Ozaukee County, Wisconsin

Administrative Coordinator

Administrative Coordinator

To the Honorable County Board Supervisors:

This is our motto that we strive hard to achieve on a daily basis. The past year provided many opportunities in the Administrative Coordinator’s Office to put into action Ozaukee County’s mission with service to our taxpayers, the members of the County Board, our excellent employees, and all of the County’s citizens who rely on the quality services the County provides.

Fiscal concerns dominated governmental debate at the State and local level in 2003. In Ozaukee County, as in all Wisconsin Counties, public concerns about level of taxation weighed against the delivery of services mandated by the State of Wisconsin, and the inevitable reductions in associated State revenues. These issues guided the actions of this office and County Board in 2003. A majority of this debate paralleled the planning and deliberations for the 2004 Ozaukee County budget, our office led, coordinated, and participated in discussions attempting to craft solutions to these difficulties in the short and long-term. These solutions include:

• Completing the refinancing of the unfunded State of Wisconsin pension debt - $250,000 on annual savings

• Negotiation of Shared Utility Tax revenues associated the Port Washington Power Plant – approximately $750,000 additional expected revenues in 2005

• Renegotiation of Ozaukee County health insurance rates with the GHT - $400,000 in savings and $500,000 in rate savings due to plan design changes with all insured

• $2.6 Million worth of cuts and efficiencies from departmental original requests including:

  • Structural redesigns promoting internal efficiencies - $160,000 in annual savings

  • Combining Human Resources, Finance and Administrative Coordinator into DOA

  • Planning, Resource, and Land Management collocation with Parks Department

  • Corporation Counsel collocation with Veterans Service Office

  • Position eliminations totaling $650,000 in annual savings

Within the framework above, Ozaukee County moved ahead into the 2004 budget process. As one of the major responsibilities of the office, the presentation of the Ozaukee County budget to the Finance Committee and County Board encompasses much of our efforts. Losses of revenue and structural increases coupled with the fiscal challenges in the State necessitated some of the changes listed above, as well as, others mitigating the County’s reliance on tax levy some additional efforts include:

Coordination and analysis of the 2004-2008 Ozaukee County Capital Improvement Plan added value to the 2004, and upcoming budget processes, providing a five-year projection of future capital needs. The Administrative Coordinator’s office working with the Finance Department formulated a Capital Financing Policy and system to weigh proposed capital projects against one another. The deferral of capital expenditures in recent budget cycles results from efforts to decrease reliance on tax levy; these methods of expenditure reduction can have highly detrimental effects and cause wide variations in future capital spending and needs. Full codification and application of the policy in future budget cycles will mitigate these effects.

As the fiscal debate necessitated an examination of organizational structure, our office, working with the County Board and various departments continued to pursue the use of technology to increase the effective and efficient delivery of our many services. The past year allowed the opportunity to begin to plan for the implementation of three technological major undertakings, which will culminate in 2004:

Each of these technical solutions, allow County staff, through the use of technology, to focus on providing improved service to our citizens by removing administrative and clerical barriers and improving departmental functions.

Two analyses, approved by the County Board in 2003, will set the stage for future efforts by the office and present the County Board with options in determining the future operations of the County Fairgrounds and Lasata campus. In 2003, work continued with the Agricultural Society Liaison Committee to examine alternative Fairgrounds locations adequate for the Ozaukee County Fair, 4-H activities, and other County related activities. A visioning process by the numerous Fairground stakeholders to address the future needs is planned for 2004. Preparations and investigation for the long-range plan assessing the future of the Lasata Nursing Home and Heights Retirement Center began in 2003. These efforts will culminate with an interim report in June 2004 with a final report available for the County Board during the 2005 budget process.

Numerous positive developments occurred in the Administrative Coordinator’s Office that highlighted the County’s efforts to support intergovernmental relationships, cultivate partnerships with local educational institutions, and participate in the development of program performance measures with the State Department of Revenue.

The Administrative Coordinator’s Office continues to represent the County and develop relationships with, other governments, their practitioners, elected officials, and our citizens on numerous committees and organizations including: LOGIN, Mid-Moraine Administrators, Wisconsin Counties Utility Tax Association, Wisconsin County Executives and Administrators Association, Wisconsin Association of Municipal and County Assistant Managers, the Milwaukee Area Society for Public Administration, Wisconsin Counties Taxation and Finance Steering Committee, Ozaukee County Historical Society and Ozaukee County Tourism.

Our office continued the effort to develop the restoration of the County Courthouse. The past year saw many favorable developments. With the help of the Ad-Hoc Committee, County Board Chairperson and other members of the Board, we sought and obtained private financial support from some of our local citizens. These relationships moved the restoration closer to the goal of the completion of a Historic Structures Report. A grant application submitted to the Jeffris Foundation obtained a challenge grant to fund one-third of the report. We would like to thank everyone, including the Supervisors, who donated to support the efforts in 2003.

Without question, 2004 will present equal challenges, four major policy items will focus our efforts: the completion of the Fairgrounds and Lasata study, an analysis of the consolidation of the Counties Human Services Departments in conjunction with the Integrated Services Platform and Uniform Data initiative, and the overall prioritization of County Services.

I would like to acknowledge the efforts of all of the Department Heads, our employees, and my assistant Jason Dzwinel for their continued support of this office, the County Board and the citizens of the County. The past year has again offered many challenges and opportunities, but more importantly much to build on to ensure that 2004 will be equally successful.

Sincerely yours,

THOMAS W. MEAUX

Administrative Coordinator

2002 State of the County