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St. Croix County board approves suite of grant applications, ordinance changes and policy update
Summary
At its April 1 meeting the St. Croix County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved resolutions to pursue multiple DNR grants, apply for snowmobile trail aid, amend county code citations, and update vehicle-use policy; the board also agreed to join the statewide public-safety interoperable communications system with a 20% match obligation.
The St. Croix County Board of Supervisors on April 1 approved several resolutions and an ordinance affecting parks, trails, public safety communications and county personnel policy.
In a single series of votes, the board approved: a resolution of intention to join the statewide public-safety interoperable communications system; support for a 2025 Wisconsin DNR stewardship grant application for restroom upgrades at Homestead Parks; support for a DNR Recreational Trails Program grant to improve the Orr Family Overlook trail; approval to apply for Snowmobile Trail Aids grants for 2026'029; an ordinance amending chapter 1 (citations and general provisions) of the St. Croix County Code of Ordinances; and a resolution amending the county'wide personnel policy on vehicle usage.
Captain Kufus, explaining the interoperable communications item, said the state is upgrading the system and local agencies would need new equipment. "The reason that we're here asking for this resolution is that there's an upgrade in the state interoperability communication system and with that we wouldn't have the equipment to communicate on that communication system if we didn't get a grant to buy more equipment," he said. The county would provide a 20% match on an approximately $50,000 purchase, and staff told the board that the money has already been set aside through the county's KIPP process.
County staff described the DNR stewardship grant as a request for $286,000 to construct flush toilets at the bottom of the hill at Homestead Parks and a vault toilet at the beach; staff said the county share would be $143,000 from park operating funds or fund balance, with construction projected for 2026 or 2027 if the grant is awarded. On the trails grant, staff said the Orr Family Overlook project totals $96,000 with an 80/20 split and a county share of $19,200 to build an ADA-accessible 8-foot-wide paved section transitioning to gravel to connect to an existing boardwalk and shore access at Bass Lake.
On the Snowmobile Trail Aids item, staff characterized the county as a pass-through that does not add county funding but can claim some staff time; the program pays roughly $70,000 $75,000 per year depending on trail miles. The ordinance to amend chapter 1 was presented as part of an ongoing code clean-up effort by corporate counsel and department heads. All of these motions passed without recorded opposition.
The meeting also included a separate personnel-policy amendment on vehicle usage (see separate article), and the board concluded with routine announcements and adjournment.
