Mister Chairman, Mister Vice Chairman, Members of the County Board, Youth in Governance representatives, distinguished guests, and Racine County residents.

It’s an honor to be with you here this evening and a privilege to share how Racine County continues to deliver exceptional, top-notch services to our residents while remaining fiscally conservative with our expenditures.

Racine County sets the bar high, and we reach new heights together. That is not just an opinion. It’s a fact. Look at our county highways, our 911 response rates, and how efficiently we deliver our mandated services.

Just a few weeks ago, my team and I traveled to the Wisconsin Counties Association meetings in Sauk County, for those of you unfamiliar with this event, it’s an annual conference that offers county elected officials and administrators an opportunity to share best practices and new ideas.

At these meetings, Racine County was invited to present on several leading-edge topics. Our county has been consistently recognized for its innovation, challenging the status quo, and ambitious achievements. I can’t tell you how proud that makes me and that’s why I wanted to share it with you here today. We should all be proud of our successes and the incredible difference we make in the lives of our constituents.

Back in May, we gathered at Old Settlers Park to celebrate the 100th anniversary of our county fair, and what a momentous occasion that was! A true celebration of what makes our county so special.

During that State of the County Address, I shared a book that had a profound impact on me and members of my administration. The book was called Hope Rising and each of you received a copy. The book examined a thought-provoking, science-based approach to measuring the impact of hope. I want to encourage each of you to read it if you haven’t already. I believe its message will resonate with you as it did with me.

One question posed in Hope Rising seems obvious – what is hope?

“Hope is the belief that a thriving future is possible, and you have the power to make it so.”

That is a powerful definition shared by the authors. A thriving future is possible – that sounds wonderful – but the caveat lies in individual agency. You have the power to make it so. Think about that for a moment because I will discuss the importance of agency later.

What does a thriving future look like for Racine County?

Eight years ago, I began my first term as your County Executive and laid out my priorities. Three priorities that I believe will lead to a thriving Racine County:
• Mental health
• Promote economic development along the strategic I-94 corridor
• Develop a Racine Ready workforce

I’m not ready to declare victory on any one of these priorities, as we always have an opportunity for continuous improvement, but together I believe we have made tremendous progress. We understood these heavy lifts wouldn’t be accomplished overnight. And we couldn’t make these changes a reality without maintaining a fiscally conservative outlook with our taxpayers remaining top of mind.

This evening I would like to share that in the proposed budget for 2023, Racine County is bonding just over $12.8 million in capital, and we have a total reserve balance of $66.3 million. I am proud to say that we have cut down on the use of our reserves by more than 50 percent. Racine County will once again see its mill rate drop for the eighth consecutive year. We are fiscally prudent and doing things the “Racine County Way” continues to pay dividends!

Last week, I represented Racine County with a delegation of executives at the capitol. During my visit, I met with a pair of economists who forecasted that our nation would soon experience a recession. The budget I present to you tonight may not be recession-proof, but we have taken calculated steps to mitigate the potential impact of a recession.

I believe we found the sweet spot in this budget. It’s conservative, flexible, and innovative. This budget reflects the community we serve. We have taken the right approach when constructing this budget; a collaborative approach with you, the County Board. Our budget process in Racine County isn’t like the 72 other counties in Wisconsin, and we are better for it.

Ultimately, the success or failure of our balanced budget comes down to our ability to deliver mandated services with a prevention-based lens. Early investment along with focused strategies build pathways to hope. Hope for a thriving Racine County. In the wake of the pandemic and social unrest, the value of hope is at a premium. So, we must begin sowing the seeds of hope early. We must start at the beginning. The beginning of the educational journey for our children. And what is the most predictive measure of future success? Literacy.

Our partners with the Johnson Foundation at Wingspread and its Resilient Communities Initiative have identified a deficiency that, if left unchecked, will have devastating consequences for our community and workforce. I would like to share some staggering statistics with you which will illustrate this point.

• Only 39 percent of all third graders in Wisconsin tested as proficient or advanced in English language arts in 2018-19
• In comparison, just 21 percent of third graders enrolled in Racine Unified Schools tested as proficient or advanced

You’re probably saying, “Isn’t that a school issue?” It’s not just an educational issue, it is a public health issue.

My experience is if you’re fighting poverty, workforce shortages, and numerous other issues which cross racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic boundaries it all starts with literacy.

We’ve engaged our partner Higher Expectations and our Data and Performance Analytics Department to review data, like what I just shared with you, so we can thoughtfully engage community partners, nonprofits, and private sector entities among others to align our resources in search of a solution. These data-sharing agreements will help us identify gaps beginning in 4K and Kindergarten students and may reveal intersectionality with other factors.

As illustrated by Professor Heckman’s curve shown here, by supporting early childhood education we can make a long-term impact on our residents. An impact that will reduce the need for deep-end social services and support.

Of course, improvements in literacy will also boost our community’s workforce and support local higher education institutions.

But we cannot have hope without accountability.

We would be remiss to not talk about the violence, especially gun violence, our community experienced this summer. Back in the spring, I talked about the potential for a violent summer, therefore, we kicked off our Violent Crime Reduction Initiative. Every Racine County resident has the right to feel safe in their community and we are doing everything we can to stop the violence and prevent a repeat next summer.

On October 12 we will host a first-of-its-kind meeting at Festival Hall where Mayor Mason and I, our partners in law enforcement, nonprofit and social services, and our District Attorney Patricia Hanson will spell out the work we’ve done, share the data-driven approach we’ve taken and engage in a dialogue with the community about what comes next.

I will preview that event by sharing that times like these must be confronted with innovative solutions. We are all too familiar with the fact that violent crime often begins a cycle of violence, and, tragically, hurt people hurt people.

But there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to ending violent crime in Racine County or communities around the country. At the heart of our violent crime reduction initiative is hope.

And hope begins when we confront the crime and loss, but also support the family, the survivors of that violence. Our Violence Interrupters will respond to violent crime, regardless of the hour, providing intervention services, while also working with families to support them in their time of grief. I believe this novel approach to combating violent crime, with the support of our law enforcement partners, will go a long way to reducing violence and providing hope and safety to our residents.

Accountability. We are committed to creating a safe community for those willing to be a part of it.

Thankfully we have brave men and women serving and protecting our community in the face of violent crime. I have proposed investments in essential equipment for our law enforcement officers including new ballistic shields, portable radios, and the purchase of two squad fast ID units that will help quickly identify suspects in the field. Especially, identifying dangerous suspects traveling along the I-94 corridor. We will also allocate funds for a VTAC repeater antenna which will help sustain communication in and around the LEC campus during emergencies and times of unrest.

This budget also includes approximately $326,000 for a control panel replacement in the A-Wing of the jail. The replacement is necessary because parts can no longer be ordered for the antiquated system in the wing historically used for inmate programming and more recently for COVID-19 isolation. Lastly, we will rely on short-term borrowing to continue our replacement of marked patrol cars, which will cost $858,000.

The Sheriff’s Office has been a leader and invaluable partner as we look to end violent crime, end the scourge of illicit drugs on our streets and in our schools, and protect our community.

We worked together this summer to enhance safety along our lakeshore, I made this a point of emphasis following drownings last year. Our rescue and dive team, in collaboration with the City of Racine’s lifeguards, implemented new outreach and state-of-the-art technology to keep our residents safe as they enjoyed our beautiful Lake Michigan.

We have made it clear that illicit street drugs, illegally obtained opioids and fentanyl have no place in our community. Last month I stood with Kenosha County Executive Samantha Kerkman as a united front in the face of southeast Wisconsin’s opioid crisis.
As I mentioned during the Overdose Awareness event, 53 Racine County residents died last year, and we are closing in on surpassing that total in 2022.

Racine County is doing all it can to mitigate the terrible consequences of overdoses, provide community resources and support, and equip our law enforcement officers with the tools they need in the fight against fentanyl. This budget includes the purchase of laser scanners for our Sheriff’s Office that will allow them to scan drugs for the presence of fentanyl, a synthetic substance that is 80 to 100 times stronger than morphine, and dangerous even to the touch.

In the face of this crisis, our Behavioral Health Department is offering free Narcan and fentanyl testing strips, installing NaloxBoxes, and providing same-day walk-in crisis services to our residents.

Public safety has been and will continue to be a priority, and we have a sense of urgency when it comes to addressing our aging 911 emergency infrastructure. We have been engaged with vendors and our emergency communications team has shared its input as we look for a long-term solution to this complex problem. When our communications system was installed in the mid-1990s, it was already at the end of its life.

We recognize that using that same technology 30 years later is not sustainable, in fact, it's unacceptable. Our taxpayers expect better and deserve better! We will present a plan of action in January with a funding plan to accomplish a transition from an analog to a digital emergency communications system. Our taxpayers will have an efficient and modern 911 communications system soon.

As we look ahead and develop pathways of hope, our youth summer employment initiative presents a transformational opportunity for kids in our community, especially Black youth.

This past summer, the initiative reached new heights with more than 100 enrolled in this one-of-a-kind experience at over 30 work sites throughout the county. A highlight of my year was joining these young men and women for a celebration at the conclusion of their experience. Eighty-eight percent of participants finished the program and were recognized for this accomplishment. It was moving to see these young people, who put in more than 16,000 hours of work graduate from our program. In partnership with Racine Unified School District, we provided fully paid employment opportunities, soft skills training, and mentorship.

Many of our summer jobs participants were joining the workforce for the first time, and I am grateful for our local business champions who supported this real-world, paid work experience. These young people are the workforce of tomorrow and I am proposing the use of $250,000 of our remaining ARPA funds to expand and sustain these opportunities in 2023. With the help of our community partners let’s keep our young people out of the juvenile justice system, and out of jails. This initiative gives them hope for a rewarding future, and I am so very proud of those associated with making our youth summer employment initiative a reality.

I believe that a thriving Racine County, one that has the capacity for hope, has the mental health infrastructure necessary to support its residents who want to engage in mental health resources.

Our Human Services Department is still contending with a trifurcation of services, which limits our ability to grow the services to match the demand of our constituents. By bringing our services under one roof we can better establish a continuum of care for our residents.

My leadership team has been tasked with finding a long-term solution, and we are zeroing in on a viable option, a path forward to support our operations. As I have shared on previous occasions, this effort will utilize ARPA dollars, of which we have approximately $19 million remaining. By the end of the year, I will bring a solidified plan with funding costs and resources to put the lion's share of our mental health operations under one roof. This unification will enable us to reach our goal of serving anyone in the community with a desire to receive mental health support.

We must also provide mental health services to support those in jail. This budget includes funding for five correctional officers to support the wellness and medical needs of these individuals.

At last month’s WCA conference, Racine County presented on the topic of “Needs-Driven Solutions for Vulnerable Seniors.” Our population continues to age, as 30 percent of our population is 60 years of age and older. This statistic is even more glaring considering the Adult Protective Services allocation from the state has not increased in 21 years, while APS investigations are on the rise. This is a mandated service, and our Human Services Department is finding innovative solutions to support our aging residents.

This problem will not go away as the percentage of 60 and older residents is projected to swell to 40 percent by 2040. It has become apparent that maintaining the status quo isn’t a possibility if we intend to deliver essential services to this vulnerable population. This budget includes the addition of an APS supervisor and the conversion of a contracted employee to a County position. We feel these changes will stabilize this division while we work with WCA to justify increased state funding for these services.

Our Racine County parks continue to experience a renaissance. If you’re a pickleball player like me, you’ll be excited to hear that we have opened our new courts at Pritchard Park, and we’ll have our grand opening dedication later this month. Just this year we added Franksville Park to our portfolio, and it has become a destination for area families. We will continue to look for ways to enhance the quality of amenities at this park and work with partners to make this one of the best parks in our region. One innovative solution to improve the experience of our campers and park goers is the proposed purchase of a log splitter. Thanks to our hardworking parks team for considering the idea of splitting logs on-site and selling firewood at our campgrounds to reinvest in park operations.

I am excited to say we are bringing the saga of Quarry Lake to a conclusion. We’ve cracked the code and we are ready to move forward with an exciting new facility. In this budget, I have requested $3 million to take the next step in our Quarry Lake and Pritchard Park projects. When we conceived Pritchard Park, it was a multi-year and multi-phase project, and the development of additional parking and redevelopment of a baseball diamond is the next step.

I would also like to share another capital investment proposed in the 2023 budget, a splash pad in Union Grove. The splash pad located in Union Grove would provide a recreational opportunity for youth on the west end. Over the last eight years, I am proud to say, our parks have undergone a renaissance. They serve as a great attraction for tourism and an asset as we encourage new workers and families to relocate to Racine County.

Just as we redefine the recreational opportunities for our more than 200,000 residents, we also continue to expand and enhance our public works and highway projects.

Our Public Works and Development Services Director Julie Anderson has done an outstanding job leveraging state and federal dollars to maximize our investment in capital highway projects. We remain smart and fiscally responsible, which leads to more opportunities to connect our community safely on the move. Last month we cut the ribbon on the CTH K project in Norway, the irrigation project at Ives Grove Golf Links is underway and the Eagle Lake Boat Launch project will be completed, featuring a new double-lane launch, in time for next season.

I am proposing capital investments in CTH V in Caledonia, a local arterial in need of improvements, and repaving and safety improvements on HWY D in Rochester in the upcoming budget. In February, Julie Anderson and I took WisDOT Secretary Thompson on a ride through the county, and I had an opportunity to share my vision for the evolution of our county’s transportation system. I believe it was an eye-opening experience for Secretary Thompson, a former Racine County resident himself, to see first-hand our local transportation challenges and opportunities.

I would like to add that we recognize that as our community grows, especially west of the I, we will need to enhance our roads, especially in regard to safety.
Growth is very exciting, and we take the well-being of every Racine County resident and those traveling across our county into consideration as we chart the course for transportation improvements.

As we advance projects throughout the county, we cannot forget about investments we must make closer to home. Our facilities management staff does an exceptional job making steak out of hamburger and keeping our County buildings, especially our courthouse, operational for employees and residents alike.

The courthouse is aging, and we have been making necessary repairs and investments over the past several years, and now it’s time to address the south lawn of the courthouse by repairing the retaining wall, driveway, and waterproofing to avoid further deterioration and damage. A $1 million investment into the south lawn area which has been damaged by poor drainage and weather damage will provide both a cosmetic and structural improvement for this area. This budget also proposes upgrades to HVAC equipment and control improvements at all County buildings, roofing improvements, and more. I would like to commend our facilities management staff for its work installing LED lighting in our buildings.

I can’t tell you how many compliments I have received on this cost-saving, energy-efficient solution. Transitioning to LED lighting will continue by dedicating $350,000 in this budget.

Never has it been more important for Racine County to set itself apart as an employer of choice in southeastern Wisconsin. We cannot stick our heads in the sand and ignore the harsh reality of the current job market for employers. The budget I present to you today includes further wage adjustments and reclassifications. We understand that we cannot adjust everyone’s salary at once, so we methodically and prudently continue our strategic salary increases.

But more pay isn’t the only reason we will retain our employees. Our Human Resources team has developed a robust benefits package ranging from pet insurance this year to offering employees Edvest, Wisconsin’s 529 college plan. Edvest will allow employees to begin saving for their child’s future educational endeavors with pre-tax investments in this college savings plan. Our Human Resources Department will continue to take a holistic approach to employee wellbeing. Enhanced employee recognition, updated wellness initiatives, and a focus on educating our employees on the myriad number of benefits available to them will be points of emphasis in 2023.

As our county grows and expands, so must our County’s virtual infrastructure adapt to support the needs of our employees and residents. Cybersecurity remains a priority for our IT Department as it has stopped over 65,000 threats in the last 90 days. The 2023 budget includes $1.65 million over the next three years to further strengthen our cybersecurity while making our infrastructure application scalable, flexible, and reliable for years to come. I am also proposing investments that would improve wi-fi connectivity in the offices of our Human Services Department and to continue replacing leased computers used by County employees.

As I mentioned earlier, Racine County was well-represented at the recent Wisconsin Counties Association meetings. At these meetings, I presented in a session titled, “Building Successful Relationships between County Boards and County Administration.” I was honored to present on a topic I feel so passionate about because this is something I have always done – walked the talk. We have had so many successes, so many wins in the face of adversity, because agree or disagree, at the end of the day we remain one county family.

I am so proud of the relationships we have forged together in the fires of discussion and debate. Our county is a better place for it.

Thank you, and may God Bless Racine County.