Public Safety Committee approves 'Anti‑Crime Plan C' resolution; members discuss funding, staffing and dispatch needs

The Washington County Public Safety Committee approved the 2026 "Anti‑Crime Plan C" resolution after a presentation and deliberation on staffing, funding and communications needs.

A county official outlined key fiscal assumptions behind the proposal: new court fee revenue created by Wisconsin Act 179 is expected to begin flowing in November, the county plans to use opioid settlement funds to underwrite a drug prosecutor position, and the sheriff's office described a transition of a deputy into a patrol sergeant role on second shift to address high call volumes. The presenter said the district attorney (identified in the packet as Brzz) has focused on reducing a backlog of roughly 500 cases and that charging has increased by about 25 percent during his tenure.

Committee members focused on the plan's near‑term budget impact. The packet's funding table showed a 2026 impact of about $85,000 and a 2027 impact of about $104,000. Officials said the 2026 amount would come from the general fund/property tax relief funds and stressed they were not "banking" on anticipated court fee revenue in the current model. "The 85,000 would come from the general fund," the presenter said, and the county's general fund balance was described as about a half‑million dollars above the board's 12–16 percent threshold.

The presentation also highlighted dispatch and radio infrastructure: presenters described the communications center as a 24/7 operation with staffing and recruitment challenges, noted that about $500,000 in prior radio grant funding had been exhausted, and proposed moving some radio project funding into the radio grant program. Field testing and final radio installations were expected to wrap up in August.

Supervisors asked whether the 2027 budget effects would require a fall "budget repair" resolution; presenters clarified that changes set to occur in 2027 would be folded into a future budget repair resolution the board would consider in the fall. After discussion, Supervisor Bosard moved to approve the resolution, Supervisor Berg seconded, the chair called for the vote and the motion was announced as carried. The committee then convened into a closed session to tour jail facilities and review security and operations.

The resolution packet named associated funding sources (court fee revenue, opioid settlement funds, property tax relief funds) and listed staffing transitions and equipment projects; the packet's detailed funding table and appendix were referenced during questions but the committee asked staff to bring further clarifications on revenue estimates and the budget repair timeline.