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Committee reviews 2027 budget assumptions; health department proposes body‑art fee restructure
Summary
Marathon County staff told the Health & Human Services Committee they will apply a standard 3% fee increase where statute allows and recommended changing body‑art licensing fees to a practitioner‑count model (licenses in increments of six) to better match inspection workload and recoup county costs.
The Health & Human Services Committee on Aug. 11 opened 2027 budget planning with administrator Slater Leonard outlining a standard planning assumption: where statute permits, departments should model a 3% increase in rates and fees next year. Leonard said staff have been given spreadsheets to identify which fees are applicable and that there is no action required at the meeting.
The health department proposed a change to how the county charges for body‑art licensing to better reflect inspection workload at temporary events. "We approach all of our fees as directed by the county board to recoup the costs that it actually takes to do the work that we do in the various licensing categories," said Kate Florek, manager of environmental health. Florek and Leonard explained that the county currently licenses brick‑and‑mortar establishments, while individual practitioners are licensed at the state level under the Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS). For temporary events with many practitioners, county staff time can be substantially higher.
Under the recommended approach, county fees would be based on the number of practitioners at an establishment or event, using licenses in increments of six practitioners ("6 is 1 license," Florek said). Committee members heard county staff modeled the proposal on fee structures used by Brown, Dane and Milwaukee counties and were told the change would be processed through HR Finance before county board consideration. Leonard emphasized the legal limit that fees cannot exceed the reasonable cost of delivering the service.
No vote was held on a final ordinance; the committee signaled no objection to sending the methodology to HR Finance and the county board for formal action. Committee members requested staff provide spreadsheet details and impact analyses before any final fee changes are adopted.
