PRESENT: Supervisors Richard Nelson & Mark Cronce, Jim Huiras,
Karen Makoutz and Keith Wetherell
ALSO PRESENT: Paul Roback, Community Resource Development Educator
John Meland, Chief Economic Development Planner, Southeastern Wisconsin
Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC)
Call to order: Chairperson Nelson called the meeting to order at
7:35 a.m. and noted that a quorum was present.
Overview of grant application: John Meland presented a Community
Development Block Grant (CDBG) application submitted by the Kohler Company
for employee training at their new plant, Sauk Technologies, in the
Village of Saukville.
The CDBG is federal money that is passed to the State of Wisconsin
Department of Commerce for business attraction and retention.
Traditionally, when the State grants a CDBG to a company, the money is
granted to the County and then loaned out to the business. The principal
and interest from the loan is then paid back to the County. This payment
is deposited into the County’s Revolving Loan Fund and can be loaned out
to other businesses. However, for this application, the State is granting
the money to the Kohler Company. There will not be payments to the County.
The State requires the County pass a resolution supporting the Kohler
Company’s CDBG application. Without a resolution, the Kohler Company will
not receive the CDBG. The State also requires that the County administer
the loan and gives the County $3,000 for this administration. As with
other CDBGs, the County will contract with SEWRPC to administer the grant.
With the CDBG, the Kohler Company plans to train 95 employees at Sauk
Technologies. 45 of these employees are dislocated workers and 50 are new
employees in Saukville. The total cost of this training is $338,800. The
CDBG application is for one-half of this cost, $169,400. All training will
be accomplished by 2005 and these employees will be retained by at least
2007.
