Good to Know Info

The Wisconsin Organic Advisory Council has four openings for individuals interested in shaping the future of organic farming and food in Wisconsin. Nominations will be accepted until March 14, 2018.

The nomination form can be found Here. Applicants should explain why they would be valuable additions to the council and should also include two letters of support. Completed applications should be sent to: Angie Sullivan, WI DATCP, PO Box 8911, Madison, WI 53708 or emailed to Angie.Sullivan@Wisconsin.gov. Call 608-224-5095 with questions

Governor Scott Walker signed the Leading on Lead Act (Senate Bill 48) today at the Mother Kathryn Daniels Center in Milwaukee with Common Council President Ashanti Hamilton and Senator Robert Cowles.The Leading on Lead Act makes funding tools available to local communities and property owners to address lead service line contamination and replacement.
 

March 16th is the Briefing Event at which the top 6 candidates for the 71st Alice in Dairyland are announced!

Mark your calendars to attend this exciting day!

The briefing will be held on March 16th at 2:00 PM in northern Adams County at Heartland Farms, 907 3rd Ave, Hancock, WI.

Guests and Press can start arriving at 1:30 PM.  After the official announcement, there will be time to meet with the top candidates as well as members of the Adams County Ag and Adventure Committee.

In Progress Legislation

I’m pleased to announce an expansion on the very first issue I faced as a state legislator going back to 2010. I’ve been working on phosphorus related issues since my very first meeting as a legislator-elect in late November of 2010. I had the chance that day to meet with Rick and Ron, constituents who represent group known as PACRS (Petenwell and Castle Rock Stewards). From that day forward water quality has been a top priority. Today I had the chance to see one of my budget priorities pass the State Assembly as a stand-alone bill. AB 946 increases funding for producer led watershed grants. These grants create partnerships between farmers and conservation to decrease phosphorus entering our rivers, lakes and streams. This increase of $500,000 per year will allow the creative solutions needed to lead the way to cleaner lakes all over WI.

This effort reminds me of the other work we have focused on in this area and other local priorities. Funding the TMDL study analysis in previous budgets has led to implementation practices that will reduce the amount of phosphorus from every point source in the entire Wisconsin River watershed. Without that funding at the request of PACRS there would be a study sitting on a shelf somewhere instead of real solutions to the problems faced by Lake Petenwell, Castle Rock, Lake Wisconsin and others. In 2013 we passed AB 680 to create water quality trading credits allowing reduced phosphorus from non-point sources funded by point source companies that can’t afford the technology to reduce any further at the current time. Innovative solution that will get more phosphorus out of the system than forcing expensive retrofitting costing millions. Locally we heard the effect on the city of an unfunded mandate of a previous legislature that would hurt every taxpayer for minimal effect. The credit trading funds farm related projects to achieve much better results for a much lower cost. Common sense.

It reminds me of the phrase “All politics is local”. I say when we get local groups, residents, officials and stakeholders together great things can happen. Local successes have reminded to keep my head down and work hard, staying out of the craziness of politics of Madison.

This week we passed increased funding for drug enforcement requested by a Lt. at the Wisconsin Rapids Police Department earlier this year. We voted to increase Assistant District Attorney positions requested by the DA’s in Adams and Portage County. Our rural schools will see more funding after this week from the increase in sparsity aid and adjusting revenue limits for our low spending schools. School Superintendents in my rural district were instrumental in lending support to get these dollars out to rural schools.

My excitement from working with the municipalities involved with Alexander Field led to $4M dollars in long needed investments in that airport because of the growth recognized from the bill we passed to help create the Sand Valley resort requested by the Town of Rome government. This project and subsequent investment is how I know working with local issues is the best way to continue in this position. Sand Valley and the TIF district will results in massive tax savings for every property tax payer in Rome and Adams County as a whole.

The investments in the former mill property in Port Edwards, the Tribune project and the riverfront redevelopment in Wisconsin Rapids, the business park in Biron, the millions of dollars of investment by the Board of Commissioners of Public Land in local projects, even an ATV bridge for a business in the Town of Preston all result in working on local issues this session and previous sessions of the legislature.
 

Look Who Came to Visit   Dennis Pagel and Brad Heath visited for Whitetails of Wisconsin Legislative Day to discuss CWD issues.    Andy Barnett, Director, McMillan Memorial Library and Larry Oathout, Director, Portage County Public Library were in Madison for the Annual Library Legislative Day. Mid-State Tech College Students and representatives were at the State Capitol for the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS). Welcome to Wisconsin Rapids Senior Citizens who visited the Wisconsin State Capitol as part of their Mystery Tour coordinated by Jane Anderson and Lamers Tour & Travel. They enjoyed other sites in Madison as well such as the Historical Society and Olbrich Gardens. Hope you had a wonderful day. Thanks for visiting us!