Board of Supervisors vacant seat filled, 2026 Budget for Richland County approved

RICHLAND CENTER, Wis. (WRCO / WRCE) – One of the vacant seats on the Richland County Board of Supervisors was filled Monday night at its meeting. Tiffany Thompson was seated to represent District 9.

Following the seating of Thompson, a public hearing was held on the Proposed 2026 Budget, which includes:

Advancement of one step on wage scale for all full-time employees. The addition of Radio Tower Technician & Radio Tower operations funding. Restructuring of Administration, Symons, Emergency Services, and HHS staff, and a focus on maintaining and enhancing cyber security.

The proposed revenue includes:

Taxes of $1.8 milllion, Intergovernmental revenue at $7.6 million, Regulation & Compliance of $150,500, Public Charges for Services at $16.5 million, Other General Revenues of $1.1 million, Commercial Revenues at $610,900, Highway at $13 million, a Tax Levy of $10.8 million for a total revenue of $51.8 million.

Expenses include:

General Government at $4 million, Public Safety at $5.6 million, Health & Social Services at $21.2 million, Transportation at 32,500, Highways at $14.7 million, Culture at $344,500, Public Areas at $617,800, Special Education at $170,900, Natural Resources at $574,200, County Planning at $186,150, County Development at $7,500, Debt Service at $3.8 million, Capital Projects at $296,000 for a total of $51.8 million.

The biggest obstacle in the proposed budget was for the county ambulance service. Many residents are upset with the new billing configuration for the townships. Richland Township is opposed as, according to Gordon Palmer of Richland Township, “they will be billed for all calls to Pine Valley Community Village, which is owned by the county and the township gets nothing in return.”

County Administrator, Tricia Clements, said that they built a budget to keep the ambulance service and the employees they have. She does not want to see the ambulance service go away.

After much discussion from county supervisors and residents in attendance, a motion was then made to adjust the budget to take the ambulance fees to Pine Valley off of Richland Township and put it on the ambulance budget which was approved.

A motion was then made to amend the budget to take the money budgeted in the parks fund to cover ambulance calls to the county from the city. That amendment was also passed.

Following the public hearing the board approved awarding the sale of $1,085,000 in General Obligation Promissory Notes for the purpose of capital improvements to Piper Sandler & Co. of New York, NY at an interest rate of 4.57 for a total interest fee of $13,990.

The Richland County Board of Supervisor then approved the 2026 Proposed Budget for Richland County with a county tax levy of $6.7 million, a library tax levy of $209,466, a county bridge aid levy of $37,820, a chargeback levy of $990, and a county debt levy of $3.8 million, and that the sum of $10.8 million to be levied on all taxable property in the county for 2026.

In other action concerning the ambulance service, the board voted down a three month interim Memorandum Of Agreement For Ambulance Services and to stay with the original 12 month agreement good through January 1, 2027. The Town of Richland and the City of Richland Center will receive revised contracts showing the changes made in the amendments made by the board for calls to county owned property.

The Board of Supervisors also approved a purchase offer from the Richland School District to purchase the campus gymnasium and Melville Hall on the Richland Campus for $1. The school district would be responsible for the expenses incurred for surveying and such needed to break off those two buildings from the campus configuration. The school district would also work with Symons so that the gymnasium could be shared between the two. The purchase agreement will now go to the Richland School District Board of Education for approval.

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