County board members would get Chromebooks, email addresses under F&P recommendation

The Pierce County Board of Supervisors is going high-tech.

The Finance & Personnel Committee last Tuesday gave its stamp of approval to the purchase of Chromebook computers for each county board members and setting up an email account for each person.

“For the last couple years, there’s been discussion of buying technology for the county board members,” said Administrative Coordinator Jason Matthys.

COVID-19 and remote meetings will make the new personal computers a reality. They can be used for logging into meetings, and agenda information will be sent via email to the supervisors.

The units will cost $300-$350 each including the computer, a carrying case and a wireless mouse. Matthys said there is money for the purchase of the Chromebooks in the county board budget.

The recommendation to buy them at a price not to exceed $7,000 was forwarded to the full county board for review later this month.

The measure passed committee with only County Board Chair Jeff Holst voting against. He said he likes to have his agenda and materials printed out.

“I’ll hold my ground and vote no,” he said.

The email address for each county board member will be set up through the Information Services budget at a price of $96 per address.

2021 Budget The board also recommended budgeting for the county as it has been done in past years.

The committee was provided three options.

-A property tax operating levy freeze, which would require services to be cut.

-A budget “based on the maximum allowable levy under the state budget anticipated as increasing the county tax operating levy by the net new construction,” a memo on the subject from administration states.

“This option would mean that the standing committees are asked to work toward a common budget goal of 0 percent since the county only receives about $225,496 in new money for all county needs.”

-Adopt an option between an operating levy freeze and the maximum allowable levy.

The committee recommended option 2, as it has done in years past.

The county’s overall budget is approximately $40 million, and the county tax levy for this year was $20,073,306.

The budget guideline memo to the committee states, “For the past several years, the Finance and Personnel Committee has chosen to increase property taxes based on the maximum allowable levy that the State of Wisconsin will allow. One of the primary reasons for doing this is because the county doesn’t have the opportunity to go back and utilize any unused levy in the following years.”