Winnebago County committee-of-committees finalizes supervisor committee assignments; chair to issue official listings

A Winnebago County committee charged with drafting supervisor committee assignments finalized a slate of appointments and authorized the chair to relay the official listings to the board and county executive.

The group spent extensive time balancing experience, new-member learning and statutory rules that affect committee composition. Members flagged the Facilities and Property Management committee as a high-priority portfolio because of pending infrastructure decisions, and the committee agreed to hold a county facilities tour on May 18 to help orient new supervisors.

The chair opened with an explanation that the draft was the result of several iterations designed to keep experienced members on key committees while giving new supervisors opportunities to learn. Members discussed vacancies — particularly four openings on Personnel & Finance — and debated whether newer supervisors should be placed on critical committees or gain experience elsewhere.

After back-and-forth negotiations, members accepted several trades and adjusted rosters: the aviation committee was set to include Kayson, Colin, John, Marybeth and Tim; Facilities & Property Management was agreed to include Devin Moonen, Jim Wise, John Hintz, Andy Buck and Chris Rosnow; and the highway committee was read as Tom Egan, Brian Noe, Matt Woods, Tim O’Brien and Rob Gustafson. The committee also confirmed Land & Water Conservation and UW Extension rosters while addressing rule 24.1, which requires overlap between the two bodies.

Committee members emphasized the need to respect supervisors’ indicated preferences (many had marked first/second/third choices on the draft) while also ensuring committees had the necessary experience. One member said the facilities committee “will be uncomfortable and not gonna be for the weak,” underscoring the expectation of difficult budget and infrastructure discussions ahead.

A motion passed directing the chair to send the official committee recommendations to the county board packet and to the county executive; the motion was approved by voice vote and the committee was dissolved after adjournment. The chair and staff said they would circulate a clean draft of the appointments in the upcoming packet and follow up with any supervisors who want changes.

The committee’s work was procedural but consequential: members traded assignments to ensure no supervisor served on more than two committees where possible, attempted to maintain gender and municipal representation across bodies such as Planning & Zoning, and noted statutory constraints that required specific overlaps (for example, between Land & Water Conservation and UW Extension). The finalized lists will be published in the county board packet for formal adoption.

Quotes representative of the meeting include a chair remark setting expectations for the process and a motion-maker urging the official communication route: “We are gonna be touring all the facilities of Winnebago County,” and, during the motion, a member said, “let the official communication be had through Frank as chair.”

Next steps: the chair and staff will circulate a finalized draft of the committee assignments in the upcoming packet and the county board will receive the official appointment list; a facilities tour is scheduled for May 18 to brief supervisors on looming infrastructure issues.