ELLSWORTH – The Pierce County Board voted Sept. 23 to fund county libraries at 90% for the 2026 budget year and thereafter. County library directors had asked them to consider funding libraries …
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ELLSWORTH – The Pierce County Board voted Sept. 23 to fund county libraries at 90% for the 2026 budget year and thereafter. County library directors had asked them to consider funding libraries at 95%.
According to the July Finance & Personnel Committee packet, Pierce County is obligated to pay each public library in the county an amount to reimburse the public library for services provided to county residents in accordance with 1997 Wisconsin Act 150, as well as payments to out of county libraries in accordance with 2005 Wisconsin Act 420.
The county is required by law to reimburse the libraries at least 70% under Act 150. Pierce County library directors have asked the county to find libraries at a higher level than the minimum. Funding was addressed last year for the 2025 budget year and beyond, with the county agreeing to 90%. Previous amounts were 75% in 2017, 80% in 2018 through 2022 and 85% for 2023 and 2024.
The Finance & Personnel Committee, at its meeting on Aug. 4, 2025, took action to recommend that the County Board maintain the Act 150 library contribution at 90% for 2026 and thereafter (a total of $678,922), and to maintain the Act 420 contribution at 70% for 2026 and thereafter.
In a letter to the county signed by library directors Tiffany Meyer (Ellsworth), Carissa Langer (Prescott), Nick Andrews (Elmwood), Jenna Beyer (Plum City) and Tanya Misselt (River Falls), they expressed appreciation to the board’s commitment to reimburse libraries at a 90% rate for the past year.
“Funding from the county helps us continue to build stronger communities through lifelong learning, cultural experiences, and access to technology,” the letter stated.
They highlighted the following benefits that libraries bring to the community:
Each year, the libraries actively pursue a variety of funding opportunities to enhance services and programs, not relying solely on county money. For example, in 2025, Plum City Library received a $10,000 grant from the Accessible Small and Rural Communities initiative through the American Library Association; Prescott Library was selected for a WI DPI Teen internship grant of $2,500 funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services; Ellsworth Library was awarded a $3,000 Packers Foundation grant for Community Cultural Connections, and Elmwood Library received a $1,000 grant for programming kits and established a Friends organization to support future fundraising efforts.
“These awards, along with generous community donations, are truly encouraging. They help us expand programming, increase literacy outreach, and improve our facilities,” the letter stated. “However, such funds cannot be used for core operational costs such as payroll, basic supplies, or utilities. For these essential expenses, continued financial support from Pierce County and our municipalities remains critical.
“Pierce County has been moving steadily towards 100% reimbursement for library services provided to county residents over the past several years. Most counties in the IFLS Library System are being funded at a higher reimbursement rate than Pierce County.”
The item can be looked at again in future years.
Vehicle registration fee
Starting Jan. 1, 2026, at the time a motor vehicle is first registered or at the time of registration renewal in Pierce County, applicants will be required to pay a county vehicle registration fee of $35, approved by the county board in July.
The purpose of the ordinance is to provide the Pierce County Highway Department a source of funds in addition to other funding sources currently being utilized to maintain highways and bridges.
According to the county board packet, since 1971 Wisconsin law has given municipalities and counties the option to impose a Vehicle Registration Fee (VRF). Currently 13 of 72 counties utilize this fee, along with several municipalities.
“The Pierce County Highway Department maintains 248 centerline miles of county highway, along with associated bridges, culverts, guardrails and signs. Each of these items has a lifecycle, with asphalt pavement being approximately 30 years,” the packet states. “In 2012 and 2018 the county borrowed money ($7 million and $8 million respectively) by issuing bonds to assist in performing work on the system, above what the capped levy and other funding sources were accomplishing: General Transportation Aids, Local Road Improvement Program and other application-driven programs.”
As the need for another bond became evident, the Highway Committee spent several monthly meetings discussing a Vehicle Registration Fee and compared it with issuing a bond. They decided to ask the county board to approve a $35 VRF in order to reduce or eliminate the need to borrow money through the bonding process. The fee money collected can only be used for transportation related purposes, such as pulverizing and repaving highways, milling and repaving highways, highway reconstruction, bridge deck replacements and overlays, and guardrail replacement.
“At the current quantity of 36,183 eligible vehicles in the county, this would provide net revenue of approximately $1,260,253 annually, which converts to 3.63 miles of pulverizing and repaving as a reference,” the packet states.
Other business
