2006 County Winners

Walworth County - Consolidation of Facilities Management and Highway Departments

Fast-growing Walworth County saw its population swell by nearly 23 percent in the decade 1990-2000, resulting in increased demand for public infrastructure including buildings, roads and other facilities.  At the same time, the county board remained committed to holding the line or decreasing its portion of the tax burden on local residents.

In an effort to improve efficiency, reduce costs and enhance flexibility, the county consolidated its Facilities Management Department and Highway Department into a single Public Works Department.  The consolidation has delivered major benefits including:

• Reduction, reassignment and reclassification of staff, resulting in an overall net decrease of full-time equivalent employees
• Ability to accommodate maintenance and repair of additional county highway miles without increased staff
• Ability to accommodate maintenance, repair and cleaning of an additional several hundred thousand square feet of building space and grounds without increased staff
• Enhanced focus on preventative maintenance of equipment and systems
• More efficient use of equipment and tools

The county successfully addressed the challenges related to consolidating two of its largest departments, and the effort has set the stage for additional consolidation initiatives.

Waukesha County - Yard Waste Composting and Gravel Pit Reclamation

Since 1993 when yard waste was banned from Wisconsin landfills, Waukesha County communities have struggled to provide yard waste disposal options for residents. In addition, the county was facing stringent new requirements for operation and reclamation of the gravel pit it owns.

Faced with yard waste disposal challenges, rising waste handling costs and new regulatory issues the county crafted a more cost-effective solution with its 13 partnering municipalities. It developed and entered into a 10-year private contract through a competitive bidding process. According to the contract, a local company will provide:

• Management of a yard waste composting operation on county land near the county gravel pit
• Mining of the gravel pit in accordance with site plans and permits
• Reclamation of the entire property after each phase of mining by using the yard waste compost as a topsoil substitute to complete the reclamation plan

The contract will deliver real cost savings to both the county and municipalities, and will actually generate revenue through royalties paid by the private company for exclusive rights to mine the site. Local municipalities now have a dependable, and cost effective yard waste disposal site.  In addition, the project will result in reclamation of the entire gravel pit, instead of focusing on only newly mined areas as required by law. When complete, the county will have an expansive, salable property positioned to handle planned growth at a nearby industrial park.