Week of May 16, 2016
Historic Day as WCA President Pliml Hands Over Gavel to New WCA Chairman Moore

At the WCA Board of Directors Meeting this morning in Marshfield, WCA President and Wood County Board Chair Lance Pliml handed over the gavel to new WCA Chairman of the Board and Eau Claire County Board Chair Gregg Moore.

In addition, county board members from around the state were sworn in to the WCA Board for their two-year term.
WCA Encourages Counties to Pass Transportation Resolution: See Sample

WCA has released a sample resolution calling on the State Legislature and Governor to address the current revenue shortfall in the Segregated Transportation Fund.

WCA is working with Transportation Development Association of Wisconsin as they kick off their "Just Fix It" campaign. The purpose of this effort is to encourage the Legislature and Governor to develop a long-term sustainable solution to the revenue shortfall in the Segregated Transportation Fund.

We ask that counties consider adoption of this resolution encouraging Wisconsin's elected leaders to "Just Fix It," as it relates to funding Wisconsin's Transportation infrastructure.

If you choose to adopt a resolution on this topic, please forward it to WCA.  
 
See the sample transportation resolution here.
WCA Weighs In on Newly Released Overtime Rules from Feds

WCA weighed in on newly released overtime rules from the federal Department of Labor. 

We encourage you to reach out to your federal representatives and voice your concern with the new rule.

Click here for a copy of the letter WCA sent to both Senator Tammy Baldwin and Senator Ron Johnson this week.
Still Time to Attend Regional Transportation Meetings!

Transportation.....so much to discuss and we encourage you to attend a Transportation Development Association (TDA) Regional Meeting, continuing next week, to be a part of the conversation.

This FREE breakfast event is being held around the state and the focus will be on local transportation issues as presented by local elected officials, farmers and business people.

Plan to Attend!
Breakfast 7:30 am | Meeting 8:00-10:00 am

May 24, Green Bay
Foth,
2121 Innovation Court, De Pere

May 25, Waukesha
Milwaukee County Department of Transportation Administration
Building, 10320 W. Watertown Plank Road,
Wauwatosa

May 26, Janesville
Janesville Conference
Center at the Holiday Inn Express,
3100 Wellington Place, Janesville

June 1, Wausau
Central Wisconsin Airport,
100 CWA Drive, Mosinee

To RSVP for a meeting, please email debby.jackson@tdawisconsin.org or call (608) 256-7044.
FY 2017 Broadband Expansion Grant Information Update and Application Reminder

Application Deadline June 16
As a reminder, there is just one month left in the application period, with FY 2017 Grant applications due June 16, 2016.  The due date is unchanged from previous announcements. 

Additional information to complete a grant application can be found in the application instructions by clicking here.

FAQs
PSC and UW-Extension staff recently completed a series of workshops regarding the grant program.  In response to some inquiries received during the workshops, we have added a Frequently Asked Questions page to the PSC website.  See the FAQ page here.

Webinar
A recording of the May 4th Broadband Expansion Grant Workshop webinar is available here.

For questions contact  Dennis Klaila via email or at 608.267.9780
Legal Update on DPPA and Wisconsin Public Records Case

There has been a recent court of appeals decision that affects local law enforcement agencies when they respond to requests for accident reports and incident reports. 

See a von Briesen and Roper update here that provides the background and the impact on law enforcement agencies.  
 
As mentioned in the update, WCA and the League of Municipalities filed a joint amicus brief in the case asking for clarity from the court. Axley Brynelson filed a brief in the case on behalf of the Wisconsin County Mutual Insurance Corporation.  While the decision does provide guidance regarding release of accident reports, there are still a lot of questions regarding how to respond to requests for incident reports. 
Apply for a NACo Steering Committee!

You are invited to apply for a National Association of Counties (NACo) Policy Steering Committee. 

These members are appointed by state associations and serve one-year terms. The Audit Committee is elected by the Board of Directors. Members of all other committees are appointed by the NACo president and serve one-year terms.

Policy steering committees annually review and make recommendations on federal policy issues and legislation. They start the policy development process leading to the development of the American County Platform, which guides the county government message presented to the Administration, Congress, U.S. Courts and the American public.

Learn more and apply here for a NACo Steering Committee
Water Quality Tours in June

From business owners and consumers, legislators and local officials, municipality leaders and citizens to farmers and neighbors, we all have a vested interest in water quality.

Take a tour to see how others are invested in water quality.  There are three tours, June 7, 14 and 21 in Cashton, Green Bay and Oconomowoc.

Put on by the Professional Dairy Producers and UW-Extension's Discovery Farms, the cost is $30 per person per day includes bus travel, snacks, refreshments and lunch.  Register at 800-947-7379 or by visiting www.pdpw.org.

To see where the tours go and to learn more about the Water Quality Tours, click here.
WCA Associate Members

The role and relationship of government with the private sector has changed in recent years. The creation of the WCA Associate Member Program is one more way WCA is reaching out to bring together the public and private sectors.

WCA Associate Members include:

AECOM
American Transmission Company, LLC
Baird
Discover Mediaworks 
Motorola Solutions, Inc.
Siemens Industry, Inc.
Wipfli LLP

We encourage you to learn more about our WCA Associate Members by clicking here.  For more information about this program please contact WCA Marketing and Events Manager Cheryl Fleck at 866.404.2700.    
IN THIS ISSUE
Historic Day as President Pliml Hands Over Gavel To New WCA Chairman Moore
WCA Encourages Counties to Pass Transportation Resolution
WCA Weighs In on Newly Released Overtime Rules from Federal Government
Still Time to Attend Regional Transportation Meetings
FY 2017 Broadband Expansion Grant Updates
Legal Update on DPPA and Public Records Case
Apply for a NACo Steering Committee
Join a Water Quality Tour!
WCA Associate Members
Registration Now Open for WCA Annual Conference 
Plan to Attend Leadership
Wisconsin's
June Event on Communication Skills
  
Join Leadership Wisconsin and WCA June 6 in Stevens Point at a seminar, "Communications Skills for Leadership Success." This workshop is designed to help you build, grow and maintain networks that help you be an influential leader.

Together we will explore the value of networks for creating mutual benefit.  Workshop facilitators will help you examine your current networks and find opportunities to expand and deepen relationships you need in order to be successful in your personal and professional pursuits. 

We will also look at effective ways to use social media to reach more people with your networking. 

And, as with all the workshops in this series, come prepared to practice your networking skills!

Learn more and register here!
Dane County Video on Voter ID Wins National Award 

A video starring Madison-based YouTube star Chad Vader explaining Wisconsin's voter ID law won a contest for best municipal public service announcement, beating out four other cities.

The news was announced recently on a live recording of GovLov, a podcast from Engaging Local Government Leaders. ELGL is  an organization with the mission of connecting, communicating and educating people about important topics in local government.

Madison's video received 477 out of the 883 votes cast.

Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell, who wrote the PSA script, was featured on the podcast along with the creator of the character Ron Pitchman, who appears in another contest video. 

Watch the video here!
Follow WCA On Social Media!  

To stay updated on the latest WCA news, be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@wiscounties).