County has a new energy task force

A newly created Marathon County task force will explore ways of reducing energy costs within county operations, which have risen substantially in recent years and threaten to undermine other budget priorities. The group’s discussion will cover everything from conservation to renewable energy, a topic that has raised concerns among some county board members.

By a vote of 23-12, the county board approved a charter on March 21 to establish the seven-member task force, which will include five county supervisors and two citizens appointed by board chairman Kurt Gibbs.

The charter calls on the task force to “gather baseline data” on the county’s current energy usage and set goals by June 30, with an August 31 deadline to “reach out to logical stakeholders” and “begin focused meetings” on its goals. By October 31, the task force is required to submit any proposed capital improvement projects for the 2024 budget, with a final deadline of February 28, 2024 to deliver a full report and policy recommendations to the county board.

April 1, 2024 was included as an end date in the charter, ensuring that the task force will not continue indefinitely. In roughly a year’s time, the task force is expected to come up with ways to curb spending on utilities, weigh the costs and benefits of energy efficiency projects, and identify funding sources for implementing changes. A resolution justifying the task force says the county had to use $404,200 in federal money from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to pay for increased utility costs this year, driven in large part by natural gas prices that have more than doubled in two years. The resolution says these price hikes “will continue to cause inflationary challenges in future annual budgets.”

The task force idea originated in the Human Resources, Finance and Property Committee, which gave itself the goal of developing policies to make the county “more environmentally and fiscally sustainable.” The committee’s original task force charter was rejected by the Executive Committee in February, but after it was revised to clarify certain points, the proposal made it to the full board for its meeting last week.

Debate over the task force pitted county board members who say they only want to search for cost savings against those who suspect a hidden agenda to push renewable energy. A couple of supervisors said they supported the goals of the task force, but objected to the timing of the initiative and the creation of a new government entity.

Supervisor Tim Sondelski, Mosinee, said he did not see “any clear and concise goals” for the task force and doubted it would produce either a decrease in taxes or an increase in services for his constituents. He mentioned a local “land grab” by corporate wind farm operators as a reason why rural residents of the county are suspicious of any push for renewable energy.

“I cannot with a clear conscience vote in favor of this committee,” he said.

Advocates of the task force point out that it will only focus on county operations, and not on activities in the private sector.

Still, Supervisor Chris Dickinson, Stratford, said a recent public hearing about wind turbines in the western part of the county shows that people have “very strong concerns” about the impact of such operations on property values. He questioned if the task force’s stated goal of saving money is just a guise for promoting renewable energy, despite public skepticism.

“If we’re talking about renewable energy, I think if we do go forward with this, it would behoove that committee to look at all of the pros and cons,” he said.

Supervisor Kory Hart, Wausau, said forming a task force is the best way to get public input and a variety of opinions from supervisors – strictly about the county government’s energy usage.

“We don’t have any say over anything else except for the buildings and vehicles in our fleet,” he said. “We can’t force wind turbines to be built or not built. We don’t have that ability.”

Supervisor Donna Krause, Wausau, said she doesn’t like the fact that only members of certain committees are allowed to serve on the task force, but she stressed the need for the county to embrace green energy to save lives.

“Climate change is here. We can’t ignore it,” she said.

Supervisor David Baker, Kronenwetter, said he is a “strong proponent” of renewable energy but believes the task force’s timeline is “too aggressive” and “not realistic.” He said he would rather see the HRFP Committee look at the issue “internally” and come up with energy- saving projects that include a “payback” for the county.

Supervisor Tony Sherfinski, Schofield, agreed with Baker’s concerns and said he, too, would rather see existing committees and departments look for energy savings rather than create more “bureaucracy.”

“I don’t see the need for yet another task force,” he said.

Supervisor Ann Lemmer, who helped write the task force charter, said she was inspired to get the county thinking about energy savings after her family had to take action to lower its utility bills. She pointed to the over $400,000 in ARPA funds spent to cover energy increases as a reason to look for savings.

Lemmer said she would rather spend that money on other priorities – “not just something that’s going out of a chimney or out of a tailpipe.”

“I have no agenda other than ‘What can we do long term because energy is costing us more money than we’re budgeting for?’” she said. With more federal funding now available to subsidize energy efficiency, Lemmer said the county could start considering projects that would otherwise not be affordable.

“You can’t apply for those monies without a plan in place, and so I think we need to get seated around a table and make a plan,” she said.

Supervisor John Robinson, chairman of the HRFP, said the purpose of the task force is to rein in spending on utilities and take advantage of any incentives that are available for investing in energysaving efforts. He said this could entail everything from installing more LED light bulbs and high-efficiency boilers to pursuing solar power and buying more fuel-efficient vehicles.

“We can’t sustain our current energy use from a budgeting perspective,” he said.

Supervisor David Overbeck, Wausau, said Marathon County is “way behind” in looking at energy efficiency. He said energy is only going to get more expensive over time, and that’s why any newly constructed buildings are being designed with conservation and renewable energy in mind.

“I think it’s worth having an energy task force that’s going to bring back information to this board and start making some decisions,” he said.

Other business:

The board voted to increase medical examiner fees by $16.24 for both cremation authorizations and disinterments. The fees will go from $250 to $266.25, generating an additional $16,488 in annual revenue based on a four-year average of services.

The board approved a resolution supporting a proposed state law that would provide legal protection for those who obtain a special de-icer applicator certification from the Wisconsin DNR. The certification would encourage deicing operations to use less salt, reducing nitrate pollution.

The board approved a budget transfer for a $75,000 Dream Up! Grant, which is being used to promote affordable childcare in the county. A majority of the grant, $60,000, will be distributed to 12 local childcare providers to help retain workers and make renovations.

The board approved a 2024 budgeting process and timeline, which starts with a “budget 101” presentation to the full board in April and includes more opportunities for supervisors to provide input and submit amendments before the budget is adopted on November 9.