The Pierce County Board had a significant budget gap to close, and after working with each department on cuts and savings, approved the 2026 budget and levy during the Oct. 28 meeting. With the 2026 state operating tax levy limit set for the county at $17.55 million, county department budgets were $1.4 million over the state’s cap.

“It’s a big number. We haven’t seen this in a long time, so it was a real challenge,” Administrative Coordinator Jason Matthys said. “I took the opportunity to meet with every department head, because I think this is something that every department needs to be involved in.”

Matthys credited the department leaders for helping make difficult decisions to carve through the $1.4 million. The recommendations include not filling the data analyst position in 2026, not increasing funding as requested for organizations like the Pierce County Historical Association, scaling back positions, insurance estimations and equipment purchases including for maintenance and the police, increasing the projected interest on revenue by $150,000 because of a previous number that was projected “a little light,” among many others.

Some reasons for the $1.4 million overage, listed in the county board packet, are:

• Negotiated wages for law enforcement increased by 7%
• New position requests requiring full levy support
• A decrease in shared revenue and the costs of both health insurance and retirement rates will increase in 2026.
• Reductions in federal aid
• Fiscal challenges with the closing of HSHS hospitals and clinics in the western region of Wisconsin which has significantly diminished the availability of resources, particularly with regard to emergency mental health services. This causes an increase of county costs for custodial transports across the State where the only remaining Wisconsin resources exist

The mill rate will decrease by 2.18%, while the budget will increase by 4.4%. The reason for the decreased mill rate is the fact that the county’s equalized valuation increased by 6.729%.

The reduction that has caught the eye of many in the county, though, is a reduction in 4-H contracted staffing, decreasing to a full-time youth development educator, a half-time support associate and a summer intern. As of Nov. 3, 146 people have signed a petition to support 4-H at the recommended total, pushing against any further reduction in the program.

“We are grateful for the past support from you, the Pierce County Board, and I’ve been assured by those of you that I have spoken with personally that no one wants to see 4-H go away,” Busy Finger Club Leaders Shari Turvaville, a 4-H volunteer for 32 years, said. “We want you to be aware that we are likely going to struggle with only the 1.5 full-time equivalent staff.”

Turvaville said despite the county being 35th of 72 counties in population, it is eighth in 4-H enrollment.

“It is a strong possibility that 4-H numbers will decline without enough budgeted staff to organize and implement our programming,” Turvaville said. “When that happens, we deny our youth the opportunities 4-H has to offer.”

This is because the difficulty of planning events and maximizing community outreach may occur with fewer staff, Turvaville said.

“While the Pierce County Fair and Pierce County 4-H are two separate entities, neither one would exist in its current capacity without the other,” Turvaville said.

Two people who were raised through Pierce County 4-H also spoke on the abundance of life and career opportunities that came from it.

SNAP Funding

The board approved a resolution to ask the state to cover SNAP funding in the county.

Human Services Director Julie Krings said the passing of the One Big Beautiful Bill over the summer has passed part of the SNAP costs, referred to by some as food stamps, to state and local governments.

“The state and local have to pick up an additional 25% of the cost of that program,” Krings said. “This program is federally mandated, so we have to provide this.”

Krings said the burden to the county could be around $130,000 a year in county levy based on 2024 statistics.

“What all the county human service directors are saying, ‘Let’s ask the state to carry this burden,’” Krings said. “Essentially, this is what this resolution is for.”

Krings mentioned 13 other counties have passed the resolution and more were pending. FoodShare funding is set to be halted in November, a system that brought roughly $300,000 per month into the county grocery stores and farmers markets, according to Krings.

Other business

• Approved funding a peer support specialist up to $5,000 per year. The specialist is someone with experience in recovery that can guide people going through similar situations. Another $5,000 for up to two years for further drug testing in treatment court was approved to go along with increases to Narcan distribution processes. TheSheriffsApp was approved for $56,000 over five years to provide education on opioids and other topics when residents check the county jail roster. Any information that the county is interested in putting out can be done through the app.
• Commended Joe Fetzer for 17 years of service and Lee Wright for 31 years of service to Pierce County.