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Starting next week, "WCA eNews" will take a holiday break and will be back in your inbox, well rested and ready for the new year, on January 7, 2008. |
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The WCA Legislative Exchange will be held February 5-6, 2008 at the Madison Concourse Hotel. If you have questions, please contact WCA Meeting Coordinator Cheryl Fleck at 866.404.2700. |
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There are over 30-35 million real Christmas trees sold in the U.S. every year. The top Christmas tree producing states are Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Washington.
Source: National Christmas Tree Association |
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 It's hard to believe that the holiday season is here already. Every year, it seems like decorations go up in the stores earlier and earlier, with increased pressure to get that "to do" list wrapped up before the first snow. Good thing in our house, I'm not the shopper.
That leaves me more time to step back and look back on the year. For county governments around the state, the past 12 months have been interesting to say the least. As 2007 comes to a close, the biggest item that stands out is the prolonged state budget process. In our individual counties, we all had our fair share of budgeting challenges, especially in light of delayed action from the state.
But as we always seem to do in county government, we persevered and came through for the taxpayers of our communities. This month's Wisconsin Counties magazine focuses on the arts in Wisconsin and their relation to economic prosperity. I believe that the arts play a critical role in our communities, but admittedly something we tend to overlook. |
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In a first-of-its-kind effort with the Department of Natural Resources, state probation agents went door-to-door across Wisconsin this fall to check if convicted felons who purchased gun hunting licenses were also illegally possessing firearms, arresting 19 of them.
"This was a significant effort and a really important initiative," state Department of Corrections spokesman John Dipko told the Wisconsin State Journal. Read the full story here. |
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Racine County Emergency Management has launched a new 2007 Preparedness Campaign-12 Months to Preparedness. There is a different area of emphasis each month, including a special section highlighting items that should be purchased for a family's Disaster Supply Kit.
As the holidays draw near, Racine County Emergency Management would like to encourage you to give a Disaster Supply Kit to your loved ones this year. Kits can be easily assembled and are perfect for the person who has everything. The kit should include: Full Story... |
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Wood County Highway Commissioner James Tremelling is retiring on January 4, 2008, after 45 ½ years with the Wood County Highway Department.
Jim started in July of 1962 when the road in front of his folk's farm was being worked on. The county employee in charge of that project asked if Jim needed a job. The foreman dropped off the tax forms and Jim started the next day and his wage was $2.12 per hour.
He worked his way up as general labor, to a laborer on the hot mix plant, to the foreman of the hot mix plant, to road patrolman, to highway superintendent, and since 2001, the Wood County Highway Commissioner. Jim's amazing career is a wonderful story of how you can start out at the bottom, and with hard work and dedication to the job, become the head of the entire department. Full Story... |
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 Have you used the new online Wisconsin County Purchasing Directory for your county's purchasing needs? The new electronic format is in response to overwhelming feedback from county purchasing agents and those making purchasing decisions in Wisconsin's 72 counties.
The Wisconsin County Purchasing Directory is interactive, searchable, available 24/7 and allows you to find more information than ever before listed in a traditional print document. It includes direct links to company web sites, as well as references from other local units of government for which they've worked.
To begin using the Wisconsin County Purchasing Directory, click here. We are confident it will be a reliable resource for your purchasing decisions. |
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If you weren't able to participate in the Midwest Ag Energy Network's December 6, 2007 webinar on community wind, you can view it here.
This webinar was an introduction to important community wind issues and was presented by a handful of leading experts in the field. It drew over 120 participants from 16 states, across a wide spectrum including nonprofit, business & industry, economic development, county & city officials, legislative staff, finance, education, planning & zoning, electric utility individuals, as well as a number of interested community members. |
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To learn more about Robert W. Baird, click here and for more information on Discover Mediaworks, click here.
If your business or organization is interested in becoming part of the new WCA Associate Member Program, contact WCA Executive Director Mark D. O'Connell or WCA Director of Programs and Services J. Michael Blaska at 866.404.2700. |
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