County debates cash use
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Airport Park in Janesville.
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Rocky Matmanivony, his father Hong, and his brother Brandon fish at Indianford Park in Indianford. The park is party of the Rock County Park System.
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Mike Sessler, left, and Elton Duffy, both from Milton, ready their boat for launch on Lake Koshkonong from Royce-Dallman Park. The park is party of the Rock County Park System.
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Dylan Madonna, J.J. Green and Javon Green, front to back, reach the bottom of the slide at the playground at Walt Lindemann Sportsman Park. The park is one of 20 in Rock County.
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Gibbs Lake Park west of Janesville.
JANESVILLE — Should the county spend its greenbacks on green space or concrete?
That's the discussion du jour as the proposed 2009 Rock County budget lumbers toward approval.
The county board could approve the $171.6 million budget at 9 a.m. Wednesday in the boardroom in the Rock County Courthouse, 51 S. Main St., Janesville.
Despite the weak economy, the 2009 budget proposed by Administrator Craig Knutson maintains a rainbow of county services—support for mentally ill and developmentally disabled residents, sheriff's deputy patrols, jail and court services, road paving and plowing and economic support for unemployed or dislocated workers.
From that mix, the county parks system has risen to the top of this budget season's debate, thanks to a one-time, $1.8 million payment to the county from the American Transmission Co.
The county parks committee has requested that the payment be set aside for parks and conservation project. But Knutson's proposed budget would spread the money to many departments, including parks and conservation.
Finance committee member David Diestler favors setting the transmission line money aside for parks and conservation projects. Parks and open space are a kind of "construction" that anyone can enjoy, Diestler said.
"I favor giving it to parks so everybody can use it, not just putting it to the jail," Diestler said. "I look at it as a capital improvements."
But finance committee chairwoman Mary Mawhinney said that the county should make every attempt to avoid spending sales tax money on operating costs. That's what Knutson said would be necessary if all of the $1.8 million goes to parks.
If the parks department wants money for capital projects, Mawhinney said, it should apply for some of the money being saved for construction.
Some say Rock County isn't doing enough to support its parks compared to other counties. Rock County spends less per resident on operating and capital improvement projects than eight other counties with populations between 112,000 and 195,000, according to department of health services data.
Rock County provides more parks but less park acreage than other counties, according to the data.
That information was combined with a survey as the county works to update its Park, Outdoor Recreation and Open Space Plan. The plan must be in place by Jan. 1 for the county to remain qualified for federal and state funds.
According to the survey, 48 percent of respondents said they would be willing to pay more taxes to improve county parks.
A consulting group hired to help with the parks plan recommended the county acquire more park land and find financial partnerships to improve its park system.
Nov 7, 2008 at 4:49 p.m.
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This money was given to the county as a one time payment to be used for conservation and parks only. The county administrator had to apply for a waiver to use the money for anything other than parks and conservation of natural resources. A new fair ground is not a conservation issue. Fixing the budget with the $1.8 million won't fix the budget in the long term, only for 2009.
Nov 7, 2008 at 1:20 p.m.
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I like the idea of setting it aside for the fair grounds. That would be a great start to getting it going forward.
Nov 7, 2008 at 11:44 a.m.
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Barack Obama says "spread the wealth"
Nov 7, 2008 at 10:24 a.m.
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Set the money aside for a new fairgrounds.
Nov 7, 2008 at 10 a.m.
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good idea southpoledancer
Nov 7, 2008 at 9:49 a.m.
Suggest removal
I would like to see the Ice Age Trail finished from Milton to where it runs along HWY 26. Jefferson Co has blacktop on the trail from the county line (by the Stagecoach) to Fort. A State-wide trail system with gaping holes near the perimeter of one of the largest, most productive counties in the State is saddening considering the grants that are available under the Federal & State DOT grant programs. That to me is the equivalent of making a building handicap accessible right down to the bathrooms, doors, elevators, tables, and light switches only to have no disabled parking. If connected, maybe some of the people that you are concerned about finding alternative ways of transportation for, could ride a bike to work! Some tiny "park" with a tree and a bench out in the middle of no-where can wait. Not every park needs a $50,000 play set or paved parking lot. Prioritize! Get the trail from Milton to Janesville, and the connection to the trial in Walworth Co via Janesville/Milton in place so that in a few years when Hwy 26 is done, the County will have a case to be made that it is in the best interest of the people to have a trail-crossing 26. If the trail is not important enough to build now, why should we be surprised when the State DOT turns the Hwy 26 crossing down for lack of funds in 2012? Without it, it makes it much harder, much more expensive to connect the trail to Walworth Co to bridge the gap in the STATE WIDE Ice Age Trail. This would not use all of the money or anywhere near it.
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