Racine County Board approves personnel reclassifications, ARPA reallocations, grants and ordinances in final 2024 meeting

In its final 2024 meeting, the Racine County Board approved a set of resolutions and ordinances covering personnel reclassifications, settlements, ARPA allocations and several grants and contracts.

What the board approved - Resolution 2024-73 (Finance & Human Resources): Adjustments to the county salary schedule and reclassifications to comply with anticipated changes to the U.S. Department of Labor overtime threshold. County HR Director Sarah Street told supervisors the guidance would have raised the exempt salary threshold to roughly $58,665 and that the county performed a duties test across positions; she said 37 positions were recommended to move from exempt to nonexempt, 27 would remain exempt but be moved to different pay grades, and 10 would receive modest increases — a set of changes with a roughly $46,000 one-time impact. Street said a federal court struck down the DOL rule on Nov. 15 but that the Department of Labor has appealed, creating ongoing uncertainty; the board approved the resolution to preserve employee protections and compliance.

- Resolution 2024-74: The board accepted a settlement deposit of $2,400,000 from UnitedHealthcare resulting from an admitted billing error; county staff said the funds will be used to reconcile and pay the affected provider and do not increase county exposure.

- Resolutions 2024-75 and 2024-76 (ARPA reallocations): The board authorized ARPA-funded projects and restored cultural-activities funding for 2025 using unobligated ARPA dollars and reallocated amounts from completed projects; staff said any remaining unobligated ARPA funds are committed to the county's mental-health building per an earlier resolution and that recipients will sign memoranda of understanding with reporting requirements.

- Resolution 2024-77 (U.S. DOT grant): The board accepted a $679,328 federal commercial motor vehicle grant to create two sunset deputy sheriff positions, acquire two F‑150–type marked vehicles and buy inspection equipment (including on‑vehicle scales) to support CMV safety along the I‑94 corridor. County staff clarified the two positions are sunset through Sept. 30, 2026 (the grant end date), that most assignments will be filled from existing trained deputies with backfills for those posts, and that a K9 element earlier referenced in grant text is not required or funded by the grant. The sheriff’s office said the equipment and training will improve inspection capability and community outreach plans are part of the grant.

- Ordinance 2024‑72 (second reading): The board amended county code sections related to sale/transfer of lands acquired through in-rem proceedings to align with Wisconsin Act 207 (cleanup to Act 216). Treasurer Jeff Lattice explained key changes: surplus sale funds are to be treated as unclaimed funds with a one-year claim window, published sales must occur within 180 days of taking a parcel, and former owners and heirs have clarified opportunities to repurchase a property by paying delinquent taxes, liens and judgment amounts.

- Ordinance 2024‑82 (rezoning): The board approved a legal-description correction related to a pending closing involving Warrenville Corporation in the Town of Burlington (first and second reading taken to accommodate a scheduled closing).

- Resolution 2024‑83 (cybersecurity grant): The board accepted a state-local cybersecurity grant to expand multi-factor authentication and strengthen managed detection and response (MDR) capacity, with IT reporting quarterly to FHR and the board. Staff said the award covers September 1, 2024–August 31, 2025 and acceptance was time-sensitive because notification arrived Nov. 11.

Votes and procedural notes Most measures were approved by voice vote or the required two-thirds majority where noted. Several items were advanced for first-and-second reading because of time-sensitive grant periods or scheduled property closings. Supervisors requested copies of multiple communications (including the Microsoft data-center DNR permit notice and comp-plan amendments) and asked staff to circulate committee exhibits and fiscal notes when not present in supervisors’ packets.

Next steps Staff will finalize memoranda of understanding for ARPA recipients, provide additional exhibit materials requested by supervisors, circulate exterior landscaping renderings for the YDCC/Behavioral Health campus, and report back on implementation and quarterly cybersecurity updates. The board adjourned for the year and staff noted the incoming county executive is expected to assume office about Dec. 30.