 levy and budget.