WEEK OF JULY 3, 2017
OPEN MEETINGS LAW
 
Last week the Wisconsin Supreme Court issued its decision in  Krueger v. Appleton Area School District Board of Education, 2017 WI 70, that will have a wide-ranging impact on schools, counties, and local governments across the state. In a broad sense, the Court determined that there are potentially numerous committees comprised of staff and administration that may now be subject to the Open Meetings Law - historically, the prevailing opinion from most local government and school district groups was that such meetings were not subject to that law. Now, many are asking questions: What was the Court's decision really about? What are the practical ramifications of this ruling? What do public entities need to do going forward in order to comply with the law? While not all of the answers are clear just yet, local government and school districts have the unenviable task of making sure meetings of its employees do not run afoul of the Open Meetings law.

There will be a interactive webinar on Friday, July 7 to discuss this decision of the Supreme Court and to answer questions on how this will impact public entities. The webinar will be hosted by Andy Phillips and Chrissy Hamiel of von Briesen & Roper, s.c.  There are two webinar times, 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.  If you are interested in participating, there is limited space. Please email your RSVP to Chelsea Fibert via email by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 5.  

DOT Local Program

The Department of Transportation is transitioning away from using management consultants to aid in the management of the Local Program, which provides resources to enhance local transportation systems. Learn more about the transition by clicking here.  
JOINT COMMITTEE ON FINANCE DELIBERATIONS 

The Joint Committee on Finance (JCF) did not meet last week. The sticking point continues to be the transportation budget.
TUNE IN ON MONDAYS FOR WEEKLY BUDGET WEBINARS  

The next weekly budget webinar will be held on the Monday morning following action by the Joint Committee on Finance. Notification will be sent to all Capitol Watch recipients following an announcement of a meeting of the Joint Committee on Finance.  

How to Sign Up

To join this FREE webinar, visit https://wicounties.adobeconnect.com/budget/ each Monday morning. This link will remain active throughout the budget process. 

Watch Prior Webinars Online!
Watch prior budget webinars or to access webinar presentations here. 
COMMITTEE HEARINGS FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 3, 2017

Note: The Committee hearings and bills listed below reflect action on legislation impacting county government.  For a complete listing of weekly hearings, please visit here .

There are no public hearings scheduled this week.  

For a listing of all bills impacting county government and WCA's positions on those bills, please visit the WCA website. 
UPCOMING WCA MEETINGS/EVENTS
  • July 13 - County Organization and Personnel Steering Committee
  • July 14 - Judicial and Public Safety Steering Committee
  • July 14 - Health and Human Services Steering Committee
  • July 14 - Taxation and Finance Steering Committee
  • July 17 - Agriculture, Environment, and Land Use Steering Committee
  • July 17 - Transportation and Public Works Steering Committee
  • July 21 - Agriculture, Environment, and Land Use Steering Committee
  • July 21 - Transportation and Public Works Steering Committee
HOW CAN YOU FOLLOW THE SESSION WITH US?  

wispolitics
As a member-benefit, the Wisconsin Counties Association offers access to The Wheeler Report, WisPolitics, and WisconsinEye.

If you would like to subscribe to any one of these news services, please contact Amy Dias, Office Manager at dias@wicounties.org or at 866.404.2700.
QUESTIONS?

If you have any questions about anything happening at the state level, please feel free to contact any member of the WCA Government Affairs Team:

Kyle Christianson, Director of Government Affairs
608.663.7188
christianson@wicounties.org

Sarah Diedrick-Kasdorf, Deputy Director of Government Affairs
608.663.7188
diedrick@wicounties.org

Dan Bahr, Government Affairs Associate
608.663.7188
bahr@wicounties.org

Marcie Rainbolt, Government Affairs Associate
608.663.7188
rainbolt@wicounties.org

Chelsea Fibert, Government Affairs Assistant
608.663.7188