appendix b county board size task force...rick seefeldt, david eckmann, deb hager others present:...

Appendix B

County Board Size Task Force

Agendas and Meeting Minutes

OFFICIAL NOTICE AND AGENDA COUNTY OF MARATHON of a meeting of the County Board, Committee, Agency, WAUSAU, WI 54403 Corporation or Sub-Unit thereof,

MARATHON COUNTY BOARD SIZE TASK FORCE

AGENDA JUNE 17, 2020 3:30 P.M.

210 RIVER DR., WAUSAU, WI

Task Force Purpose: Determine the optimal number of Marathon County Supervisory Districts, each represented by on County Board Supervisor. In making this determination, the Task Force shall consider the expected impact of the proposed board size on: the ability to attract well qualified candidates and to foster competitive elections, the efficient functioning of county governance, and the cost of County Government.

Members; John Robinson – Chair, Craig McEwen - Vice Chair, Tim Buttke, Sandi Cihlar, Jacob Langenhahn, Arnold

Schlei, Rick Seefeldt, David Eckmann, Deb Hager

The meeting site identified above will be open to the public. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health directives, Marathon County encourages Task Force members and the public to attend this meeting remotely. To this end, instead of attendance in person, Task Force members and the public may attend this meeting by telephone conference. If Task Force members or members of the public cannot attend remotely, Marathon County requests that appropriate safety measures, including adequate social distancing, be utilized by all in-person attendees.

Persons wishing to attend the meeting by phone may call into the telephone conference beginning five (5) minutes prior to the start time indicated above using the following number: PHONE NUMBER: 1-408-418-9388 Access Code: 146 183 2751 Password: 1234

When you enter the telephone conference, PLEASE PUT YOUR PHONE ON MUTE!

AGENDA ITEMS: 1. CALL TO ORDER; 2. WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS; 3. THE PUBLIC COMMENT portion of the agenda has been temporarily suspended, pursuant to

Marathon County Resolution # R-29-20, dated April 21, 2020, because the technology necessary to afford the public the opportunity to address the County Board, or its subgroups, during public Comment is difficult to guarantee, if a large number of individuals have elected to call in.

POLICY DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: 4. OVERVIEW OF TASK FORCE ON COUNTY BOARD SIZE CHARTER; 5. OVERVIEW OF THE U.S. CENSUS AND REDISTRICTING PROCESS; 6. WISCONSIN COUNTIES ASSOCIATION GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE INFORMATION/DATA; 7. WHAT IS NEEDED TO MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION; 8. FUTURE MEETINGS AND SCHEDULE; 9. ADJOURN.

Any person planning to attend this meeting who needs some type of special accommodation in order to participate should call the County

Clerk’s Office at 715-261-1500 or e-mail [email protected] one business day before the meeting.

SIGNED

FAXED TO: Presiding Officer or Designee News Dept. at Daily Herald (715-848-9361), City Pages (715-848-5887), Midwest Radio Group (715-848-3158), Marshfield News (877-943-0443), NOTICE POSTED AT COURTHOUSE: TPP Printing (715 223-3505)

Date: June 12, 2020 Date: Time: 10:30 a.m. Time: a.m. / p.m. By: cek By: County Clerk Time/By:

mailto:[email protected]

MARATHON COUNTY BOARD SIZE TASK FORCEMINUTES

June 17, 2020

MEMBERS; John Robinson – Chair, Craig McEwen - Vice Chair, Tim Buttke, Sandi Cihlar, Arnold Schlei, Rick Seefeldt, David Eckmann, Deb Hager

OTHERS PRESENT: Rebecca Frisch, Dave Mack, Amanda Ley, Jamie Alberti, Mike Lichner, WSAU, Wally Litzer, Jack Hogendyk, Valerie Carrillo, Meg Ellefson

AGENDA ITEMS: 1. Call to OrderIn the presence of a quorum, with the agenda being properly signed and posted, the meeting was calledto order by Chairman Robinson at 3:33 p.m. via WebEx.2. Welcome and IntroductionsAll were welcomed and introductions were made.3. Public CommentThe Public Comment portion of the agenda has been temporarily suspended, pursuant to Marathon County Resolution # R-29-20, dated April 21, 2020, because the technology necessary to afford the public the opportunity to address the County Board, or its subgroups, during public Comment is difficult to guarantee, if a large number of individuals have elected to call in.

POLICY DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION:

4. Overview of Task Force on County Board Size CharterDiscussion: Chairman Robinson review the County Board Ordinance creating the Task Force along with the Charter explaining the mission and duties of the Task Force. Action: NO ACTION TAKEN, FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY 5. Overview of the U.S. Census and Redistricting ProcessDiscussion: Chairman Robinson briefly reviewed the County Decennial Redistricting Handbook provided by the Wisconsin Counties Association. This information was for reference and will provide guidance to the county later when engaging in the redistricting process. Action: NO ACTION TAKEN, FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY

6. Wisconsin Counties Association Governance Structure Information/DataDiscussion: Chairman Robinson briefly reviewed the information in the packet referencing the population,number of supervisors, committee structures, and election data from the State’s Counties.Action: NO ACTION TAKEN, FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY.

7. What is Needed to Make an Informed DecisionDiscussion: Chairman Robinson directed a discussion on what questions or information the Task Forcewanted to have in order to make decisions and continue the overall discussion regarding board size.The member’s provided many questions and asked for information that revolved around five maincategories: What other Counties have done, representation and diversity, efficiencies and financialcomponents, county board self-assessment, and public engagement. These categories will be used todevelop future discussions.

MARATHON COUNTY BOARD SIZE TASK FORCE June 17, 2020

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Action: STAFF WILL WORK WITH THE CHAIRMAN AND VICE-CHAIRMAN TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR THE NEXT MEETING. 8. Future Meetings and Schedule – July 15, 2020 Action: THE NEXT MEETING WILL BE SCHEDULED FOR JULY15, 2020 AT 3:30 PM AT 210 RIVER DRIVE, WAUSAU, WI AND VIA WEBEX. 9. Adjourn Action: There being no further business to come before the members, ROBINSON ADJOURNED THE MEETING OF THE MARATHON COUNTY BOARD SIZE TASK FORCE AT 4:30 PM. Submitted by: Dave Mack Marathon County Conservation, Planning and Zoning DM: BI November 10, 2020



AGENDA JULY 15, 2020 3:30 P.M.








AGENDA ITEMS: 1. CALL TO ORDER; 2. WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS; 3. THE PUBLIC COMMENT portion of the agenda has been temporarily suspended, pursuant to

Marathon County Resolution # R-29-20, dated April 21, 2020, because the technology necessary to afford the public the opportunity to address the County Board, or its subgroups, during public Comment is difficult to guarantee, if a large number of individuals have elected to call in.

POLICY DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: 1. APPROVE MINUTES OF THE JUNE 17, 2020 MEETING; 2. CONSIDERATIONS USED BY OTHER COUNTIES; 3. DECISION MAKING EVALUATION CRITERIA; 4. PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES; 5. NEXT STEPS; 6. NEXT MEETING DATE, TIME: 7. ADJOURN.



SIGNED


Date: June 12, 2020 Date: Time: 10:30 a.m. Time: a.m. / p.m. By: cek By: County Clerk Time/By:


MARATHON COUNTY BOARD SIZE TASK FORCE MINUTES

July 15, 2020 MEMBERS; John Robinson – Chair, Craig McEwen - Vice Chair, Tim Buttke, Sandi Cihlar, Arnold Schlei,

Rick Seefeldt, David Eckmann, Deb Hager OTHERS PRESENT: Rebecca Frisch, Dave Mack, Jamie Alberti, William Litzer, Valerie Carrillo, Meg

Ellefson

AGENDA ITEMS: 1. Call to Order In the presence of a quorum, with the agenda being properly signed and posted, the meeting was called to order by Chairman Robinson at 3:30 p.m. via WebEx. 2. Welcome and Introductions All were welcomed and introductions were made. 3. Public Comment The Public Comment portion of the agenda has been temporarily suspended, pursuant to Marathon County Resolution # R-29-20, dated April 21, 2020, because the technology necessary to afford the public the opportunity to address the County Board, or its subgroups, during public Comment is difficult to guarantee, if a large number of individuals have elected to call in.

POLICY DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: 4. Approve Minutes July 15, 2020 meeting Action: MOTION / SECOND BY BUTTKE / CIHLAR APPROVE THE JULY 15, 2020 MINUTES. MOTION CARRIED BY VOICE VOTE, NO DISSENT. 5. The Agenda items of: CONSIDERATIONS USED BY OTHER COUNTIES; DECISION MAKING EVALUATION CRITERIA; PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES; were all discussed during the overall conversation of the meeting and no one individual item was discussed with the intent to take action on them separately. Consensus was reached on how to proceed with items at the next meeting. The overall discussion was as follows: A continuation of the discussion on issues Supervisors would like to address from the previous meeting. This include costs, public engagement, evaluating myths, and the use of a self-assessment of current and past County Board Supervisors for their opinions, like what is working?, Where are there problems?, Supervisor workloads, and overall challenges. Robinson and McEwen gave a summary of the conversation they, with Frisch and Mack, had with members of the UW-Extension regarding the experience Washington County had a few years ago. How they looked at their committee structure to help identify the ideal number of supervisors to function on the committees. How they went from an Administrator position to an elected Executive position. Hager helped explain the differences in the types of administrative structures.


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The conversation then moved to the criteria needed to help members make a decision on the Board Size. Ideas regarding the cost of the Board and Committees, the Efficiency of the Committee and even the current large Board. The Diversity on the Board and ways to make it more diverse or represented. The geographic size of the supervisory districts and how to get more participation in the election process. Members ask to see comparisons of other like sized counties with Marathon, like Wood, Chippewa, Fond du Lac, and St. Croix counties. Members agreed to discuss the evaluation criteria, other county considerations, the Board self-assessment, and presenting information to the County Board at the August Task Force meeting. 6. Future Meetings and Schedule – August 19, 2020 Action: THE NEXT MEETING WILL BE SCHEDULED FOR AUGUST 19, 2020 AT 3:30 PM AT 210 RIVER DRIVE, WAUSAU, WI AND VIA WEBEX. 7. Adjourn Action: There being no further business to come before the members, ROBINSON ADJOURNED THE MEETING OF THE MARATHON COUNTY BOARD SIZE TASK FORCE AT 4:30 PM. Submitted by: Dave Mack, Program Manager Marathon County Conservation, Planning and Zoning DM: CK August 12, 2020



AGENDA AUGUST 19, 2020 3:30 P.M.








AGENDA ITEMS: 1. CALL TO ORDER; 2. WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS; 3. PUBLIC COMMENT

POLICY DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: 1. APPROVE MINUTES OF THE JULY 15, 2020 MEETING; 2. CONSIDERATIONS USED BY OTHER COUNTIES; 3. DECISION MAKING CRITERIA; 4. COUNTY BOARD PRESENTATION; 5. COUNTY BOARD SELF-ASSESSMENT; 6. NEXT STEPS; 7. NEXT MEETING DATE, TIME: 8. ADJOURN.



SIGNED


Date: August Date: Time: a.m. Time: a.m. / p.m. By: cek By: County Clerk Time/By:



August 19, 2020 MEMBERS; John Robinson – Chair, Craig McEwen - Vice Chair, Tim Buttke, Sandi Cihlar, Jacob

Langenhahn, Arnold Schlei, Rick Seefeldt, Deb Hager, OTHERS PRESENT: Kurt Gibbs, Rebecca Frisch, Dave Mack, Amanda Ley, Jamie Alberti, Ka Lo,

Alyson Leahy, Gary Beastrom AGENDA ITEMS: 1. Call to Order In the presence of a quorum, with the agenda being properly signed and posted, the meeting was called to order by Chairman Robinson at 3:31 p.m. via WebEx. 2. Welcome and Introductions All were welcomed and introductions were made. 3. Public Comment The Public Comment period has be reinstated by the County Board. No Comments were given by anyone at this time.

POLICY DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: 4. Approve Minutes August 19, 2020 meeting Action: MOTION / SECOND BY BUTTKE / MCEWEN APPROVE THE JULY 15, 2020 MINUTES. MOTION CARRIED BY VOICE VOTE, NO DISSENT. 5. The Agenda items of: CONSIDERATIONS USED BY OTHER COUNTIES; DECISION MAKING EVALUATION CRITERIA; COMMENTS FROM THE COUNTY BOARD PRESENTATION; COUNTY BOARD SELF-ASSESSMENT; These items were all discussed during the overall conversation of the meeting and no one individual item was discussed with the intent to take action on them separately. Consensus was reached on how to proceed with items at the next meeting. The overall discussion was as follows: Robinson and McEwen gave additional information to the members regarding the comparisons between counties that have recently changed their Board sizes. They discussed issues from counties the members asked to see more information on. Chippewa County went from 30 to 15 members. They cited burn out on the committees as the reason to change. They have only 4 women on the Board but are experiencing quorum issues for the committees. They now think they are too small of a Board. Wood County went from 29 to 15 members and went from a per diem system to salaries for members. They also only have 2 women on the Board and feel they have the right size. Fond du Lac County has 25 members, 19 men, 6 women and are experiencing operation issues on the Board but feel it’s the right size. St Croix County went from 31 to 19 members based on a citizen’s referendum.


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Further discuss about the geographic size of districts, the size of committees, the reasons for most Counties reducing their sizes, and the overall committee structure in the counties not just the standing committees that creates the problems. The conversation then moved to the criteria needed to help members make a decision on the Board size. The questions asked were “what is the problem that needs fixing?”, “Why consider a change?”, and “What makes the board provide better delivery of services?” For the evaluation criteria, qualitative questions should be asked not quantitative. Create a weighted scoring system using high, medium, and low for each measure and bring back next meeting. Hager explained the survey mechanism for the Board self-assessment that will be given to the Executive Committee where themes will be identified and used to survey the full board. Members agreed to discuss the evaluation criteria, other county considerations, the Board self-assessment, costs and compensation, and a public engagement process at the September 16th Task Force meeting. 6. Future Meetings and Schedule – September 16, 2020 and September 30, 2020 Action: THE NEXT MEETINGS WILL BE SCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER 16, 2020 AS WELL AS SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 BOTH AT 3:30 PM AT 210 RIVER DRIVE, WAUSAU, WI AND VIA WEBEX. 7. Adjourn Action: There being no further business to come before the members, ROBINSON ADJOURNED THE MEETING OF THE MARATHON COUNTY BOARD SIZE TASK FORCE AT 5:00 PM. Submitted by: Dave Mack, Program Manager Marathon County Conservation, Planning and Zoning DM: CK September 10, 2020



AGENDA SEPTEMBER 17, 2020 3:30 P.M.









POLICY DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: 1. APPROVE MINUTES OF THE AUGUST 19, 2020 MEETING; 2. COMPARISONS AND CONSIDERATIONS USED BY OTHER COUNTIES; 3. DECISION MAKING CRITERIA; 4. PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PROCESS; 5. COUNTY BOARD SELF-ASSESSMENT SURVEY (HAGER); 6. NEXT STEPS; 7. NEXT MEETING DATE IS SEPTEMBER 30, 2020, at 3:30 PM: 8. ADJOURN.



SIGNED


Date: 09/11/2020 Date: Time: 10:45 am Time: a.m. / p.m. By: BI By: County Clerk Time/By:



September 17, 2020 MEMBERS PRESENT; John Robinson – Chair, Craig McEwen - Vice Chair, Tim Buttke, Sandi

Cihlar, Arnold Schlei, Dave Eckmann, Deb Hager, MEMBERS EXCUSSED; Rick Seefeldt, Jacob Langenhahn OTHERS PRESENT; Dave Mack, Amanda Ley, Kurt Gibbs, AGENDA ITEMS: 1. Call to Order In the presence of a quorum, with the agenda being properly signed and posted, the meeting was called to order by Chairman Robinson at 3:32 p.m. via WebEx. 2. Welcome and Introductions All were welcomed and introductions were made. 3. Public Comment No Comments were given by anyone at this time.

POLICY DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: 4. Approve Minutes September 17, 2020 meeting Action: MOTION / SECOND BY BUTTKE / MCEWEN APPROVE THE SEPTEMBER 17, 2020 MINUTES. MOTION CARRIED BY VOICE VOTE, NO DISSENT. 5. The Agenda items of: COMPARISONS AND CONSIDERATIONS USED BY OTHER COUNTIES; DECISION MAKING EVALUATION CRITERIA; DEVELOPMENT OR OPTIONS FOR BOARD SIZE; PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PROCESS; These items were all discussed during the overall conversation of the meeting and no one individual item was discussed with the intent to take action on them separately. Consensus was reached on how to proceed with items at the next meeting. The overall discussion was as follows: Robinson discussed the additions to the Changes to Numbers of Supervisors table from the packet. The items added were the amount of female supervisors from both 2014 and 2020. Hager reviewed the additions to the evaluation criteria chart highlighting the scoring for each question and referencing the need to define the terms Service, Diversity and Efficiency for the members to help clarify those ideas. The discussion included concepts for defining diversity with old/youg, rural/urban, gender, ethnicity, Robinson explained the IAP2 Public Participation Model and expressed his thoughts that the Consult option fit this exercise the best. This would entail asking the public for their feedback on ideas put forth by the Task Force and would probably be in the form of public meetings. Members agreed with the concept of having three public “listening sessions” and it was thought they should be held on the west side and east side of the county with one in the metro area. Staff will look for the best locations with the dates to be sometime in late October or early November.

MARATHON COUNTY BOARD SIZE TASK FORCE September 17, 2020

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Hager explained the results of the Board self-assessment that was given to the Executive Committee. The undertaking was very thorough and some main themes were identified as a result. Hager expressed that the themes would be good for the Board to review, but may not be very relevant to the discussion of Board size. It was agreed that the survey should be developed for the whole County Board to take, if leadership wanted. For the next meeting, members agreed to discuss the evaluation criteria further with baseline information included, additional information from other counties that changed board sizes, and the public engagement process with meeting locations and more details on the program and questions for the public. 6. Future Meetings and Schedule – October 7, 2020 Action: THERE BEING A CONFLICT WITH THE NEXT SCHEDULED MEETING, THE NEXT MEETING WILL BE RESCHEDULED FOR OCTOBER 7, 2020 AT 3:30 PM AT 210 RIVER DRIVE, WAUSAU, WI AND VIA WEBEX. 7. Adjourn Action: There being no further business to come before the members, ROBINSON ADJOURNED THE MEETING OF THE MARATHON COUNTY BOARD SIZE TASK FORCE AT 5:00 PM. Submitted by: Dave Mack, Program Manager Marathon County Conservation, Planning and Zoning DM: CK November 10, 2020



AGENDAOctober 7, 2020 3:30 P.M.






Persons wishing to attend the meeting by phone may call into the telephone conference beginning five (5) minutes prior to the start time indicated above using the following number: PHONE NUMBER: 1-408-418-9388 Access Code: 146 590 3645 No other number is required to participate in the telephone conference. When you enter the telephone conference, PLEASE PUT YOUR PHONE ON MUTE!


POLICY DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: 1. APPROVE MINUTES OF THE SEPTEMBER 17, 2020 MEETING; 2. COMPARISONS AND CONSIDERATIONS USED BY OTHER COUNTIES; 3. DECISION MAKING CRITERIA; 4. DEVELOPMENT OF OPTIONS FOR BOARD SIZE;

(Please come prepared to discuss different options relating to the size of the board and provide the Task Force with your top two or three options and the justification for selecting each. Options can range from 3 to 47 members, the most allowed under the statutes.)

5. PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PROCESS; 6. NEXT STEPS; 7. NEXT MEETING DATE TO BE DETERMINED: 8. ADJOURN.



SIGNED FAXED TO: Presiding Officer or Designee

News Dept. at Daily Herald (715-848-9361), City Pages (715-848-5887), Midwest Radio Group (715-848-3158), Marshfield News (877-943-0443), NOTICE POSTED AT COURTHOUSE: TPP Printing (715 223-3505)

Date: 09/30/2020 Date: Time: 2:30 p.m. Time: a.m. / p.m. By: cek By: County Clerk Time/By:



October 7, 2020 MEMBERS PRESENT; John Robinson – Chair, Craig McEwen - Vice Chair, Tim Buttke, Sandi

Cihlar, Arnold Schlei, Dave Eckmann, Deb Hager, MEMBERS EXCUSSED; Rick Seefeldt, Jacob Langenhahn OTHERS PRESENT; Dave Mack, Amanda Ley, Kurt Gibbs, AGENDA ITEMS: 1. CALL TO ORDER In the presence of a quorum, with the agenda being properly signed and posted, the meeting was called to order by Chairman Robinson at 3:32 p.m. via WebEx. 2. WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS All were welcomed and introductions were made. 3. PUBLIC COMMENT No Comments were given by anyone at this time.

POLICY DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: 1. APPROVE MINUTES SEPTEMBER 17, 2020 MEETING Action: MOTION / SECOND BY BUTTKE / MCEWEN APPROVE THE SEPTEMBER 17, 2020 MINUTES. MOTION CARRIED BY VOICE VOTE, NO DISSENT. The following items were all discussed during the overall conversation of the meeting and no one individual item was discussed with the intent to take action on them separately. Consensus was reached on how to proceed with items at the next meeting. 2. COMPARISONS AND CONSIDERATIONS USED BY OTHER COUNTIES Robinson discussed the additions to the Changes to Numbers of Supervisors table from the packet. The items added were the amount of female supervisors from both 2014 and 2020. 3. DECISION MAKING EVALUATION CRITERIA Hager reviewed the additions to the evaluation criteria chart highlighting the scoring for each question and referencing the need to define the terms Service, Diversity and Efficiency for the members to help clarify those ideas. Diversity definition included concepts like old/young, rural/urban, gender, ethnicity, making the board races more competitive, life work balance for supervisors, and problems with quorums. Diversity can come from other committees and commissions as appointments not just the County Board itself. Discussion continued with members giving opinions to the diversity definition: Age is a number not a credential, gender, cultural, demographic, old/young, do we exclude some by defining it?, do we recruit people specifically?, board is elected so we can’t control the diversity of the board. Smaller boards run the risk of having less diversity. Hager offer a holistic definition for the group diversity is “inclusion of different types of people with demographic and experiential diversity”. Robinson went back to the charter for the Task Force and identified that underrepresented population should be taken into account when discussion Board Size.

MARATHON COUNTY BOARD SIZE TASK FORCE October 7, 2020

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Service – providing responsiveness and accountability’ Efficiency – Timeliness, responsiveness, cost effectiveness, or time, effort & resources 4. DEVELOPMENT OR OPTIONS FOR BOARD SIZE Member then provided their options for the board size and explained why each number make sense to them. The numbers were recorded in a table with the rationale for them. The numbers that were identified were 41, 38, 37, 32, 31, 27, and 25 with 3 options concepts emerging. Option 1 = 38, option 2 = 25-27, and option 3 = 31-32. Some of the main reasons for the numbers were, keep it the same, why change it, smaller committee size and less members on each committee, geographic size of each district would be larger with a smaller board size, and less diversity with a smaller board. For the next meeting, the opinions of the members not present would be obtained. 5. PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PROCESS Robinson identified potential location for the public listening sessions as the Hatley Library, the Edgar Schools or the Country Aire Restaurant, and 212 River Dr., Wausau. The concept of having an in person meeting and having it be available virtually was discussed. A presentation would be created to give at each meeting and potentially video-taped to have available on the County Website for people to comment on. The target dates for the public listening sessions would be the weeks of November 9th and November 16th. 6. NEXT STEPS Members agreed to discuss the board size options, recommendations on the county committee structure, the public engagement process and presentation at the next meeting. 7. FUTURE MEETINGS AND SCHEDULE – October 22, 2020 Action: THE NEXT MEETING WILL BE SCHEDULED FOR OCTOBER 22, 2020 AT 3:30 PM AT 210 RIVER DRIVE, WAUSAU, WI AND VIA WEBEX. 8. ADJOURN Action: There being no further business to come before the members, ROBINSON ADJOURNED THE MEETING OF THE MARATHON COUNTY BOARD SIZE TASK FORCE AT 5:15 PM. Submitted by: Dave Mack, Program Manager Marathon County Conservation, Planning and Zoning DM: CK October 16, 2020



AGENDA OCTOBER 22, 2020 3:30 P.M.









POLICY DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: 1. APPROVE MINUTES OF THE OCTOBER 7, 2020 MEETING; 2. EVALUATION CRITERIA WITH DEFINED TERMS; 3. CREATE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR COUNTY COMMITTEE STRUCTURE; 4. REFINE THE BOARD SIZE OPTIONS AND THEIR RATIONALE; 5. DISCUSS PUBLIC LISTENING SESSION PRESENTATION MATERIAL; 6. FINALIZE LOCATIONS FOR PUBLIC LISTENING SESSIONS; 7. NEXT MEETING DATE, TIME: 8. ADJOURN.





Date: August 12, 2020 Date: Time: 2:15 p.m. Time: a.m. / p.m. By: cek By: County Clerk Time/By:



October 22, 2020 MEMBERS PRESENT; John Robinson – Chair, Craig McEwen - Vice Chair, Tim Buttke, Sandi

Cihlar, Rick Seefeldt, Jacob Langenhahn, Arnold Schlei, Deb Hager MEMBERS EXCUSSED; Dave Eckmann OTHERS PRESENT; Kurt Gibbs, Dave Mack, Amanda Ley, Jamie Alberti AGENDA ITEMS: 1. CALL TO ORDER In the presence of a quorum, with the agenda being properly signed and posted, the meeting was called to order by Chairman Robinson at 3:32 p.m. via WebEx. 2. WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS All were welcomed and introductions were made. 3. PUBLIC COMMENT No Comments were given by anyone at this time.

POLICY DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: 1. APPROVE MINUTES OCTOBER 7, 2020 MEETING Action: MOTION / SECOND BY BUTTKE / MCEWEN APPROVE THE OCTOBER 7, 2020 MINUTES. MOTION CARRIED BY VOICE VOTE, NO DISSENT. 2. EVALUATION CRITERIA WITH DEFINED TERMS; Mack explained the changes to the table based on the previous meetings discussion. All of the modifications were accepted by the members. Members agreed to the basic definitions identified below the table for the three terms: Service as Responsiveness and Accountability, Diversity as Inclusion of people with demographic or experiential differences; and Efficiency as Timeliness, Responsiveness, and Cost Effectiveness. Robinson explained that the 4th column was the weight factor so all categories can be viewed equally but have a different number of questions for each category. 3. CREATE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR COUNTY COMMITTEE STRUCTURE Robinson explained he obtained the additional information from absent members to finalize the chart and ask for comments. Discussion followed around how other counties identified the board size number first then determined the committee’s size and structure later. Members agreed with this concept. Consensus of the members indicated that the committee size and structure discussion should wait until after the board size has been determined. 4. REFINE THE BOARD SIZE OPTIONS AND THEIR RATIONALE Robinson review the table of board size options supplied by the task force members. Discussion on creating the three options to take to the public listening sessions. Members determined the “A” option was to keep the number at 38 supervisors. This number indicates the desire to keep things the same, why change if things are working?, larger board will allow rural people to keep their voice, larger board will provide for a more diverse board, and a larger board keeps the geographic size of the districts smaller and easier to communicate will.


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Members then determined the “B” option would be 32 supervisors. This number represents a potential change in the number of committees and their membership. 5 members for each of 6 committees with 2 in leadership or 6 members each on 5 committees with 2 in leadership. Members then determined the “C” option would be 27 supervisors. This represents the 5 member each on 5 committees with 2 in leadership. 5. DISCUSS PUBLIC LISTENING SESSION PRESENTATION MATERIAL; Robinson went through the presentation in the packet that was similar to the one he gave last summer to the Towns Associations. Members discussed specific concepts for the presentation like: why are we doing this?, we want your feedback, what are the advantages and disadvantages of each option, how the public comments will information the members and as input to go into the evaluation criteria that the task force will use to make decisions. All the members agreed with the way the presentation was put together and it should be used at the public listening sessions. 6. FINALIZE LOCATIONS FOR PUBIC LISTENING SESSIONS; Members discussed the lack of availability of different locations to host the Listening Sessions. The health issues in the County with COVID spiking all around the county forced the members to agree to a virtual and call in approach to the public listening session. It was determined that Robinson and McEwen will create a video presentation and post it on the county website, local municipal websites, social media and provide a press release to all media outlets that the presentation is available to view. An email account will be identified for comments and potentially an 800 number as well for leaving comments. The presentation will be created live during a WebEx meeting on November 11th or 12th for people to join in. the Public comment period will end on November 27th. 7. NEXT MEETING DATE, TIME; – November 30, 2020, 3:00 pm Action: THE NEXT MEETING WILL BE SCHEDULED FOR NOVEMBER 30, 2020 AT 3:00 PM AT 210 RIVER DRIVE, WAUSAU, WI AND VIA WEBEX. 8. ADJOURN Action: There being no further business to come before the members, ROBINSON ADJOURNED THE MEETING OF THE MARATHON COUNTY BOARD SIZE TASK FORCE AT 4:57 PM. Submitted by: Dave Mack, Program Manager Marathon County Conservation, Planning and Zoning DM: CK November 10, 2020



AGENDANOVEMBER 12, 2020 7:00 P.M.

COURTHOUSE ASSEMBLY ROOM, WAUSAU, WI


Members; John Robinson – Chair, Craig McEwen - Vice Chair, Tim Buttke, Sandi Cihlar, Jacob Langenhahn, Arnold Schlei, Rick Seefeldt, David Eckmann, Deb Hager


Persons wishing to attend the meeting by phone may call into the telephone conference beginning five (5) minutes prior to the start time indicated above using the following number: PHONE NUMBER: 1-408-418-9388 Access Code / Meeting Number: 146 310 0421 Please Note: If you are prompted to provide an “Attendee Identification Number” enter the # sign.

No other number is required to participate in the telephone conference. If you would like to join this meeting virtually, you may join the meeting by clicking on the “join meeting” link below. When you enter the meeting, PLEASE MUTE YOUR DEVICE! JOIN MEETING

AGENDA ITEMS: 1. CALL TO ORDER; 2. WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS;

POLICY DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: 1. PRESENTATION OF BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND OPTIONS UNDER

CONSIDERATION BY THE TASK FORCE; 2. OVERVIEW OF THE PROCESS AND TIMELINES FOR COUNTY BOARD REVIEW OF

RECOMMENDATIONS; 3. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON THE OPTIONS (comments will be limited to 3 minutes per speaker); 4. ADJOURN.

Any person planning to attend this meeting who needs some type of special accommodation in order to participate should call the County Clerk’s Office at 715-261-1500 or e-mail [email protected] one business day before the meeting.



Date: November 6, 2020 Date: Time: 2:30 p.m. Time: a.m. / p.m. By: BI By: County Clerk Time/By:

https://ccitc.webex.com/ccitc/j.php?MTID=mf434b34dd2044667fc9e3e4f4dee244b



November 12, 2020 MEMBERS PRESENT; John Robinson – Chair, Craig McEwen - Vice Chair, Tim Buttke, Sandi

Cihlar, Rick Seefeldt, , Arnold Schlei, MEMBERS EXCUSSED; Jacob Langenhahn, Dave Eckmann, Deb Hager OTHERS PRESENT; Kurt Gibbs, Dave Mack, Gerry Klein, Jean Kopplin AGENDA ITEMS: 1. CALL TO ORDER In the presence of a quorum, with the agenda being properly signed and posted, the meeting was called to order by Vice Chairman McEwen at 7:08 p.m. via WebEx. 2. WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS All were welcomed and introductions were made.

POLICY DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: 1. PRESENTATION OF BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND OPTIONS UNDER CONSIDERATION

BY THE TASK FORCE; McEwen began the presentation regarding the background information the Task Force used in the previous seven meetings and will use to forward a recommendation to the Executive Committee of the County Board. McEwen discussed why the Task Force was created and who is on the Task Force. Robinson then discussed the Duties of the Task Force identified in the Charter created by the County Board. He then discussed the Process the Task Force has taken, what other counties in the state have done regarding their board sizes, the evaluation criteria to be used by the Task Force to make a recommendation, specific factors identified by the Task Force in their discussions, Cost impacts, and finally the 3 options for the public to make comment on. The options were a 27 member board, a 32 member board, and a 38 member board. Robinson then discussed the timeline and process for people to provide comments. 2. OVERVIEW OF THE PROCESS AND TIMELINES FOR COUNTY BOARD REVIEW OF

RECOMMENDATIONS Robinson explained the process and timeline as part of the presentation. 3. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON THE OPTIONS; There were 8 people, both in person or on Webex that wished to provide comment at this time. Jim Schaefer, former County Board Supervisor - Mr. Schaefer would be in favor of the 27 or 32 member option. He believes the Administrator sets the tone for the county and over the past 6 years the committee structure has gotten a lot stronger with a lot of work being done at the committee level. Committees of 5 members can still get the work done, only 3 members per committee usually make the decisions anyway. When you are a supervisor, you owe it to your constituents to be at the meetings and make decisions. Allen Opall, District 37 County Board Supervisor - Mr. Opall would like the board to stay at 38 members. He believes a larger board will provide for more diversity, not just race, but all types of diversity and will provide the rural areas of the county the same level of representation.


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Jon Graveen, Village of Maine Board member - Mr. Graveen expressed that the rural areas of the county is where the representation is needed most. If the board would go to 32 members there would be 90% less representation and at 27 members 40% less representation. More diversity would be provided with a board of 38 members. Keep it the same. Jean Maszk, District 24 County Board Supervisor - Ms. Maszk agreed with the others that there is a need for more diversity on the board. She indicated that the WI Counties Association information shows more negatives to reducing the board size than positives. She believes special interest groups can creep into the smaller boards, with some counties having regrets over reducing their board size. The National Association of Counties (NACo) has identified that WI provides the most human services at the county level. With those ideas, she would like the board to remain at 38 members. Tom Seubert, District 27 County Board Supervisor - Mr. Seubert has received many calls from constituents asking why the board is looking at cutting the board size and how can they vote. We already have districts that are 144 and 154 square miles, reducing the board size would make those districts even bigger. He agreed with what others have said and would like to see the board stay at 38 members. EJ Stark, District 17 County Board Supervisor - Mr. Stark has talked to a lot of constituents and not a single person wants the board to reduce its size. He is worried about the smaller committee sizes, the potential loss of representation in the rural areas because the issues are different in the rural areas vs. the urban areas. He would like to keep the board at 38 members. Tom Mullaley, Village of Maine Board member – Mr. Mullaley agree with most everyone else and explained that the current board keeps the rural areas informed on matters and without that the rural areas will lose their voice. Keep the board the same at 38 members. Matt Hildebrandt, former County Board Supervisor – Mr. Hildebrandt explained as a former Board member he noticed that Marathon County was identified as the largest board in the country, not for what it does. He questions how anything gets done with a board this size. He would like to see the board reduce its size to 27 to modernize and make things more efficient. The Board should look to the future on issues like diversity and will to communicate with the residents of the county better. 4. ADJOURN Action: There being no further business to come before the members, MOTION / SECOND BY BUTTKE / ROBINSON TO ADJOURNED THE MEETING OF THE MARATHON COUNTY BOARD SIZE TASK FORCE. MOTION CARRIED BY VOICE VOTE, NO DISSENT, MEETING WAS ADJOURNED AT 7:55 PM. Submitted by: Dave Mack, Program Manager Marathon County Conservation, Planning and Zoning DM: December 11, 2020



AGENDANOVEMBER 30, 2020 3:00 P.M.






No other number is required to participate in the telephone conference.

When you enter the telephone conference, PLEASE PUT YOUR PHONE ON MUTE! AGENDA ITEMS:

1. CALL TO ORDER; 2. WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS; 3. PUBLIC COMMENT;

POLICY DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: 1. APPROVE MINUTES OF THE OCTOBER 22, 2020 AND NOVEMBER 12, 2020 MEETINGS; 2. REVIEW COMMENTS FROM PUBLIC LISTENING SESSION AND COMMENT PERIOD; 3. DISCUSS EVALUATION CRITERIA WITH THE 3 BOARD SIZE OPTIONS; 4. CREATE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR COUNTY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE; 5. DISCUSS TASK FORCE REPORT FOR EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND COUNTY BOARD; 6. NEXT MEETING DATE, TIME: 7. ADJOURN.


SIGNED EMAILED OR FAXED TO: Presiding Officer or Designee


Date: November 23, 2020 Date: Time: 9:15 a.m. Time: a.m. / p.m. By: cek By: County Clerk Time/By:



November 30, 2020 MEMBERS PRESENT: John Robinson – Chair, Craig McEwen - Vice Chair, Tim Buttke, Sandi

Cihlar, Rick Seefeldt, Arnold Schlei, Deb Hager MEMBERS EXCUSSED: Jacob Langenhahn, Dave Eckmann, OTHERS PRESENT: Kurt Gibbs, Jean Maszk, Dave Mack, Amanda Ley, Jamie Alberti, Valerie Carrillo, Meg Ellefson AGENDA ITEMS: 1. CALL TO ORDER In the presence of a quorum, with the agenda being properly signed and posted, the meeting was called to order by Chairman Robinson at 3:00 p.m. via WebEx. 2. WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS Chairman Robinson welcomed all that were present. 3. PUBLIC COMMENT Valerie Carrillo commented that she has attended or listened in to all of the Task Force meeting and believed the Task Force has done a good job reviewing all the available information regarding Board Size changes from other Counties. She also thought Task force was thoughtful in their recommendation process with regards to the size of the Board. She then expressed the desire to have the County Board remain at the current 38 members.

POLICY DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: 1. APPROVE MINUTES OF THE OCTOBER 22, 2020 AND NOVEMBER 12, 2020 MEETINGS; Action: MOTION / SECOND BY BUTTKE / MCEWEN TO APPROVE THE OCTOBER 22, 2020 AND NOVEMBER 12, 2020 MEETING MINUTES. MOTION CARRIED BY VOICE VOTE, NO DISSENT. 2. REVIEW COMMENTS FROM PUBLIC LISTENING SESSION AND COMMENT PERIOD; Mack provided a summary of the 118 total comments submitted as part of the public information gathering efforts of the Task Force. Comments were received by letter, email, phone message, on the County website, and at the Public Listening Session. Of the 118 responses, 78% desired the board to keep its current 38 membership, 19% identified the desired for a 27 member board and 3% desired a 32 member board. All of the comments will be compiled and placed in the final report from the Task Force. Action: NO ACTION TAKEN, FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY 3. DISCUSS EVALUATION CRITERIA WITH THE 3 BOARD SIZE OPTIONS; Mack began the discussion by providing the staff perspective regarding the evaluation of the 3 different board size options the Task Force identified for public comment. His rationale for the 32 member option and the 27 member option scored the same because they were both less than the current membership option of 38 members. The Task Force discussed the rationale for the scores given with the 38 members criteria scoring the highest. Hager offered her scoring using the form and even though her numbers differed, the outcome of the 38 member options ranked highest. Action: NO ACTION TAKEN, FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY

MARATHON COUNTY BOARD SIZE TASK FORCE November 30, 2020

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4. CREATE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR COUNTY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE; With the public comments and the evaluation criteria scoring, Robinson ask the Task Force for their thoughts on a recommendation for the County Executive Committee. Schlei commented that the Farm Bureau Letter and Town’s Letters all represent more than just one comment they represent all of their constituents. He is in favor of keeping the membership of the board at 38. Cihlar agreed with Schlei and even though the public input was more difficult then desired, a good response was obtained. She commented that the County’s Comprehensive Plan calls for good relationships with local Governments and this would be keeping those relationships in good order. She would like the board membership to remain at 38. Buttke commented that he was on the fence in the beginning and now has moved toward keeping the board size the same. He believes there is no political appetite for making a change and a larger board can have more diverse groups represented. He would like to keep the board size at 38 members. McEwen commented that he had no opinion in the beginning but after talking to other counties he doesn’t think there is a need for a change. He believes the committees are working well and is leaning towards keeping the membership at 38. Seefelt commented that he has talked to a lot of people lately and everyone has indicated they should leave the board size at 38. He believes the supervisors should be attending their town board meetings more and would like the board size to stay at 38. Hager recommends the board stay at 38 members. She again asked “what are we trying to solve, what isn’t working with the 38 member board?” She indicated that there is strong local government support for 38 members and that the towns are engaged with the county actions. The political will to change is not worth the political cost of doing so. Robinson expressed his supporting the status quo. He like the fresh ideas and opinions of all those that commented. The idea of diversity was the most compelling. Having different opinions make the board better. There is not a sense of community acceptance for change and that a change will not be received well by the public. He also mentioned that with all the committees, commissions and boards we are one of the most representative boards in the country. Gibbs commented that all of the comments are good and that downsizing doesn’t improve the ability to attract new people to the board. Currently the lack of political will and the desire for more diversity on the board are opportunities and someday things may push the other way. Maszk was able to comment and added that county and town boards are questioned at times and right now we are unique and diverse and we should keep the board at 38 members. Action: MOTION / SECOND BY CIHLAR / SCHLEI TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE RECOMMENDATION TO KEEP THE BOARD SIZE AT 38 MEMBERS AND PREPARE A REPORT TO PRESENT TO THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND COUNTY BOARD. MOTION CARRIED BY VOICE VOTE, NO DISSENT. 5. DISCUSS TASK FORCE REPORT FOR EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND COUNTY BOARD; Robinson presented a timeline for bringing a report to the Executive Committee in December and to the County Board in January. The County Board will be asked to take action on the board size at the February meeting with the rest of the year being devoted to the redistricting efforts to conclude by November 2021. Action: NO ACTION TAKEN, FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY

MARATHON COUNTY BOARD SIZE TASK FORCE November 30, 2020

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6. ADJOURN Action: There being no further business to come before the members, ROBINSON TO ADJOURNED THE MEETING OF THE MARATHON COUNTY BOARD SIZE TASK FORCE. MOTION CARRIED BY VOICE VOTE, NO DISSENT, MEETING WAS ADJOURNED AT 4:30 PM. Submitted by: Dave Mack, Program Manager Marathon County Conservation, Planning and Zoning DM: December 9, 2020



AGENDADECEMBER 16, 2020 4:00 P.M.






No other number is required to participate in the telephone conference.

When you enter the telephone conference, PLEASE PUT YOUR PHONE ON MUTE! AGENDA ITEMS:

1. CALL TO ORDER; 2. WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS; 3. PUBLIC COMMENT;

POLICY DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: 1. APPROVE MINUTES OF THE NOVEMBER 30, 2020 MEETING; 2. DISCUSS TASK FORCE REPORT FOR EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND COUNTY BOARD; 3. REVIEW TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS AND REDISTRICTING TIME LINE; 4. NEXT MEETING DATE IF NEDED; 5. ADJOURN.


SIGNED EMAILED OR FAXED TO: Presiding Officer or Designee


Date: December 9, 2020 Date: Time: 1:25 p.m. Time: a.m. / p.m. By: cek By: County Clerk Time/By:



December 16, 2020 MEMBERS PRESENT: John Robinson – Chair, Craig McEwen - Vice Chair, Tim Buttke, Sandi

Cihlar, Jacob Langenhahn, Deb Hager MEMBERS EXCUSSED: Rick Seefeldt, Arnold Schlei, Dave Eckmann OTHERS PRESENT: Kurt Gibbs, Cindy Kraeger, Amanda Ley, Valerie Carrillo and Meg Ellefson AGENDA ITEMS: 1. CALL TO ORDER In the presence of a quorum, with the agenda being properly signed and posted, the meeting was called to order by Chairman Robinson at 3:00 p.m. via WebEx. 2. WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS Chairman Robinson welcomed all that were present. 3. PUBLIC COMMENT No comments were given by anyone at this time.

POLICY DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: 1. APPROVE MINUTES OF THE NOVEMBER 30, 2020 MEETING; Action: MOTION / SECOND BY BUTTKE / CIHLAR TO APPROVE THE NOVEMBER 30, 2020 MEETING MINUTES. MOTION CARRIED BY VOICE VOTE, NO DISSENT. 2. DISCUSS TASK FORCE REPORT FOR EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND COUNTY BOARD; Robinson discussed the Draft Task Force report which was included in the meeting packet. Robinson reviewed the grammatical corrections and formatting within charts which will be updated in the final report. Cihlar questioned the comments received from the public listening session would be included in the final report. Robinson confirmed all comments will be placed in the final document. Robinson acknowledgement the committee members / staff for the significant amount of work that went into supporting the Task Force and development of the report. Buttke commented on the report encompassed everything the task force discussed and the full background on the Task force. McEwen commented on the format of the report and everything being captured from the meetings and discussions. Action: MOTION / SECOND BY BUTTKE / MCEWEN TO APPROVE THE TASK FORCE REPORT AND FORWARD TO THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND COUNTY BOARD. MOTION CARRIED BY VOICE VOTE, NO DISSENT. 3. REVIEW TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS AND REDISTRICTING TIME LINE; Robinson reviewed the timeline of the next steps timeline for bringing the finalized report to the Executive Committee in January 2021 and to the County Board in January 2021. The County Board will be asked to take action on the board size at the February meeting with the rest of the year being devoted to the redistricting efforts to conclude by November 2021.

MARATHON COUNTY BOARD SIZE TASK FORCE December 16, 2020

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Gibbs thanked each of the Task Force members/staff in assisting with all the work with the Task Force. Action: NO ACTION TAKEN, FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY 4. NEXT MEETING DATE IF NEEDED – No other meeting is required. 5. ADJOURN Action: There being no further business to come before the members, ROBINSON TO ADJOURNED THE MEETING OF THE MARATHON COUNTY BOARD SIZE TASK FORCE. MOTION /SECOND BY LANGENHAHN/ MCEWEN TO ADJOURN AT 4:21 P.M. MOTION CARRIED BY VOICE VOTE. Submitted by: Cindy Kraeger, Administrative Coordinator Marathon County Conservation, Planning and Zoning cek: December 18, 2020

appendix b county board size task force...rick seefeldt, david eckmann, deb hager others present:...

Documents