Budget 2025: Addressing Community Needs

A public hearing and a vote by the county board on La Crosse County's 2025 budget is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 12. The proposed $205 million spending plan is balanced and supports about 1,000 county staff and many vital programs.

Why it matters: The county's budget includes a 3% raise for employees with no increase in health insurance premiums. The budget also addresses long-term community needs.

• Homelessness: Three social workers will move to a specialized unit (expanding the unit from three to six positions) working under Pathways Home, our city-county homelessness response plan. Three peer support specialist positions are also being created. Watch for a major ramp up in housing efforts in 2025, with a goal of zero unsheltered by the end of the year.
• Elderly Care: Our $19.6 million project to reimagine Hillview Health Care Center is on schedule to be complete by December 2025. The project includes an intergenerational center, a dementia crisis stabilization unit, and a new Community Based Residential Facility.
• Broadband: The county is hiring a Broadband Specialist, building off work to prepare for an expansion of high-speed internet across the county. The position will work to develop relationships with providers and access grant funding.

View the budget: Find the County Administrator's Recommended 2025 budget here.

Early Voting

In-person absentee voting in Wisconsin began on Tuesday (Oct. 22). Hours for in-person absentee voting are set by individual municipal clerks. The hours for each municipality are posted on the County Clerk’s Election website, which you can view at this link. The website also includes contact information for each municipal clerk.

County Highway Conditions Improving

What happened: Jenna Helminski Juve was the well-deserved winner of a 7 Rivers Rising Star award last week. Jenna is a supervisor at the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) of La Crosse County. She also has become part of the Pathways Home leadership team in our Human Services Department. Pathways Home is our city-county homelessness response plan.

What they said: Speaking to the La Crosse Tribune about working on Pathways Home, Jenna said: "Each day we celebrate the small accomplishments—outreach teams are more effective at engaging with unsheltered people, we’ve improved access to public benefits and county services, we have 20+ different organizations collaborating at the table, and we are seeing people housed every month. These milestones are all stepping-stones toward achieving our greater vision."

Snapped: Jenna was pictured at the Rising Stars awards ceremony last week with County Administrator Jane Klekamp and Associate Administrator Sara Koopman.

The La Crosse Area Planning Committee (LAPC) has launched a community survey to help shape our long-range transportation plans for the next 20 years. Take the short survey and add your ideas to the interactive comment map by clicking here. Help spread the word by sharing the survey with friends and family.

The La Crosse County Sheriff's Office is coordinating a hurricane relief donation drive at the Onalaska Omni Center Nov. 1-3. Drop off donations on Friday, Nov. 1, from 4-9 p.m., on Saturday, Nov. 2, from 10-6 p.m., or on Sunday, Nov. 3, from 12-6 p.m. Suggestions for donations include non-perishable food items, baby formula, diapers, batteries and flashlights. Find the event page for the drive on the Sheriff's Facebook page or click here for more information.

Thank you to the 64 Trane employees who volunteered at Hillview last week. The group spent four hours working on outdoor projects, including weeding, planting tulips, cleaning signs, and much more.

The La Crose County Board last week approved $425,000 to install solar panels at Hillview, plus $388,000 for the Neighborhood Revitalization Acquisition and Demolition program. The funding comes from unused American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars. This is partly due to rebates the county has received for our other solar projects, also funded through ARPA. Solar at Hillview will help to both reduce energy costs and the county's carbon footprint. The Neighborhood Revitalization funding allows for the continuation of a countywide program that has awarded $2.3 million in grants since its inception. The program supports single and multifamily housing projects, especially in neighborhoods with deteriorating housing stock. Learn more here. 

Caring Better and Braver Conference

The ADRC's Caring Better & Braver conference runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 26, at the Holmen Area Community Center. The event is designed for full or part-time caregivers to provide access to resources and support. Keynote speaker Kari Berit will share her method to help caregivers find balance and reduce stress. Caregivers from all areas are welcome, and there's no cost to attend. Find more information here or contact the ADRC at 608-785-5700.

All Smiles

The La Crosse Smiles program saw 44 students at Hintgen Elementary School earlier this month. With assistance from Scenic Bluffs dentists and Western Technical College dental assistant students, 24 children were identified with cavities and will be referred to a local dental office for treatment. La Crosse Smiles is a collaboration between La Crosse County Health Department and More Smiles Wisconsin. Learn more here.

Avoiding Online Shopping Scams

Join Jeff Kersten from the Wisconsin Bureau of Consumer Protection at the Onalaska Library on Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 10 a.m. He’ll discuss how to avoid scams and keep your personal information safe when shopping online, as well as other considerations such as internet access, payment methods, shipping, and much more. No registration required. Learn more about youth and adult programming at the La Crosse County Library at lacrossecounty.org/library.

Support Early Detection

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. If you’ve found a lump or have a family history of breast cancer, don’t delay your mammogram. The Wisconsin Well Woman Program may be able to help cover the cost of your visit if you have little or no insurance and are between the ages of 40-64. Learn more here or call the La Crosse County Health Department at 608-785-6235.