At a regular meeting of the Common Council of the City of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, held December 15, 9197, the following document was passed, and we are enclosing a certified copy thereof.
Res. No. 267-97-98 by Ald. Menard, Moody & D. Van Akkeren
Yours very truly,
Patricia Lohse, CMC
City Clerk
City of Sheboygan
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Referral of Agency Reports
State of Wisconsin
Department of Employment Relations
Madison
December 23, 1997
To the Honorable, the Assembly:
Pursuant to s.
230.04(13)(e), Stats., the annual affirmative Action report of the Department of Employment Relations, is hereby submitted. Please distribute the enclosed announcement of the report's availability to members of the Assembly.
Additional copies may be obtained from the Department of Employment Relations, Division of Affirmative Action, 137 East Wilson Street, Madison, WI 53702. The telephone number is (608)266-8149.
Sincerely,
Jon E. Litscher
Secretary, DER
Referred to committee on Labor and Employment.
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State of Wisconsin
Department of Tourism
Madison
December 29, 1997
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
The plan is divided between public relations, advertising and trade show elements and is a component of the Department's strategic marketing plan published in October 1997.
Attached is the Department of Tourism's Canadian Marketing Plan.
Sincerely,
Moose Speros
Secretary, Department of Tourism
Referred to committee on Tourism and Recreation.
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State of Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources
Madison
December 12, 1997
To the Honorable, the Assembly:
The Department is notifying you as co-chair of the Joint Committee on Finance of a proposed amendment to a grant which was previously awarded to the Ice Age Park and Trail Foundation for acquisition of three parcels of land in Dane County. The increase raises the amount of the grant by $288,725. This notice is pursuant to s.23.0915(4), Stats., which requires the Department to notify the Joint Committee on Finance of Stewardship expenditures above $250,000.00. The land is required for the National Scenic Ice Age Trail. There are sufficient funds appropriated to complete the purchase.
Attached please find a summary of the project as well as a map and copy of the project plan for the Ice Age Trail Junction Area.
I certify that this request for consideration meets all applicable state and federal statutes, rules, regulations and guidelines. This certification is based upon a thorough and complete analysis of this request.
If you do not notify the Department within 14 working days after this notification that the Committee has scheduled a meeting to review the proposed grant, the Department will proceed with awarding a grant. If you need additional information, please contact Janet Beach Hanson at 266-0868 who is available to answer any questions you may have regarding this matter.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
GEORGE E. MEYER
Secretary, DNR
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State of Wisconsin
Wisconsin Housing and Economic
Development Authority
Madison
December 12, 1997
To the Honorable, the Assembly:
Pursuant to section 234.25, Wisconsin Statutes, attached is the fiscal 1997 annual report of the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA). This report contains information about WHEDA's fiscal 1997 operations and accomplishments, our strategic plan and the year-end report of our public auditor. Please note that each of the housing programs described in the following pages are consistent with the goals, policies and objectives of the state housing plan.
Should you have any questions or comments on this report, please call me or Jim Langdon at 266-3529. Thank you for your interest in WHEDA.
Sincerely,
FRITZ RUF
Executive Director, WHEDA
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State of Wisconsin
Department of Public Instruction
Madison
December 1997
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
The department is pleased to submit the 1997 Annual Report on the Status of Bilingual-Bicultural Education programs, as required under s.
115.96, Wisconsin Statutes.
The report provides a review of the state's administration and funding of bilingual education in Wisconsin and factors contributing to program expansion and the resulting continuously lower annual reimbursement rates for school districts. The number of pupils served from minority languages, the locations of the state-funded programs during the 1997 fiscal year (July 1, 1996, through June 30, 1997), and staff-related data are included in the report to inform those with responsibilities for ensuring the continued success of bilingual education programs in Wisconsin. I am confident that you will find the report informational, useful and of concern given the rising numbers of pupils to be served absent a corresponding increase in fiscal support by the state.
If you have questions on any aspect of this report, please contact Barbara A. Bitters, director, equity, 266-9609. She will be happy to discuss these at your convenience.
Sincerely,
John T. Benson
State Superintendent
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State of Wisconsin
Department of Administration
Madison
December 12, 1997
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
This report is transmitted as required by sec. 20.002(11)(f) of the Wisconsin Statutes, (for distribution to the appropriate standing committees under sec. 13.172(3) Stats.), and confirms that the Department of Administration has found it necessary to exercise the "temporary reallocation of balances" authority provided by this section in order to meet payment responsibilities and cover resulting negative balances during the month of November, 1997.
On November 19, 1997 the Wisconsin Petroleum Inspection Fund balance was -$1.30 million. This shortfall continued until November 20, 1997 when the balance reached $8.08 million. This shortfall was due to the timing of revenues.
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On November 3, 1997 the
Wisconsin Health Education Loan Repayment Fund balance was -$2 thousand. This shortfall continued through November 21, 1997 when the balance reached $13 thousand. This shortfall was due to the timing of revenues.
The Wisconsin Petroleum Inspection and Health Education Loan Repayment Fund shortfalls were not in excess of the $400 million ceiling and did not exceed the balances of the Funds available for interfund borrowing.
The distribution of interest earnings to investment pool participants is based on the average daily balance in the pool and each fund's share. Therefore, the monthly calculation by the State Controller's Office will automatically reflect the use of these temporary reallocations of balance authority.
Sincerely,
Mark D. Bugher
Secretary, DOA
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State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
Madison
December 22, 1997
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
As required by
1995 Wisconsin Act 5, we have completed an evaluation of state-funded loan guarantee programs administered by the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA). The programs, which guarantee commercial loans to eligible small businesses and farmers, are managed in the Wisconsin Development Reserve Fund. A 40 percent decrease in the Reserve Fund balance, from $21.1 million at the end of fiscal year 1991-92 to $12.9 million as of June 30, 1997, heightens the need for effective fiscal management of the Fund and guarantee programs. The Reserve Fund balance could decrease even more quickly if any one of several events occurs, including changes in the economy or a default on a large guaranteed loan.
In light of the decreasing balance, WHEDA has taken a number of steps to help improve the efficiency and reduce the costs of the guarantee programs. However, we identified several areas in which WHEDA needs to continue to improve its fiscal management of the Reserve Fund. For example, because it does not record or monitor actual time or costs spent on the guarantee programs, WHEDA is unable to adequately support the appropriateness and necessity of costs allocated to the Reserve Fund. In addition, staffing levels and expenses appear relatively high compared to those of commercial lenders and other state agencies. WHEDA also lacks adequate investment policies and strategies to guide investment decisions for the Reserve Fund.
In the future, additional state funds are likely to be required to maintain WHEDA's loan guarantee programs. However, whether to provide additional state funding in the future will depend on program need, demand, and results. WHEDA's loan guarantee programs for small businesses, which are the most costly to administer, are similar to those provided by the federal Small Business Administration. To help the Legislature assess the continued need for the small business loan guarantee programs, WHEDA needs to measure and report program results, such as the number of actual jobs created and retained.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by WHEDA. A response from WHEDA is the appendix.
Sincerely,
Dale Cattanach
State Auditor
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State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
Madison
December 30, 1997
To the Honorable, the Assembly:
We have audited the financial statements of ECB Radio and Television Networks, which are public telecommunications entities operated by the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board, for the period July 1, 1996 through June 30, 1997 and have issued our reports on these statements, dated December 5, 1997.
The audit was requested by the Educational Communications Board to fulfill audit requirements of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The Corporation requires audited financial statements of public broadcasting entities and certifications of these entities' non-federal revenue sources in determining future funding levels. The audit reports include no major findings, conclusions, or recommendations.
