MARSHFIELD — During its April meeting, the Wood County Board of Supervisors approved new leadership appointments, committee assignments and multiple budget amendments.
Lance Pliml was selected as chair, with Jake Hahn as first vice chair and Joseph Zurfluh as second vice chair.
Two board members, Scott Brehm and John Hokamp, are stepping down following the completion of their terms.
The Land Information Council, which serves two-year terms, will include Paul Bernard, Andrew Jennings, Brian Spranger, Tony Bastien, Kevin Boyer and Allen Breu.
Appointments to the Wood County Library Board, which carry three-year terms, include Brad Hamilton, Joseph Zurfluh, Linda Schmidt and Rachel Stankowski.
The McMillan Library Board of Trustees, also serving three-year terms, include Susan Feith and Bill Clendenning.
George Gilberson was appointed as the CEED Committee Producer Member for a two-year term.
All resolutions brought before the board were approved, including several amendments to the 2025 budget to address higher-than-anticipated costs.
The board approved an amendment to the 2025 Employee Health Fund budget after expenses exceeded projections by approximately $1.45 million.
The increase was attributed to higher-than-expected healthcare costs throughout the year.
To offset the overage, the county received $480,809 in unanticipated revenue from departmental charges, stop-loss insurance reimbursements and investment income.
The remaining $972,969 will be covered using reserves from the Employee Health Fund, which had a balance of about $8.8 million prior to closing out the 2025 net loss.
Officials said the adjustment will not impact taxpayers, as it relies on existing funds and additional revenue rather than new funding sources.
The amendment is required under county policy, which mandates budget updates when actual costs exceed approved amounts.
The board also approved an amendment to the 2025 Property and Liability Insurance (51931) budget after deductible expenses exceeded expectations due to a higher-than-usual number of claims.
The total adjustment amounts to $400,902.
To cover the increase, the county will use $337,796 in insurance recoveries from claims processed in 2025, along with a $63,106 transfer from the contingency fund (51590), designated for unexpected expenses.
At the time of the request, the contingency fund balance was $600,000.
In addition, the board approved an amendment to the 2025 Criminal Justice (51240) budget after $78,385 in unanticipated expenses was incurred.
The costs were primarily related to wages and contractual services tied to expanded treatment-based jail programs.
The county will cover the overage using $76,109 in unanticipated state aid revenue, largely from additional grant funding secured in late 2024, along with $2,276 from the contingency fund.
The contingency fund balance stood at $600,000 at the time of the request.
County officials said the increased costs stem from initiatives introduced late in 2024 to enhance jail programming that were not fully reflected in the original 2025 budget.
All amendments were approved in accordance with county policy, which requires adjustments when expenditures exceed approved levels.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here