Rock County board debates overhaul of community agency funding; sends proposal back to committee

The Rock County Board of Supervisors debated a proposal to change how the county distributes community initiative funding on June 5, 2025, ultimately voting 17-10 to send the resolution back to the County Board Staff Committee for further work.

Supporters of keeping the current centralized model told supervisors that moving funding into department budgets would fragment coordination and slow responses to urgent needs. Several nonprofit leaders, including Kelsey Hood Christiansen, president and CEO of Family Services of Southern Wisconsin, described cases where county-led coordination helped reunify and stabilize families after trafficking and other crises. "Centralizing the administration of these funds under the county administrator allows us to keep the focus on these families. Not on departmental confusion or bureaucracy," Christiansen said.

The debate centered on whether tax-levy dollars given to community agencies should be allocated from the county administrator’s centralized budget (the current practice) or shifted into individual departmental budgets so they are paid as contracted services subject to memoranda of understanding (MOUs) or formal contracts. Proponents of the resolution by Supervisor Schwartz said moving to contracts or MOUs would create clearer statutory justification, monitoring, and documentation for use of public funds. "Any tax dollars that are given to a community agency for services rendered should have an identified public purpose ... that purpose is authorized by statute," one supervisor summarized, citing guidance from legal presentations and the Wisconsin Counties Association.

Opponents — led by supervisors who said the current process has produced longstanding partnerships and efficient services — warned that changing the policy could reduce accountability and disrupt services that serve vulnerable residents. "These organizations have proven track records," Supervisor Raskin said. "This resolution takes a sledgehammer to a system that needs a scalpel." Several supervisors proposed alternatives such as keeping centralized funding but requiring MOUs or more formal reporting from recipient agencies and improving coordination among agencies.

During the floor debate supervisors asked county legal and administrative staff about liability and transparency. County legal counsel explained the basis for concern: a 2017 Wisconsin Attorney General opinion placed limits on county expenditures where statutory authority was unclear. Counsel said Rock County has operated under policies designed to conform to that opinion, and no court has invalidated the county’s current practice since 2017. County administration staff said they could implement increased reporting or contracting requirements without a policy change if the board directed them to do so; others argued such changes should be adopted as formal policy.

After extensive discussion, Supervisor Raskin moved to recommit the resolution to the County Board Staff Committee for further development; Supervisor Stevens seconded the motion. A roll-call vote to recommit carried 17 in favor, 10 opposed. The board chair instructed the staff committee to consider revisions that would address concerns raised in the debate, including clearer reporting and coordination mechanisms.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to adopt resolution reforming community agency initiatives appropriations policy (moved by Supervisor Schwartz; seconded by Supervisor Tillman): motion considered on the floor; later recommitted to committee (see below). - Motion to recommit resolution to County Board Staff Committee (moved by Supervisor Raskin; seconded by Supervisor Stevens): passed by roll call, 17 yes, 10 no.

Why it matters

County community initiative funding supports local nonprofits that provide shelter, domestic violence services, senior transportation and other services that county departments either cannot provide directly or would deliver at higher cost. The debate addresses statutory risk, transparency, and how best to ensure service continuity for vulnerable residents while documenting public purpose for tax-levy spending.

What’s next

The County Board Staff Committee will revisit the resolution and may draft a replacement or amended proposal. Supervisors and staff said they expect amendments to focus on requiring contracts or MOUs, clarifying deliverables and reporting, and strengthening interagency coordination.