By BRIAN LEAHY
of The Gazette
The Portage County Executive/Operations Committee intends to narrow the scope of a study designed to determine the future direction of county government.
The original proposal called for undertaking a cross-functional comprehensive strategic planning process to set the structure and direction of Portage County government and identify its future role in the community, but County Board Chairman Philip Idsvoog thinks that is too broad of a mission. Idsvoog and County Corporation Counsel Michael McKenna presented a draft resolution to the county Executive/Operations Committee Tuesday, Jan. 11, which would create a Management Review Committee to specifically study three models for county leadership - an administrative coordinator, the present administrative coordinator position with expanded powers and county administrator. Not included in the list was establishing the office of county executive.
The Executive/Operations Committee took no action Tuesday, but will act on the proposed resolution at a special meeting Friday, Jan. 14. Its recommendation will be forwarded to the County Board of Supervisors, which meets Tuesday, Jan. 18.
The proposed make-up of the Management Review Committee is similar to that of the earlier conceived strategic planning committee, known as the Portage County 2014 Vision Process Committee. The University of Wisconsin-Extension community resource development agent would facilitate it. Members would include a Finance Committee member, county finance director, Personnel Committee representative, county clerk or deputy county clerk, corporation counsel, Village of Plover president or Village Board representative, Stevens Point mayor or Common Council representative, county personnel director, a non-profit sector representative, president of the Portage County unit of the Wisconsin Towns Association, Executive/Operations Committee representative, business sector representative and Portage County Business Council president or executive director.
The proposed list of Management Review Committee members originally included the County Board chairman, but Idsvoog recommended he not be on the committee. The County Board chairman not being on the committee would make for a "cleaner process," and the recommendations from that committee will come back to the Executive/Operations Committee anyway, Idsvoog said.
"My only goal here is to process something we can build consensus around," Idsvoog said.
Idsvoog also recommended that attorney Brian Formella serve on the Management Review Committee. Formella, who is a former county corporation counsel and assistant district attorney, has litigated cases against the county as a private attorney.
Town of Belmont Supervisor Doug Radtke asked the Executive/Operations Committee to increase rural representation on the Management Committee Review. Idsvoog agreed that would be a good idea. An updated membership list was to be submitted at Friday's meeting.
The Management Review Committee should examine several "for instances," such as what role a full-time administrator would play in the evaluation process of department heads, Idsvoog said.
"If you're going to make a structural change, there's no point in doing it if you're simply going to conduct business as usual," Idsvoog said.
The draft resolution calls for the Management Review Committee to present a review and preliminary plan to the Executive/Operations Committee in October. That plan would be subject to the review of the Executive/Operations Committee and further input. A final implementation plan is to be presented to the County Board no later than December.
Portage County voters could pre-empt any recommendations of the Management Review Committee. A direct legislation petition creating the office of county executive has been certified in proper form and having a sufficient number of signatures. Portage County has until early February to create the office of county executive or submit it to electors as a binding referendum in the April 5 spring election. Voters rejected a similar binding referendum in November.