New Board Chair Elected, New Members Sworn-In

Supervisor Tina Tryggestad was elected as the new La Crosse County Board Chair on Tuesday evening. Tina replaces Supervisor Monica Kruse, who remains on the county board, but chose not to run for a new term as chair. The vote came at Tuesday's county board organizational meeting. Tina had previously served as chair of the county's Health and Human Services Committee. Supervisor Kim Cable was re-elected as first vice chair, and Supervisor David Pierce was elected as second vice chair. Eight new county board supervisors (pictured above) elected during the Spring Election were also sworn-in at Tuesday's meeting. The newly elected supervisors are Em Anderson, Dave Balduzzi, Travis Elam, Joe Kovacevich, Kelly Leibold, Grant Mathu, Ron Rothering, and Paul Wuensch. Two of the new members (Grant Mathu and Joe Kovacevich) had served on the board in the past. Thank you to all our county board members for stepping up to serve their community!

$486,000 and Counting

Before an ordinance change implemented last year, county departments had limited ability to buy used equipment at auctions. This was because purchases had to be approved by the county board first, making it difficult to place bids. It also often meant buying new was the only option. County Purchasing Manager Bryan Jostad came up with the idea of allowing departments to receive advance approval to make a purchase up to a certain amount. The change empowers departments to make bids and negotiate to get the best deals for the county. Highway Commissioner Joe Langeberg began testing the new strategy last year, securing multiple pieces of used equipment at auction (including the tractor and grader pictured above), often for less than the budgeted amount. In total, Joe says the new process has saved the county $486,000 in less than a year, with more to come. Our Facilities Department has also used the new process, Jostad said, and he thanked the county board for backing the change and Joe for testing it. "This gives us greater flexibility in how we purchase equipment," he said. "Buying used very often is better value for the county."

Employee Spotlight: Kari Lawson

Kari Lawson is an Economic Support Specialist that Integrated Support and Recovery Services (ISRS) can refer their consumers to for help with a range of benefits. When she first started in the role about three years ago, it was a pilot position and utilization was slow. The pandemic didn't help. But in the second year, the amount of time Kari spent with ISRS consumers almost doubled, and then it doubled again in the third year. "The direct connection with social workers at ISRS has been really helpful," she said. Kari's role can be the difference in making sure someone has the health insurance they need to enter a treatment program, plus access to basic resources to keep their heads above water. "I work with people who often have been in survival mode for a long time and just need a little help to build a foundation," Kari added.

Celebrating Our Telecommunicators

The telecommunicators in our Emergency Services Department took an average of 561 calls per day in 2023, including 106 9-1-1 calls, adding up to a total of 200,000 calls for the year. About 97% of 9-1-1 calls are answered by the county's telecommunicators within 15 seconds, which is above the 90% professional standard set by the National Emergency Number Association. April 15 to 19 is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, so this is a good time to honor the telecommunicators who work round the clock to keep us safe. Our Emergency Services Department works with eight law enforcement agencies, eight fire departments and local first responders to protect people in every part of our county. Join us in honoring La Crosse County's telecommunicators for their professionalism and hard work!



New County Webpage Launched

A new webpage has been created to house presentations given to the county board, county plan documents (such as our Comprehensive Plan and Pathways Home), and departmental Impact Reports. You can view the page at lacrossecounty.org/plans. The goal is to consolidate important documents in one location to make them easier to find. Watch as we continue to add new elements to the page that highlights great work happening at La Crosse County.

A panel discussion at 1 p.m., Tuesday, May 21, at the Hazel Brown Leicht Memorial Library in West Salem, will help answer questions such as:

• My mother has been diagnosed with cancer. Now what?
• What type of services can a person receive in assisted living?
• Do I need to place dad in a nursing home if he cannot live alone?
• My husband is a veteran. Are we eligible for services?

The Aging and Disability Resource Center of La Crosse County (ADRC) and La Crosse County Caregiver Coalition will host the discussion on resources and services available to caregivers. The panel will include representatives from the ADRC, the La Crosse County Veteran’s Services Office, home care agencies, assisted living facilities and nursing homes. To register, call the ADRC at 608-785-5700. If you have questions, contact Kristine Meyer at 608-386-0922

Drop off unused or expired prescription and over-the-counter medications for safe disposal from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, April 27, at the La Crosse County Health and Human Services parking lot.

Author Visit at Bangor Library

Wisconsin author Sue Berg will be at the Bangor Library on Thursday, May 9 at 6:30 p.m. for a discussion of her new book, Driftless Insurrection, which is the fifth book in her Driftless mystery series set in the La Crosse area. This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Bangor Library. Go to lacrossecounty.org/library to see the full range of programming happening at our library locations in Bangor, Campbell, Holmen, Onalaska and West Salem.

Our Family & Children’s team is collecting cleaning supplies. Look for donation bins at the four local Festival Foods locations. The donated products will go to local families in need. Staff will also be collecting supplies at the southside La Crosse Walmart on Friday, April 26 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.