County board trims park paving from spending plan, approves power‑backup purchase for CNT building

The Manitowoc County Board on Tuesday amended and adopted a finance committee resolution that narrowed one‑time spending to a backup power unit for the county’s CNT building, removing a proposed paving project at Kato Falls Park.

Finance committee members had proposed spending a portion of one‑time funds on two projects: repaving Kato Falls Park’s entrance and buying an uninterrupted power supply (UPS) for the CNT building’s electrical equipment. During floor debate, a supervisor moved to amend the resolution to remove the park paving. The board approved the amendment by a 22–1 vote, which removed the Kato Falls Park item from the proposal.

The board then voted on the amended resolution — the remaining item being the UPS purchase for the CNT building — and adopted it with the two‑thirds majority required for the appropriation. Supporters said the UPS is a preventive investment to protect critical systems; opponents and some members cautioned about relying on one‑time money ahead of the 2027 budget year and urged fiscal restraint.

Supervisor discussion emphasized caution about spending one‑time funds that are unlikely to recur in next year’s budget. "I think it's important that we try to save those dimes now and at least see what this fall is going to look like before we go spending that $250,000," one supervisor said during debate.

Outcome summary (as recorded in the meeting): the amendment to remove the Kato Falls Park project passed 22–1; the amended resolution to fund the UPS at the CNT building was adopted by the board with the two‑thirds majority required.

The resolution text and line‑item amounts were included in committee materials on members' desks; the meeting record does not include further appropriation details in the public discussion.