State Public Records Board Approves WCA's Model Ordinance for Records Retention and Disposition
The state Public Records Board has approved WCA's model ordinance for
records retention and disposition. The WCA Task Force on Records
Retention developed the model ordinance to help county officials know
which records to discard and which records to keep -- and for how long.
State
law requires counties to keep all records for at least seven years.
Counties may adopt ordinances setting retention periods of less than the
required seven years for some records, but those local ordinances must
be approved by the Public Records Board. The ordinances remain valid for
10 years, but then must be re-adopted by the County Board and
re-approved by the Public Records Board.
The new model ordinance
will make it easier for counties to comply with the state requirements
by establishing standardized periods for records retention and
disposition. Counties can choose to adopt the entire model ordinance
intact, make specific changes to it, or continue to adopt their own
separate county ordinances.
WCA will officially release the model
retention ordinance as part of the WCA Annual Conference in Milwaukee
in September.
The latest version of the model ordinance is
available on the WCA website by clicking here. To view the retention/disposition schedule, click here.
For more information, contact
David Callender, WCA Legislative Associate via email or at 866.404.2700.
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County Mutual's 2010 Highway Safety ROADeo Held This Week in Wisconsin Dells, Focus on Safety for Attendees
 With
nearly 90 percent of roads in Wisconsin maintained by local governments, the
role of county and municipal employees around the state in keeping this
infrastructure healthy is critical.
Working
in less-than-ideal conditions, from clearing snow in blizzards to filling
potholes mere feet from speeding traffic, it is an extremely dangerous and
important job that impacts nearly every Wisconsin citizen. Without them, our state would literally
come to a grinding halt.
To
provide ongoing enrichment and safety training for county and municipal highway
employees, the Wisconsin County Mutual Insurance Corporation (County Mutual),
the insurance carrier for counties in the state, on June 8 sponsored the 2010 Highway Safety ROADeo in Wisconsin Dells.
The event was held at the Kalahari Resort and although conditions were less than ideal with rainy weather and cool temperatures, the day was a successful opportunity for highway employees to have a full day of enrichment and safety training.
Attendees
of the County Mutual's 2010 Highway Safety ROADeo took part in the following events: redesigned driver skills course, vehicle inspection, written exam, tire care, maintenance and safety, and other educational sessions and speakers.
In addition to county and municipal highway employees, county board supervisors, county and municipal representatives, and highway
committee members attended the event.
The 2010 winners include: first place: Nicholas Gnas, Milwaukee County; second place: Tyson Barnes, Jefferson County; third place: Clyde Taylor, Milwaukee County; fourth place: John Roche, Columbia County.
"The 2010 Highway ROADeo is a perfect example of how the County Mutual
is unique and goes above and beyond in our training and risk management
efforts," said John A. Dirkse, Aegis Corporation Executive Vice
President. "While there is an element of competition between counties
and municipalities, I believe all attendees walked away winners because
of a full agenda that focused on safety in their day-to-day tasks."
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DATCP: Traps in 45 Counties Will Catch Adult Gypsy Moths This Summer
The following article is from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP). A list of the 45 counties and number of traps to be set in each county is available by request.
Small orange or green boxes tied onto trees is just one of the signs that summer is approaching in Wisconsin. The boxes are traps set by trappers working for the Wisconsin Gypsy Moth Slow the Spread Program to catch gypsy moth, an invasive pest. The program is preparing for the flight of the adult male gypsy moth in July. Female gypsy moths are flightless.
Trappers began setting traps in late May. The goal is to set a total of approximately 29,700 traps in 45 western and central counties by early July. Traps are used as a method of population survey, not as a method of population control.
"Trapping tells us where the moths are and where they're not," said Chris Whitney, gypsy moth trapping coordinator. "It also helps us determine if an area needs aerial spray treatment the following year or if an egg mass survey needs to be done in the fall to better evaluate the population."
To read the full media release from DATCP, click here. For more information, call the toll-free number 1-800-642-6684 or e-mail gypsymoth@wisconsin.gov. |
Calumet County Joins NACo Prescription Drug Program; Featured on Fox11
Calumet County's implementation of the NACo's Prescription Drug Card Program was featured recently on Fox11. Watch it here.The NACo Prescription Discount
Card Program was designed for uninsured and underinsured county
residents. Through a partnership with Caremark,
this simple discount card can save an average of 23% off the full retail
cost of prescription medication. To learn more about NACo's prescription drug program, click here. |
Sign Up Today for 2010 ITBEC Conference in Lac du Flambeau
The 2010 International Trade, Business and Economic Development Council's (ITBEC) Conference will be held July 13-14 at the Lake of the Torches Resort & Casino Convention Center, Lac du Flambeau. Speakers will discuss economic development opportunities in the state, as well as discuss project-specific plans going on in Wisconsin. For more information and to register, click here. |
WCA Agriculture Steering Committee Members Encouraged to Attend ACE Meeting
Mark O'Connell, executive director of the Wisconsin Counties Association, along with Keith Langenhahn, chair of the Marathon County Board and the WCA Agriculture Steering Committee, established a partnership with the Wisconsin Towns Association and the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin (PDPW) several years ago to facilitate greater dialogue between the dairy producing community and local government officials.
Since its creation in 2004, PDPW has sought to establish greater relationships with town and county elected leaders through its Agriculture-Community Engagement (ACE) program. ACE is a partnership with the Wisconsin Towns Association and the Wisconsin Counties Association that keeps producers and community leaders engaged in dialogue about important agricultural issues at the local level. Already, ACE has reached out to hundreds of local elected leaders through farm tours and seminars, demonstrating the economic and environmental contributions of agriculture to local communities.
We believe that ACE helps local officials connect with and understand dairy producers and their businesses. It also allows the dairy industry to work with the local officials who need to make the decision in their towns and counties. This collaboration improves communication and understanding for all involved.
The next meeting of ACE is scheduled to take place on Thursday, July 1 from 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. The meeting will occur at the Fond du Lac offices of PDPW located at N5776 County Road D, Suite 1. Lunch will be provided.
While attendance is optional, it is the hope of WCA that three-to-five members of the WCA Agriculture Steering Committee can attend. If you are interested in attending the meeting, please contact WCA Legislative Associate Liz Stephens via email or at 866.404.2700 by June 18 so WCA can provide an accurate head count to PDPW.
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Have You Registered Yet for WCA Annual Conference in Milwaukee County?
 Registration is open for the 2010 WCA Annual Conference September
26-28 in Milwaukee County. This year's event will be held at the Frontier
Airlines Center (formerly Midwest Airlines Center) and the Hilton Milwaukee
City Center. To view the tentative agenda,
as well as for registration information, click here. If you are a business
interested in exhibiting at the event, click here. For additional WCA Conference information, including exhibition opportunities, contact WCA Marketing and Events Coordinator Cheryl Fleck at fleck@wicounties.org or at 866.404.2700. |
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To Ponder:
Total claims paid out to jobless workers in Wisconsin in 2009:
$2 billion.
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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U.S. Debt to Rise to $19.6 Trillion by 2015
The U.S. debt will top $13.6 trillion this year and climb to an estimated $19.6 trillion by 2015, according to a Treasury Department report to Congress.
Read more here.
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County Mutual and WCA GHT Taking Applications for
Scholarships; New Scholarship Program for Medical Students
The Wisconsin County Mutual, as well as the WCA Group Health Trust (GHT), is now taking applications for their 2010 scholarship program. Click here for the County Mutual and click here for the WCA GHT Application. In addition, the WCA GHT has a new scholarship for medical students in Wisconsin focusing on primary care. Learn more here.
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