Welcome to the Sauk County Budget Survey

The mission of Sauk County is:

"To provide essential services to the residents of Sauk County in a fiscally responsible manner that promotes safety, economic development, and stewardship of natural resources while encouraging the development of cultural, social, and community values that enhance human dignity."

    County government has a dual role of providing state services at the local level as well as being a unit of local self-government. Within this construct, Sauk County offers programming and services in the areas of Conservation, Development, Recreation, Culture and Education; General Government Services; Health and Human Services; Justice and Public Safety; and Public Works. Although not every resident directly uses each program or service provided, the community as a whole benefits from the enhanced quality of life of our neighbors.
    Sauk County supervisors, elected officials, and employees are committed to keeping Sauk County one of the best places to live in Wisconsin and the nation. Doing so requires us to continually gauge the priorities of residents and adjust operations to meet changing needs. We ask that you complete the following survey in its entirety to help us gauge countywide priorities. Please keep in mind that in this survey we are not asking, "How are we doing?" This too is an important question and we encourage you to voice your opinion by e-mailing your comments to citizen_participation@co.sauk.wi.us. The question we are asking in this survey is, "What should the priorities be for Sauk County government?"

    The survey is designed so that you can comment by program area on the value of county services provided by your tax dollars. For each service, please click one box indicating if you feel programming should be decreased, maintained, or increased.

Inactive hide details for Public SafetyPublic Safety

    Patrol
    Investigation
    Emergency Response Team
    Boat patrol
    Snowmobile patrol
    Warrant service
    Courthouse security
    DARE - Drug Abuse Resistance Education and community outreach
    Drug Task Force - multi-agency drug task force including narcotics investigations
    Access to Sheriff's offices remote from Baraboo - precincts
    Secure and work release jail operations
    Jail Alternatives - alcohol and drug abuse counseling, electronic monitoring
    Community Service - alternatives to incarceration where defendants work at non-profit agencies instead of setting out the time in jail
    Communications Center - E911 dispatch
    Dispatch provided by non-County units of government
    Coroner - death investigations
    Emergency Management - disaster/emergency planning

Inactive hide details for JudicialJudicial

    Circuit court system for all criminal matters
    Circuit court system for all civil matters, including family actions
    District Attorney - prosecutorial function for all crimes
    Victim / Witness assistance
    Clerk of Court - administrative support for court system
    Passport issuance
    Register in Probate - supervises probate of estates and trusts, administrative support for guardianships and commitments for court system
    Mediation - dispute resolution for child custody

Inactive hide details for Health & Social Services - Aging and Disability ProgramsHealth & Social Services - Aging and Disability Programs

    Nutrition Programs
    Meals - home delivered and meal sites
    Energy assistance
    Information and outreach
    Senior centers
    Vocational opportunities
    Adult day care and respite
    Residential nursing home care
    Inpatient rehabilitation
    Outpatient therapies - physical, occupational, speech, psychiatric
    In-home assistance - home nursing care, personal care, chore assistance
    Coordinated transportation of clients

Inactive hide details for Health & Social Services - County HealthHealth & Social Services - County Health

    Environmental Health - health code inspections, radon testing, on-site wastewater systems, wells, rabies control
    Maternal and Child Health
    Adult Health - public health diagnosis and education, meningitis, West Nile Virus
    School Health - public health nurses in schools
    Communicable disease prevention and control

Inactive hide details for Health & Social Services - Human ServicesHealth & Social Services - Human Services

    Safety and protection for children who are abused or neglected
    Services for adults and children with mental illness
    Services for adults and children who are developmentally disabled (DD) or developmentally delayed
    Services for frail elderly and physically disabled
    Services for youth offenders
    Financial, employment and economic assistance - W2, Food Stamps, Child Care, and Medical Assistance
    Services for adults and youth with alcohol and/or other drug abuse problems
    Transportation - programs that serve the transportation needs of clients, enabling them to reach employment, medical care and other resources
    Recruitment, development, licensing and training of foster care and kinship care providers, and the certification of adult family home providers
    Fraud investigation and recovery
    Emergency shelter and transitional housing for homeless families or battered women and their children
    Programs to prevent substance abuse and child abuse and neglect
    Comprehensive coordinated services to prevent placement of children and adolescents in alternate care (foster homes, group homes, residential care centers)

Inactive hide details for Other Health & Social ServicesOther Health & Social Services

    Establish and enforce child and medical support orders
    Establish paternity for nonmarital children
    Animal protection and safety
    Veterans' Federal and State benefits programs
    Veterans' education and outreach

Inactive hide details for Health & Social Services - Housing AuthorityHealth & Social Services - Housing Authority

    Authority-owned housing for low income families
    Rent subsidies for low income families
    Rent subsidies and supportive services for low income frail elderly
    Loans to low and moderate income families for housing rehabilitation, down payments and closing costs, and septic system replacement

Inactive hide details for TransportationTransportation

County highways are those mostly rural roads identified by a letter such as highway “A”
    County Highways: Sign and Line Painting
    County Highways: Pothole patching, ditch cleaning, culvert repairs, crack filling, other general maintenance
    County Highways Mowing and brush cutting
    County Highways: Snow plowing, from 4 am to 8 pm
    County Highways: Snow plowing, from 8 pm to 4 am
    County Highways: Snow plowing on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays
    County Highways: Road and bridge reconstruction
    County Highways: litter and trash pickup
State highways are those roads identified by a number such as US12 and I-94. The county contracts with D.O.T. to do this work
    State Highways: Snow plowing
    State Highways: All other maintenance work
Local highways are those roads identified by a proper name such as Tower Drive. The county contracts with some towns, villages or cities to assist with their work.
    Local Highways: All contracted work to assist other agencies
    Airports
    Rail

Inactive hide details for Leisure & EducationLeisure & Education


    Campgrounds
    Beaches and boat landings
    Dam operation and maintenance
    Trails systems - biking, hiking, horseback riding, skiing, and snowmobile trails
    County forest and nature reserve
    Assistance to farmers in agricultural productivity, profitability and environmental balance
    Home garden and commercial horticulture services
    Parenting skills development, nutrition education and aging care information
    4-H youth development in leadership and citizenship
    Tourism and promotion
    Promotion and maintenance of the arts and history
    Consumer decision education
    Community and local government assistance in leadership training, land use planning and economic development
    Libraries

Inactive hide details for Land Use/Land RecordsLand Use/Land Records


    Zoning / Building Codes - construction and land use regulations / inspections
    Comprehensive Planning - land use planning activities
    Surveyor - survey records management and preservation of U.S. Public Land Survey System
    Real Property Listing - maintains data relating to real estate ownership
    Register of Deeds - document recording for property transfers, births, deaths, business incorporations, etc.

Inactive hide details for ConservationConservation


    Curbside recycling
    Clean Sweep
    Electronics disposal
    Brush site management
    Technical planning and financial assistance to farms to help address soil erosion and runoff pollution to prevent surface and groundwater contamination
    Planning and technical assistance to landowners to help address the influx of invasive species
    Lake rehabilitation for reducing sedimentation and pollution in county lakes
    Programs designed to provide permanent protection for agricultural lands such as purchases of development rights

Inactive hide details for General GovernmentGeneral Government


    County Board and Committee operations
    Corporation Counsel - in-house attorney operations, mental commitments, termination of parental rights
    Administrative Coordinator - manages overall county operations
    Personnel - employee management, labor negotiations
    Information Systems - manages county computer operations
    Maintenance - manages mechanical systems, buildings and grounds
    Safety / Risk Management
    Finance - general accounting, accounts payable and payroll
    County Clerk - county board minutes, marriage licenses, dog licenses, elections, public sale of delinquent tax properties
    Treasurer - property tax processing and collection

Inactive hide details for Overall PrioritiesOverall Priorities

    Ever increasing costs and calls for services create budget shortfalls. Please select from among the options below the best way to approach budget shortfalls






    If a service can be provided by the private sector, under what circumstances should government provide that service? Please select from among the options below.





    What is the ideal size for the Sauk County Board (currently 31 members)?
    Please add any comments that you would like considered as priorities are examined
    If you have questions or would like further information, please note them below.

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