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County, city to split state reimbursement

JANESVILLE — The state, city and county have agreed how to split state payments for law enforcement at UW-Rock County.

Last fall, the state notified the city that the 2008 payment for police services at UW-Rock County was being withheld. In addition, Janesville was notified that similar payments for 2007 and 2006 must be refunded to the state.

The Payment for Municipal Services reimburses local governments for services such as police, fire and sanitation provided to state facilities.

For 2008, for instance, the city anticipated receiving about $150,000 from the state, of which about $32,000 was for police services.

But the UW-Rock County campus is owned by the county and leased to the state, so the primary response unit is the sheriff's department. But the city provides backup and patrols the area surrounding UW-Rock, said Jay Winzenz, city director of administrative services, in a memo.

Under the agreement, the payment for police services will be split 30 percent to the city and 70 percent to the county.

The city will give Rock County $56,555 for 2006 and 2007. The 2008 payment of $32,252 was withheld, and the city will give the county 70 percent of that when it is received.

The proposed agreement is a compromise that retains state funding in Rock County, Winzenz said. Without the agreement, the state would have required that most of the money be reimbursed to the state.