2007 County Winners

East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission - Implementation of NR 135 Non-metallic Mining Regulations

NR 135 is a statewide rule which governs the permitting, operation, closure and post-closure of non-metallic mines, including gravel pits and quarries. East Central, through a cooperative agreement approved by Calumet, Winnebago, Outagamie, Shawano and Waupaca counties administers NR 135 ordinances in the region. The result of this multi-county cooperative effort is a consistent, efficient and cost-effective approach to implementation. Working together, East Central and the counties have minimized workload for counties' staffs, achieved consistency in plan reviews against standards, reduced fees for plan reviews and provided opportunities for advanced training and education.

Barron County - County-wide Elections Management

Prior to 2006, each of Barron County's 36 municipalities managed its election process independently. This included publishing notices and sample ballots, obtaining/posting other notices, training election inspectors, managing election-day tasks, printing ballots and other activities. During the period December 2005 through April 2007, Barron County and municipalities began to collaborate on purchasing voting equipment and other election management issues. Standardizing and coordinating these practices has resulted in significant time and cost savings to each community, and has resulted in new opportunities for intergovernmental cooperation.

Walworth County - Retiree Benefits Management

Like other public sector employers, Walworth County offers a range of benefits including health care insurance to its retired employees. Prior to 2004, the county took a pay-as-you-go approach, funding its retiree benefits obligations on a year-to-year basis. But skyrocketing health care insurance costs, growing numbers of retirees on the plan and the true cost of its long-term liability caused the County Board to reassess the viability of this approach. Modifying the retiree health benefit became a focal point in the county's 2005 collective bargaining process. Ultimately, agreement was reached to end the retiree health benefits for new hires, and to create a trust fund to pay for the on-going retiree health benefits obligation. The Board contributes annually to the fund, with the goal of fully funding the trust within 30 years.