Finance Committee


DATE: Tuesday, January 9, 2007
PLACE:

Room 213
West Square Building
Baraboo

Members present: Marty Krueger, Joan Fordham, Tommy Lee Bychinski, Bill Wenzel, Tom Kriegl

Others present: Kerry Beghin, Kathy Schauf, Pat Carignan, Amanda Blomberg (Virchow Krause), Steve Koenig, Media, Various members of the public

Chairman Bychinski called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m. Certification of the open meeting requirement was met. Motion by Wenzel, second by Fordham to adopt the agenda.
Motion carried.

Motion by Fordham, second by Wenzel to approve the minutes from previous meetings.
Motion carried.

Public Comment Mary Merlie, Chair of Planning Commission for Town of Spring Green discussed possible uses of the Sauk County Community Forest.

Jerry Schmidt, Supervisor for Town of Spring Green and member of planning commission, expressed a desire to gather considerably more information regarding possible lake creation at the Community Forest. Mike Birr of Spring Green expressed concern over the project. Marcus Weston of Spring Green spoke in opposition of the proposed project.

Communications

None.

Business Items


Pre-audit meeting with Virchow, Krause & Co. LLP to address possible areas of concern for the 2006 audit.

Amanda Blomberg, Virchow Krause Manager of General Fund audit, described the audit process. It was noted that two additional yearly meetings between the auditors and the Finance Committee have been planned. The first is today's meeting to address concerns. The second will likely be in May very soon after the close of fieldwork.

Discussion of operational studies.

The Executive and Legislative Committee has directed the Administrative Coordinator to draft a request for proposal to review the operations of the County's central services departments. Supervisor Kriegl requested that the County gather reports that other counties had commissioned as examples. He further noted that Sauk County should be careful about the analysis requested and the consultant hired to get the best value on the study.

Update on possible lake creation at the Sauk County Community Forest.

Steve Koenig, Parks Director, updated the Committee on proposals being requested to study the feasibility of creation of a lake at the Sauk County Community Forest. Supervisor Wenzel would like to see clarification on the zoning related to the property, as well as a comprehensive parks and recreation plan. Motion by Fordham, second by Wenzel to postpone transfer of funds for this project until community input can be gathered.
Motion carried unanimously.

Update on payment processing for County Board and Committee members.

Payment processing is returning to committee members being responsible for tracking their own requests.

Update on financial performance of the Health Care Center.

Beghin and Thompson updated the Committee on ongoing financial operations, with no exceptions noted. The vast majority of billings and collections continue to be made on a timely basis. Hiring of a Business Manager will be proceeding, with emphasis on communication between the Health Care Center and central accounting.

Treasurer's Report

Carignan updated the Committee on departmental activities, currently including settlement and participation in YieldAdvantage, an investment bidding system. Motion by Wenzel, second by Fordham, to approve payment of the Treasurer's invoices in the amount of $5,332.07.
Motion carried.

Accounting Department Report

Beghin updated the Committee on departmental activities. Projects have included assistance with the lake development request for proposal and update of numbers related to the opening of jail unit A. Motion by Fordham, second by Kriegl to approve payment of Accounting invoices in the amount of $14,077.11 and county invoices in the amount of $2,609,635.72.
Motion carried.

Motion by Fordham, second by Krueger to adjourn. Motion carried. The next meeting will be just prior to the County Board session on January 16 to approve payments, and the next regular Finance Committee meeting will be February 13, 2007.

Respectfully Submitted: William F. Wenzel, Secretary