§ 2-94. Appointive boards, committees and commissions

Membership on appointive boards, committees and commissions will be by appointment made by the county board chair subject to approval by the county board. Appointments to non-elective boards and commissions shall be made by the county administrator per Wis. Stats. § 59.18(2)(c). Committees shall be evaluated every two years prior to the county board reorganizational meeting to determine whether changes in committee structure and/or consolidation with another committee is appropriate. The purpose and duties of these boards, committees and commissions are outlined below.

(1) Child support committee. The child support committee shall consist of five members of the county board. It shall have supervision over all matters pertaining to the child support agency.

(2) Commission on aging. The commission on aging shall consist of nine members appointed by the board chair: three county board members appointed for a two-year term and six citizen members appointed for a three-year term. Term limitations are set by administrative rule. The commission provides policy oversight to the office on aging and plans and establishes policies for programs included in the county aging unit plan for older people funded by the federal Older Americans Act, state, county and local sources. The commission delegates one member to the board of directors of the Northern Area Agency on Aging.

(3) Condemnation commission. The condemnation commission shall consist of five members, who shall be residents of the county, appointed by the judges of the circuit courts under Wis. Stats. § 32.08(2).

(4) COP: Long term support planning committee. The long term support advisory committee oversees long term support services delivered throughout the county. This committee provides a vehicle of communication for public and private providers and recipients in matters pertaining to the overall service delivery of long term support services in the county. Per section 2.02 of the COP (Community Options Program) Administration Guidelines, the committee shall consist of a minimum of ten voting members representing the following:

a. At least five members will represent consumers receiving long term community support, with no less than two being actual recipients of long term support services. One of each of the following groups will be represented: frail elderly, physically disabled, developmentally disabled, chronically mentally ill, chemically dependent.

b. At least two elected county officials.

c. At least one representative from DHHS, public health agency.

d. At least one representative from DHHS, human services.

e. At least one representative from the Office On Aging.

(5) Ethics committee. The ethics committee shall be a nonstanding committee to be appointed by the county board chair when necessary (appointed by the vice-chair if the chair is involved). Membership shall consist of county board members or non-county board members as determined by the nature of the ethics charges. It shall be the responsibility of this committee to report to the executive committee its findings and/or recommendations. The executive committee may refer the recommendations to the county board if deemed necessary, but, in any case, the final resolution will be reported to the county board.

(6) Executive committee. The executive committee shall consist of the joint committee of the finance and insurance committee and salary and personnel committee. The duties of the executive committee shall include, but not be limited to, establishing, recommending and supervising county policy over executive and administrative matters. The executive committee shall provide oversight and supervision of the county administrator. The executive committee shall direct staff to be responsible for evaluating and auditing all county departments, agencies, commissions and boards. The executive committee shall be responsible to supervise the code of conduct established for county government and compliance therewith.

(7) Extension, education, and land conservation. These are two separate committees maintaining separate minutes consisting of the same board members. They shall consist of the five county board members. One of the members thus selected shall be a supervisor from a village or city. The remaining members of the committee shall represent agriculture districts.

a. Extension, education committee. The extension, education committee oversees the activities and shall provide policy planning and oversight of the extension office.

b. Land conservation committee. Pursuant to Wis. Stats. § 92.06(1)(b), the land conservation committee shall consist of one additional member, that being a representative from the FSA committee. The land conservation committee shall provide policy planning and oversight of the soil and water conservation office. One of the committee members plus one citizen will serve on the resource, conservation and development board. If additional lake districts are formed in the county, the representative to the lake district will be a member of the land conservation committee (LCC). If no member of the LCC is able to serve as the representative for the newly formed lake district, the LCC will nominate another member of the county board to serve as representative to the lake district. Preferably, the nominated board member will reside near the lake in question and have an interest in serving the county in this capacity. The nomination by the LCC must be confirmed by the county board. This process of appointing a non-LCC member to a lake district is defined in Wis. Stats. § 33.28(2)(a).

(8) Lake district, land conservation representatives. This is the liaison between the land conservation committee and the various lake districts.

a. Beaver Dam.

b. Dummy Lakes.

c. Kirby.

d. Lower Turtle.

e. Rice Lake.

f. Staples.

g. Other lake districts as formed.

(9) Finance and insurance committee.

a. The finance and insurance committee shall consist of five members of the county board. The county clerk and the county treasurer shall serve as ex officio members when discussing finance matters. The designated risk management contact shall serve as ex officio member when discussing insurance matters.

b. The finance committee shall have policy supervision over matters of finance. It shall review annually the budget prepared by the county administrator for the county government. The committee shall make the recommended budget available to each member of the board at least five days before the November session of the board. The committee shall recommend a budget resolution annually to the board addressing budget process and timeline. The committee shall have the power to designate depositories under Wis. Stats. § 59.61(2). This committee shall determine the investment policy of county funds.

c. The finance committee shall act as an oversight committee for any office or department that does not have an oversight committee to report to. The finance committee shall examine and audit all claims (pursuant to Wis. Stats. § 893.80) including miscellaneous accounts of less than $1,000.00 except those delegated by statute or the county board to the jurisdiction of other committees. The finance and insurance committee shall be responsible for liability and worker's compensation insurance to fully protect the liability of county government and all county property.

d. The finance committee shall have authority to transfer funds between budgeted items of an individual county office or department and transfer monies up to $10,000.00 per activity or project from a contingent fund pursuant to Wis. Stats. § 65.90(5)(b).

(10) Forest and recreation committee. The forest and recreation committee shall consist of five county board members of which two members should be from districts which contain county forest lands within their districts. The other three members will be selected at large. The terms and duties of the committee will be governed by Wis. Stats. §§ 27.02—27.05. In addition this committee shall act as the liaison between the Barron County Historical Society and any other such civic group, and the county board as a whole. Under recreational duties this committee shall provide policy planning and oversight of the county park system, county boat landings, and state/county recreational trails in the county. All aspects shall be subject to county board approval.

(11) Health and human services board. The health and human services board shall perform the duties as set forth in Wis. Stats. § 46.23 and Resolution No. 2000-76. The health and human services board shall consist of 11 persons of recognized ability and demonstrated interest in health and human services. Six members of the health and human services board shall be appointed from the county board of supervisors. At least three members shall be individuals who receive or have received human services or shall be a family member of such an individual. In appointing the other members who are not elected officials or employees, a good faith effort shall be made to appoint a registered nurse and a physician. The remainder of the members shall be consumers of services or citizens at large. All members appointed shall have terms and composition requirements as directed by Wis. Stats. § 46.23(4).

(12) Highway safety commission. The duties and composition of the highway safety commission shall be governed specifically by the provisions of Wis. Stats. § 83.013.

(13) Housing committee. The county housing committee shall consist of five citizen members appointed to staggered five-year terms plus one member of the county board who shall serve as an ex officio member. Their duties shall be to assist in the operation of the county housing authority.

(14) Housing (community development block grant) committee. The CDBG housing committee shall be made up of three county board members appointed by the county board chair. The CDBG housing committee shall approve/amend the housing procedures manual, review loan applications and make emergency loan awards and generally carry out the community development program for the purpose of public housing activities.

(15) Law enforcement/emergency management committee. The law enforcement/emergency management committee shall consist of five county board members, at least one of which shall also be on the LEPC. The following powers and duties are delegated to this committee:

a. The committee shall audit and approve purchases of all necessary law enforcement equipment, including automobiles, and sell or trade such old equipment that may be considered to be in the best interest of the county as authorized by the county board.

b. The committee shall implement and coordinate the conduct and the duties of all county law enforcement personnel in accord with the prescribed regulations pursuant to Wis. Stats. § 59.26.

c. The committee shall be charged with the duties and responsibilities enumerated in Wis. Stats. § 166.03. The committee provides policy oversight functions of the emergency management office.

d. It approves, supports and implements plans to mitigate, respond to and recover from natural and manmade disasters which may occur in or affect the county.

e. The committee supports and participates in, under the direction of the county board chair, the activation of the county emergency operations center (EOC). When activated, the county EOC is the conduit through which resources, information, decision-making and state/federal assistance flows when an emergency situation begins to exceed local municipalities' ability to provide adequate response and/or control.

(16) Library board. The county library board is to be appointed in accordance with Wis. Stats. § 43.54(1). The composition of the library board shall include one county board member, one school administrator and five members at large. The citizen members will be appointed to staggered three-year terms. No more than one person from any township, village or city, including the county board representative and the school representative, may sit on the board at any one time. The library board shall supervise the county librarian and the expenditure of county and system funds and set policies necessary to ensure the proper operation of the county library service under Wis. Stats. § 43.58.

(17) Local emergency planning committee. The local emergency planning committee (LEPC) shall consist of five county board members, one of which shall also be on the law enforcement/emergency management committee, the county board chair (ex officio member), the emergency government coordinator, the sheriff, the highway commissioner, the public health manager. Also, serving for three-year terms, are members representing fire, hospitals, environmental, media, community groups, hazardous materials facilities and ambulance service. The LEPC's primary responsibility is to develop emergency response plans, evaluate resources and prepare for a potential hazardous material release. This includes identifying facilities and transportation routes, developing on-site and off-site emergency response plans, emergency notification procedures, vulnerability zones, evacuation plans, training programs for emergency responders and exercising emergency response plans.

(18) Property committee. The county property committee shall consist of five members of the board plus the designated risk management contact as an ex officio member. This committee shall provide policy direction for all county buildings and property except the incinerator and recycling center, University of Wisconsin Barron County campus, county museum, fairgrounds, county parks, county forest lands, boat landings and tax deed lands. The county property committee shall provide policy oversight for the dams under county jurisdiction, and all county-owned buildings. The committee shall provide policy oversight on any building or remodeling projects as authorized by the county board.

(19) Salary and personnel committee. This committee consists of the county board chair, one member of the highway committee, one member of the health and human services committee, one member of the law enforcement committee and one county board member at large. It shall act to effect and preserve an equalized scale of wages and salaries for all county government employees in accordance with the provisions of a fair and equitable job classification and compensation plan or any such plan that may be adopted by the county board (see section 2-64(e) and section 2-131(b)). The salary and personnel committee shall be responsible for union contract negotiations and for establishing personnel policies for non-union personnel.

(20) Solid waste management board.

a. Membership. Pursuant to Wis. Stats. § 59.70(2), the county solid waste management board is composed of nine residents of the county, who are persons of recognized ability and demonstrated interest in the problems of solid waste management. Five of those members shall be appointed from the county board. Members shall serve three-year staggered terms. Vacancies on the solid waste management board shall be filled for the residue of the unexpired term in the manner of the original appointment. Any member of the solid waste management board may be removed from office by two-thirds vote of the county board.

b. Compensation. Members of the solid waste management board shall be compensated for their services on a per diem basis plus mileage which shall be equal to the per diem and mileage paid to county board members.

(21) Tax deed committee. This committee shall consist of three county board members and the county treasurer ex officio. It shall have the power of management and sale of lands foreclosed through tax liens by action in-rem pursuant to Wis. Stats. § 75.521.

(22) Technology policies and planning/land information committee. This committee shall consist of five members, with a member of the finance committee holding one of the appointments. The committee shall provide policy oversight of the county technology management center and the county surveyor/land information office.

(23) Transportation coordination committee. The transportation coordination committee shall include members representing at least the following:

a. County board.

b. County department of aging.

c. County department of health and human services.

d. County boards created under Wis. Stats. § 51.42 or Wis. Stats. § 51.437.

e. Transportation providers: public, proprietary and nonprofit.

f. Elderly and disabled citizen advocates.

g. Consumer and agency advocates.

(24) UWBC committee. The UWBC committee shall consist of five members of the county board and one student representative who is enrolled at UWBC. The committee shall serve as liaison with the UW system and shall make recommendations to the board regarding appropriations for construction, remodeling, expansion, maintenance or equipping of land, buildings and facilities for the University of Wisconsin Barron County.

(25) Veterans service committee and commission.

a. Veterans service committee. The committee shall consist of three members of the county board and shall be veterans. The duties of the committee are as follows:

1. To promote a better understanding of the veterans service office.

2. To help provide better service and better public relations for the veteran.

The committee chair shall be a county board supervisor.

b. Veterans service commission. The commission shall consist of three residents of the county, who are veterans of the county, serving staggered three-year terms. Their duties are as follows:

1. To attend the monthly meetings of the veterans service committee/commission.

2. To control the county aid fund to assist indigent veterans.

3. To assist in the hiring of a replacement veterans service officer when required.

The chair of the veterans service commission will serve as the vice-chair of the veterans service committee/commission.

(26) W-2 community steering committee. In order to achieve the goals of the W-2 program, a committee consisting of at least 12 but not more than 15 citizen members shall be appointed by the county board chair. This community steering committee shall develop a strong partnership between government and the community.

(27) Zoning and planning committee. This committee shall consist of five members of the county board, three of whom shall be from zoned townships. This committee is created pursuant to Wis. Stats. § 59.69, and serves as the county planning agency pursuant to Wis. Stats. § 236.02(3). The duties of this committee shall be as set forth pursuant to Wis. Stats. § 59.69. Operating procedures and delegation of authority shall be as set forth in section 17.72(3) of the county land use ordinance.

(28) Zoning board of adjustment. The zoning board of adjustment shall consist of four county board members plus one citizen member appointed to three-year staggered terms by the county board chair. It is created pursuant to Wis. Stats. § 59.694. Their duties shall consist of hearing appeals and requests of variances related to the county land use ordinance.

(Ord. of 4-12-2004, § 2.02(C))