All of the above reports are available with the exception of the Second Harvest Report which will be released March 10, 1998 - Attachment A. In closing, the Board decided that these reports could form the basis for an analysis of the extent of problems related to food insecurity and provide an improved perspective on the status of hunger in Wisconsin.
Thank you for your continued commitment to Wisconsin families.
Sincerely,
Joseph Leean
Secretary, DHFS
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State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
Madison
February 23, 1998
To the Honorable, the Assembly:
We have completed an evaluation of Menominee County as directed by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee. Menominee County faces unique financial problems because just 1 percent of its land is subject to local property taxes, while nearly all the rest is held in federal trust for the benefit of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin.
A598
The county's financial condition is poor; its expenditures have exceeded revenues for five of the last seven years, and it ended 1997 with a deficit of approximately $75,684. Although the county's taxable property is mostly lake property and has therefore increased rapidly in value, the total assessed value of $144 million is lowest among all counties. Tax bills paid by county residents are high in comparison to surrounding towns and towns in other counties with lake property, and services such as road maintenance and fire protection provided to county residents are limited. At the same time, the county's high poverty, unemployment, and crime rates place high demands on the human services programs and law enforcement.
If property taxes are to be held to a reasonable level and residents of Menominee County are to be provided even minimally acceptable services, the State may have to provide financial assistance to Menominee County, at least for a time. During that time, the Legislature will need to pursue federal legislation that will cause the federal government to assume greater responsibility for the burdens associated with federal trust lands.
We also identified a series of needed management improvements, which we discuss in a management letter to the Menominee County Board.
We appreciated the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by officials of Menominee County and the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin.
Respectfully submitted,
Dale Cattanach
State Auditor
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REFERENCE BUREAU CORRECTIONS
Assembly Bill 514
1. Page 22, line 2: delete "5" and substitute "5".
Assembly Bill 579
1. Page 6, line 17: substitute "amortization" for "amoritization".
2. Page 10, line 5: delete "10% of" and substitute "10% or".
Assembly Bill 651
1. Page 263, line 1: substitute "9356 (1)" for "9356 (3)".
Assembly Bill 790
1. Page 5, line 6: substitute "administrator" for "administer".
Senate Substitute Amendment 2 to Senate Bill 315
1. Page 2, line 3: after "records," insert "storage and disposal of documents containing medical and financial information,".
