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Ashland County board approves change to Ashland–Bayfield PSAP agreement so each county retains its own innovation grant funds
Summary
The Ashland County Board of Supervisors approved a revision to the Ashland–Bayfield PSAP intergovernmental agreement after the Department of Revenue required that each county be listed to keep its own innovation-grant proceeds; county staff said the change preserves eligibility and that Ashland’s payout over five years is expected to total roughly $890,000, subject to program conditions.
The Ashland County Board of Supervisors voted to approve a revision to the Ashland–Bayfield PSAP (public safety answering point) intergovernmental agreement so each county will retain its own innovation-grant funds, a change county officials said was requested by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue (DOR) to preserve eligibility.
Administrator (county official) told the board the DOR would only award the grant to the counties as written unless the agreement explicitly listed that each county keeps its funds; the revision clarifies that Bayfield County and Ashland County each retain their separate award amounts. The administrator said adopting the change would allow both counties to receive the maximum available grant funding under the program.
County staff said the award structure is paid as a share of each county’s 2025 PSAP budget. “So we will be paid 25% per year over 5 years of the 2025 budget that we paid into PSAP,” Erica, county staff, told the board. She added that the commission must hit a combined spending threshold (115% of the baseline combined budget) to receive the scheduled payouts.
Erica said the estimated total for Ashland County over five years is about $890,000, and that the annual payouts are contingent on maintaining the combined spending level: “If we miss 1 year, we can still do it the next year if it sticks to 115% or lower,” she said. Earlier explanations in the packet described the Ashland share as “a little over almost $450,000 for 5 years”; staff clarified the payment mechanics and the commission’s compliance requirements during discussion.
Ron Sandord moved approval of the revisions and Beth seconded. The board approved the amendment by voice vote.
The change responds to a DOR eligibility issue, county staff said, and is intended to be a formality required by the state to allow both counties to receive grant funds. County staff said they had discussed the language with DOR leadership and county attorneys before bringing the amendment forward.
The board’s discussion also referenced the broader goal of using intergovernmental agreements to pursue efficiencies—examples cited included shared dispatch and previous cooperative road and wastewater projects—with members urging that successful collaborations be publicized to encourage participation by towns and neighboring counties.
Next steps: the board adopted the amendment at the meeting and staff will proceed with implementing the revised intergovernmental agreement and grant submission steps with DOR.
