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.
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.
Sincerely,
Dale Cattanach
State Auditor
State of Wisconsin
Wisconsin Legislative Council Staff
February 20, 1998
The Honorable, The Senate:
Enclosed is a copy of the
1997 Annual Report on the Legislative Council Rules Clearinghouse, submitted to the Legislature pursuant to s.
227.15 (5), Stats. Copies have been distributed to the offices of each member of the Legislature.
The report covers the 18th full calendar year of operation of the Rules clearinghouse. I trust that it will be found to be informative.
Sincerely,
David J. Stute
Director
State of Wisconsin
Department of Public Instruction
March 1, 1998
The Honorable, The Senate:
Wisconsin school laws include the following provision in section 115.45 (6)(b) and (c):
SECTION 115. 45 Grants for preschool to grade 5 programs.
(6) The state superintendent shall:
(b) By March 1, 1986, and annually thereafter, submit to the joint committee on Finance and the chief clerk of each house of the legislature, for distribution to the appropriate standing committees under s.13.172(3), a budget report detailing the grants he or she intends to award under this section in the next fiscal year. The report shall provide summary data on the results of the annual testing required under sub. (4)(b) and include a description of the guidelines used to determine the individual schools and private service providers that will receive funds under this section and the types of expenditures eligible for such funds.
(c) Annually submit to the legislature under s.
13.172 (2) a report on the academic progress made by pupils enrolled in preschool to grade 5 programs under this section.
All Preschool-to-Grade-5 (P-5) Evaluation Reports for 1996-97 are contained herein as well as a report on the academic progress for all schools funded by the P-5 program. If you have questions, please contact my office or Sandra Dercole in the DPI Office of Urban Education (414-227-4466).
Sincerely,
John T. Benson
State Superintendent
Referred to committee on Education.
State of Wisconsin
Ethics Board
February 17, 1998
The Honorable, The Senate/Legislature:
At the direction of s.
13.685(7),
Wisconsin Statutes, I am furnishing you with the names of organizations recently registered with the Ethics Board that employ one or more individuals to affect state legislation or administrative rules, and notifying you of changes in the Ethics Board's records of licensed lobbyists and their employers. For each recently registered organization I have included the organization's description of the general area of legislative or administrative action that it attempts to influence and the name of each licensed lobbyist that the organization has authorized to act on its behalf.
Organization's authorization of additional lobbyists:
The following organizations previously registered with the Ethics Board have authorized to act on their behalf these additional licensed lobbyists:
Local Union 2150, IBEW
Sherman, Daniel
Nicolet Minerals Company (formerly Crandon Mining)
Cumming, Donald
Out of State Landowners Assn, Inc., Wisconsin
Swandby, Janet
Power and Light Company, Wisconsin
Harvey, William
Termination of lobbying authorizations:
The following individuals are no longer authorized to lobby on behalf of the organizations listed below, as of the dates indicated.
Local Union 2150, IBEW
Kowalkowski, Joseph 2/17/98
Primary Health Care Assn, Wisconsin
Friedsam, Donna 2/13/98
Varco-Pruden Buildings
Broydrick, William 2/17/98
Oakley, Kara 2/17/98
S468
Also available from the Wisconsin Ethics Board are reports identifying the amount and value of time state agencies have spent to affect legislative action and reports of expenditures for lobbying activities filed by the organizations that employ lobbyists.
Sincerely,
R. Roth Judd
Executive Director
State of Wisconsin
Ethics Board
February 24, 1998
The Honorable, The Senate/Legislature:
At the direction of s.
13.685(7),
Wisconsin Statutes, I am furnishing you with the names of organizations recently registered with the Ethics Board that employ one or more individuals to affect state legislation or administrative rules, and notifying you of changes in the Ethics Board's records of licensed lobbyists and their employers. For each recently registered organization I have included the organization's description of the general area of legislative or administrative action that it attempts to influence and the name of each licensed lobbyist that the organization has authorized to act on its behalf.
Organizations recently registered:
Below are the names of organizations recently registered with the Ethics Board as employing one or more individuals to affect state legislation or administrative rules.
Commercial-Free Public Education, The Center for (Limited Lobbying organization)
Financial Service Centers Wis Alliance of
Subject(s): Any legislation or agency role that affects currency exchange licensee, as well as SS 138.09.
Essie, Patrick
Professional Geologists--WI Chapter, Amer. Inst. of
Subject(s): Any legislation or rule which may affect the licensure and/or practice of the science of geology in the State of Wisconsin.
Peshek, Peter
Wiley, Lawrence A
S C Johnson & Son Inc
Subject(s): Any function or activity of any branch, department or phase of state or local government; agriculture; environment; taxation; regulation or business; finance or insurance, or other topics pertaining to the general public health and welfare including 1997 Assembly Bill 114.
Kuehn, Ronald W
Organization's authorization of additional lobbyists:
The following organizations previously registered with the Ethics Board have authorized to act on their behalf these additional licensed lobbyists:
Fire Chiefs Assn, Wisconsin State
Brown, George
Madison Area Builders Assn
Rosenberg, Stuart
Nicolet Minerals Company (formerly Crandon Mining)
Langenfeld, Mark
Termination of lobbying authorizations:
The following individuals are no longer authorized to lobby on behalf of the organizations listed below, as of the dates indicated.
Koch Industries, Inc
Remsik, Jeffrey J 2/20/98
Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, Inc
Kelly, Erin 2/19/98
Madison Area Builders Assn
