Oconto County Board

Steffen says hello to Oconto County Board

Published by admin on Mon, 07/22/2024 - 2:20pm

State Rep. David Steffen introduced himself to the Oconto County Board at the beginning of its July 18 monthly meeting.

After several court decisions that redrew the boundaries of state Assembly and Senate districts, Steffen’s 4th Assembly District — which used to stop at the Brown County line — now includes 10 towns, two cities and a village in southern Oconto County.

Large poster-sized maps of the new districts should be available now for officials and residents to see where the lines are, Steffen said.

Firm hired to develop county compensation plan

Published by admin on Mon, 07/22/2024 - 2:16pm

The Oconto County Board has hired McGrath Human Resources Group to prepare a compensation and classification study for county employees, in an effort to being the county more in line with current market rates.

“Developing and maintaining a competitive classification and compensation plan in today’s fiscally conservative environment is extremely challenging, yet essential to attract, motivate, engage and retain a qualified workforce,” company CEO Victoria McGrath wrote in a cover letter in the Jamestown, Tennessee, firm’s proposal for the right to develop the plan.

‘Ambassador for Oconto County’ Rymer dies

Published by admin on Mon, 05/27/2024 - 12:46pm

Former Oconto County Board Chairman Lee Rymer died May 11. He was 86.

“Lee was an ambassador for Oconto County, a well-liked and positive force,” County Clerk Kim Pytleski said at the county board’s May 23 meeting. “He made Oconto County a place on the map to a lot of people around the state.”

Pytleski said when she would mention to people at Wisconsin Counties Association (WCA) events that she was from Oconto County, they would say, “Lee Rymer.”

Retiring supervisors Frank, McMahon recognized

Published by admin on Mon, 03/25/2024 - 9:14am

CORRECTION: Supervisor Doug McMahon was misidentified in the original version of this story. We apologize for the error.

The Oconto County Board saluted two of its members attending their last meeting March 21. Supervisors Gary Frank and Doug McMahon decided not to run for re-election.

McMahon, a former county sheriff who has been on the board for many years, accepted a certificate of recognition from County Board Chairman Alan Sleeter with a “thank you.”

2025-28 salaries set for county elected officials

Published by admin on Mon, 03/25/2024 - 9:09am

The Oconto County Board has approved salaries for the years 2025 through 2028 for the county clerk, treasurer and register of deeds, who are elected in November.

State law requires the salaries be set before the earliest date that candidates may begin circulating nomination papers, which this year is April 15.

During the county board’s March 21 meeting, Human Resources Director Shelly Schultz said last year the sheriff and clerk of circuit court got a 4.5% raise for 2024, followed by 3% annually for three years during their latest term, which runs through 2027.

Oconto County Board OKs 2024 budget

Published by admin on Tue, 10/31/2023 - 12:29pm

Oconto County Administrator Erik Pritzl compares the process of preparing the 2024 county budget to competing in the Door County Half-Marathon earlier this year.

“I thought the preparation that goes into that, to run up and down hills, I don’t know what the elevations are anymore, it’s just brutal,” Pritzl said as he introduced the final budget to the county board Oct. 26. “I think that preparation is easier than preparing the budget in some ways. It’s all just as much work, but here we got a team, which makes it a lot easier.”

County board supervisor passes away

Published by admin on Mon, 10/30/2023 - 4:00pm

A moment of silence was held at the start of the Oconto County Board meeting on Oct. 26, in memory of Supervisor Chris Augustine, who died Oct. 7 at age 64.

Augustine was elected to the board in April 2014, representing part of the Town of Little Suamico, and served until May 2018, a month after his third term began, when he resigned because of increased responsibilities at his workplace. He rejoined the board in 2022 after his successor, Elizabeth Paape, decided not to run for re-election. He was a member of the county land and water resources committee.

County board seeks solar energy changes

Published by admin on Mon, 10/02/2023 - 3:31pm

The Oconto County Board is on record urging the state Legislature to change the law to again allow local units of government to regulate large-scale solar energy installations.

The resolution passed Sept. 21 calls on state lawmakers to revise the statute “to grant Wisconsin counties the authority to responsibly site utility-scale solar installations in order to maintain orderly planning and comply with the statutory requirement … to adhere to the objectives, goals, and policies contained in the county’s comprehensive plan.”

County board OKs panel to spend ARPA dollars

Published by admin on Tue, 08/29/2023 - 9:00am

Oconto County Board Chairman Alan Sleeter hopes to have a slate of supervisors by the board’s September meeting who are willing to serve on a new recreation committee to help allocate the county’s remaining federal pandemic relief funds.

Oconto County Board approves ARPA spending plan

Published by admin on Fri, 08/20/2021 - 12:19pm

How do you spend $7.4 million in “free” money?

That’s the challenge facing the Oconto County Board as it determines what to do with its allocation of American Rescue Plan Act funds. ARPA is the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus package that the U.S. Congress passed earlier this year.

The board passed County Administrator Kevin Hamann’s plan 28-0 during its Aug. 19 meeting.