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Rock County to spend more on park lands
By Cheryl Scott
Daily News staff writer
JANESVILLE - The Rock County Board of Supervisors showed that parks and conservation efforts were important to them when they passed the 2009 budget Wednesday.
An area of debate with the 2009 budget included how to spend a $1.8 million one-time payment from the American Transmission Company (ATC). The board voted 22-6 in a motion to set the $1.8 million aside in a segregated fund for parks and land conservation, County Clerk Lori Stottler said.
“I'm elated about it. The parks can certainly use the money, and we'll put it to good use,” said Kurtis Yankee, chairman of the Public Works Committee, under which the Parks Division falls.
ATC will give Rock County $1.8 million in an Environmental Impact Fee because the company plans to construct a 35-mile, 345-kilovolt transmission line through the county. Under state law, the fee may be used for parks, conservation and other environmental programs, but the county may also request to use the fee for other purposes in the public interest, County Administrator Craig Knutson said.
Last week, the Finance Committee recommended that the board go with Knutson's initial budget proposal to spend some of the $1.8 million payment on parks and conservation, but use the rest of the payment in various areas to avoid dipping into sales tax revenue. Knutson had proposed that the Public Works Parks Division receive $409,664, the Land Conservation Department be given $161,374 and the rest of the $1.8 million would be used in various areas, such as the operating costs, Human Services Department, equipment and sheriff's department operations, he said.
Knutson based his proposal on the direction the county board gave him in the past, which was to save as much sales tax as possible for large capital projects, such as a future jail expansion.
Because the board voted to set aside $1.8 million solely for parks and conservation, the sales tax funds going to large capital projects will be about $3.96 million instead of $5.76 million, Knutson said.
The $1.8 million one-time payment from ATC could be used for some of the items in the county's Park, Outdoor Recreation and Open Space Plan (POROS) plan, such as acquiring more scenic areas; building hiking trails, picnic areas, boat launches, dog parks, equestrian trails and snowmobile trails; and making improvements to Magnolia Bluff Park, such as adding a picnic shelter, electricity and handicapped accessible areas, Yankee said.
“It's (Magnolia Park is) the best view in Rock County - You can see all the way in Illinois,” Yankee said.
The board will vote on the five-year POROS plan in December, which will prioritize which improvements should be made first, Yankee said.
Besides setting aside money for parks, the board also voted to change the parks coordinator's job from 16 hours a week to a full-time position for a cost increase of $32,064, Knutson said. Last Thursday, the Finance Committee recommended the board deny the Public Works Committee's request for a change in the park coordinator position.
Another position added in the 2009 budget is a 4/10 deputy coroner position (16 hours per week), which would cost $13,808, Knutson said. The Finance Committee had recommended the board approve this position, he said.
Due to the addition of the two positions, the total expenditures in the 2009 budget changed slightly. Instead of the proposed $171,620,556 in expenditures for 2009, the total is $171,668,527, or an increase of about $48,000, Knutson said.
The tax rate and tax levy did not change Wednesday when the board passed the budget. The proposed tax rate for 2009 is $5.38 per $1,000, an approximately 1.5 percent decrease from last year's tax rate of $5.46 per $1,000, Knutson said.
The tax levy for 2009 is $55,026,100, which is a 3.03 percent increase from the 2008 tax levy of $53,409,838.
An area of debate with the 2009 budget included how to spend a $1.8 million one-time payment from the American Transmission Company (ATC). The board voted 22-6 in a motion to set the $1.8 million aside in a segregated fund for parks and land conservation, County Clerk Lori Stottler said.
“I'm elated about it. The parks can certainly use the money, and we'll put it to good use,” said Kurtis Yankee, chairman of the Public Works Committee, under which the Parks Division falls.
ATC will give Rock County $1.8 million in an Environmental Impact Fee because the company plans to construct a 35-mile, 345-kilovolt transmission line through the county. Under state law, the fee may be used for parks, conservation and other environmental programs, but the county may also request to use the fee for other purposes in the public interest, County Administrator Craig Knutson said.
Last week, the Finance Committee recommended that the board go with Knutson's initial budget proposal to spend some of the $1.8 million payment on parks and conservation, but use the rest of the payment in various areas to avoid dipping into sales tax revenue. Knutson had proposed that the Public Works Parks Division receive $409,664, the Land Conservation Department be given $161,374 and the rest of the $1.8 million would be used in various areas, such as the operating costs, Human Services Department, equipment and sheriff's department operations, he said.
Knutson based his proposal on the direction the county board gave him in the past, which was to save as much sales tax as possible for large capital projects, such as a future jail expansion.
Because the board voted to set aside $1.8 million solely for parks and conservation, the sales tax funds going to large capital projects will be about $3.96 million instead of $5.76 million, Knutson said.
The $1.8 million one-time payment from ATC could be used for some of the items in the county's Park, Outdoor Recreation and Open Space Plan (POROS) plan, such as acquiring more scenic areas; building hiking trails, picnic areas, boat launches, dog parks, equestrian trails and snowmobile trails; and making improvements to Magnolia Bluff Park, such as adding a picnic shelter, electricity and handicapped accessible areas, Yankee said.
“It's (Magnolia Park is) the best view in Rock County - You can see all the way in Illinois,” Yankee said.
The board will vote on the five-year POROS plan in December, which will prioritize which improvements should be made first, Yankee said.
Besides setting aside money for parks, the board also voted to change the parks coordinator's job from 16 hours a week to a full-time position for a cost increase of $32,064, Knutson said. Last Thursday, the Finance Committee recommended the board deny the Public Works Committee's request for a change in the park coordinator position.
Another position added in the 2009 budget is a 4/10 deputy coroner position (16 hours per week), which would cost $13,808, Knutson said. The Finance Committee had recommended the board approve this position, he said.
Due to the addition of the two positions, the total expenditures in the 2009 budget changed slightly. Instead of the proposed $171,620,556 in expenditures for 2009, the total is $171,668,527, or an increase of about $48,000, Knutson said.
The tax rate and tax levy did not change Wednesday when the board passed the budget. The proposed tax rate for 2009 is $5.38 per $1,000, an approximately 1.5 percent decrease from last year's tax rate of $5.46 per $1,000, Knutson said.
The tax levy for 2009 is $55,026,100, which is a 3.03 percent increase from the 2008 tax levy of $53,409,838.
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