What to Expect for the Upcoming Years in Jefferson County
The Jefferson County Board had a meeting on Tuesday, October 22. The County Board meetings are taken place at the courthouse in Jefferson. One of the very important matters discussed was the 2020 budget. The budget is the total of $85 million. There is a lot to be done during 2020 and a few of the spending’s include road construction, paying off debts and remodeling the Jefferson County buildings including the main remodeling of the Jefferson County Courthouse.
Renovations
The main renovations for the Jefferson County Courthouse include maintenance and making sure everything is operating right. The courthouse has become very tech savvy and has updated most of their files to electronics. They board members want to not just update their files but also modernize the building. At the beginning of 2020, the members will decide what exact updates will be made to the building. There will not be much done on the exterior of the building but it will take 2-3 years to make the changes that need to be done inside the Jefferson County Courthouse.
Talking about the renovation of the courthouse, Jim Schroeder, Chair of the Jefferson County Board, said
“If you have a car that’s nickel and diming you to death, that’s not really a good way to spend your money. You’re better of either putting a new engine in the car or buying a new car, because in the long run your money will be spent more wisely.”
Explaining that the county board doesn’t want to just fix a couple things here and there, that they want to make sure it’s renovated to also new.
Property Taxes
Continuing on with the 2020 budget for Jefferson County includes property taxes. Property taxes are one of the major sources of revenue. Even though property taxes are a one of the main sources of revenue, the taxes for Jefferson County have been dropping since 2017.
There was one hearing from the public and that was Anita Martin from Lake Mills. Mills works for the Land and Water Department and she explained that they are down a person in the department and was wondering if that position will be filled during with the 2020 budget or will that position be terminated.
An answer will be given in a county board meeting at a later date.
Badger State Solar Project
Ranger Power is working with area farmers and landowners to developBadger State Solar, a 149-megawatt photovoltaic solar facility in the Towns of Jefferson and Oakland in Jefferson County, Wisconsin.
There is another location that has not been moved forward with by the Public Service Commission (PSC) is in the northeastern part of Jefferson County in Watertown, Ixonia, Farmington, and Concord.
The project will produce enough clean, low-cost energy to power tens of thousands of homes and will help Wisconsin meet its goals for in-state renewable energy. The Badger State site is located close to existing electrical infrastructure, which minimizes the project’s footprint and avoids the need for long transmission lines.
Badger State Solar will create hundreds of jobs during the construction phase and 3-5 full-time jobs once operational. The project is a new private investment in Jefferson County and will be a major source of new revenue through the Wisconsin Shared Revenue Program.
It was said at the meeting that the county and the developer states would use 15 hundred acres. It was discussed that access roads, landscaping and fencing will be happening.
A couple negatives came out of having the solar project installed, such it is very modern and up to date and the public is worrying about losing the nature and rolling hills and worrying about the sound that will come from it.
There is a meeting that will be open to the public and that will happen on November 6th at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. at the Jefferson County Fair park grounds in the activity center.
For more information on the Jefferson County Board, including meeting agendas and minutes, visit https://www.jeffersoncountywi.gov/.