Kenosha County executive highlights human services, public safety, parks and youth engagement in State of the County

County Executive Samantha Kirkman delivered the State of the County address at the May 19 Kenosha County Board meeting, praising county staff and outlining priorities including human services, public safety investments, park restorations and housing studies.

Kirkman welcomed five newly elected supervisors and recognized long-serving county employees, including John Jansen, who is retiring after 38 years and 18 years as human services director. She said Rebecca Dutter’s appointment to succeed Jansen will be on a future county-board agenda and asked members to support that appointment.

Kirkman described human services as the county’s largest budget share and said the Human Services Building received nearly 337,000 calls last year. She highlighted investments in law enforcement over the past four years — citing roughly $200 million in levy funding — and named new deputy and detective positions, a civilian jail administrator, a data analyst position, a deputy mental-health program and upgraded body-camera equipment.

The county executive also noted completion of phase 3 of the Pike River restoration at Petrified Springs Park, saying the effort leveraged a $700,000 EPA grant with additional support from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Sustain Our Great Lakes and the Fund for Lake Michigan; she said total grants exceeded $1.4 million and described new trails, an ADA-accessible pedestrian bridge, a playground and 50 native trees.

During the recognition portion of the meeting, Camille Carlson introduced Kenosha County’s Youth & Governance program and presented certificates to outgoing members. Two youth speakers described their experiences: Kendall LeGrande said the program built her confidence and encouraged incoming youth to seize opportunities; Jessica Camacho said serving on the Human Services committee deepened her understanding of how local decisions affect residents. Student leaders then described a YIG service project focused on homelessness; the team reported using a $500 grant and community donations to assemble hygiene kits and collect more than 1,200 items for local shelters.

Kirkman closed by urging the board to support a comprehensive housing study being undertaken by a county–Kenosha Area Business Alliance task force to identify gaps and spur housing development for all income levels.