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Watch the February 26, 2008 "Capitol Roundtable with Steve Walters" on WisconsinEye here. Guests included JR Ross, WisPolitics.com and David Callendar, The Capital Times. |
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The Wisconsin Department of Transportation estimated that a record 700,000 tons of salt will be used on state highways this year, compared with 405,000 tons last winter.
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |
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 Once again this May, UW-Extension Local Government Center and the Wisconsin Counties Association will host their popular "County Officials Workshops" in seven locations throughout the state.
The comprehensive workshops cover everything from open meetings laws to budgeting to media relations.
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The ability for emergency responders from different disciplines and levels of government to communicate during a disaster is critical to the safety of citizens and emergency response personnel. Whether a multi-alarm fire or a catastrophic terrorist act, communications interoperability is critical for a safe and effective response. To this end, the state was awarded over $15 million in one-time funding from the federal government to pursue stateside interoperability. (Source: David Steingraber, Executive Director, Office of Justice Assistance).
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 Counties may enact ordinances to regulate the transportation of invasive species under state law, Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen wrote in a formal opinion released last week. The opinion was released in response to a request from Oneida County Corporation Counsel Brian J. Desmond. The county was working to prevent the spread of invasive species and wanted to know what authority it had to do so.
Read the release here.
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Last week, the Wisconsin Women's Council released its second
benchmark of women in elected office in Wisconsin. The report covers
nearly 7,000 offices across state, county, city and school district
governments in our state, finding that despite the increases in women
elected officials in top leadership positions statewide and nationally,
no progress was made in the share of elected offices held by women in
local government in Wisconsin over the 2005 to 2007 period and women's
representation in many state and local elected offices has declined.
New in 2007 is detailed information on women office holders for every
county, city and school district government in Wisconsin. County
Scorecards provide locality-specific information on women office holders
compared to statewide averages, along with rankings within each level of
government. These Scorecards provide a local resource to better
understand gaps and opportunities in women's participation in elected
offices across our state.
The report, "Wisconsin Women in Local Government: 2007 Benchmark Study," and "The Women in Elected Office County Scorecards," are available online here. |
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WCA President Lee Rymer spoke to the Oconto Kiwanis last week and shared his vision for both his presidency and Wisconsin's future. Read an article from the Oconto County Reporter here. |
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During its meeting last week, the Wood County Board of Supervisors approved a plan to participate in a multi-county effort that could eventually lead to reduced waiting times for county services. Wood County currently has a waiting list of more than 200 people for long-term care.
Read the full Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune article here.
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 Two high school seniors will each earn $2,500 for college from the NACo/Nationwide Scholarship. Winning applicants will have researched the amount of money they will need at retirement and described how secure their financial future for retirement is.
To be eligible, applicants must be high school seniors or graduates (age 20 and under) who are legal U.S. residents and whose parent or grandparent actively contributes to the NACo 457 Deferred Compensation Plan. Application and entry must be postmarked no later than March 31, 2008. More information is available here or contact Lisa Cole at 202-942-4270. |
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