Ladwig touts county’s financial condition

County executive delivers annual State of the County address

Here is the complete text of the State of the County speech delivered by Racine County Executive Jim Ladwig to the County Board Tuesday evening.

Ladwig’s office provided an embargoed copy of his remarks to the media prior to the presentation.

Report by the County Executive on the State of the County

“Mr. Chairman, Members of the Board of Supervisors, Youth In Governance representatives, distinguished guests, and residents of Racine County; it is an honor to be here tonight to present my fourth State of the County Address, and I am proud to once again report that the state of Racine County is strong and we continue to move forward with purpose and determination.

“You have heard me say many times that my mission is to provide our residents with the services they need, but at a price they can afford. This mission has been and still remains my goal and it is with this focus that decisions are made every day. Together, my cabinet, our constitutional officers, members of the County Board, and all of the capable and dedicated employees of Racine County, are determined to fulfill this mission daily by providing high quality service in the most efficient and cost effective manner.

“One way we evaluate the state of our county is to look at our finances, and I’m proud to report Racine County’s finances are solid. Moody’s Investors Service recently reaffirmed our “Aa1” (double A 1) bond rating, the second highest rating given. Only 5 counties in Wisconsin have a higher bond rating. This strong rating by Moody’s means we are making good fiscal decisions. It recognizes our efforts to control costs and it allows us to continue to pay a lower rate of interest on money borrowed for capital budget, saving the county and our taxpayers, money.

“Moody’s noted Racine County’s “history of conservative budgeting practices and demonstrated willingness to reduce expenditures, as well as sound financial operations with solid reserves.” This is a welcome assessment because it tells us that we are on track and making wise decisions. Moody’s anticipates the county’s financial position to “remain sound due to the presence of healthy reserves and a proactive management approach.” This favorable bond rating and sound financial condition should let Racine County residents know their tax dollars are being managed wisely.

“Racine County’s Finance Department has been awarded a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the 5th consecutive year. I want to acknowledge the high level of performance by our Finance Department staff, who manage the tax dollars of Racine County residents with such professionalism.

“Controlling costs and improving efficiency has a huge effect on our bottom line. Throughout county government, our departments work hard to do this. Jonathan Delagrave and the Human Services Department (HSD) team had a very good year. The Behavioral Health Clinic served 928 individuals in 2013, which is an increase of more than 150 percent over the previous year. The clinic has given us the ability to expand the services we can offer, and provides additional revenue streams for the county.

“Our Wisconsin Shares Child Care Subsidy program received an excellent audit and review by the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF), which found Racine to be one of only fifteen (15) counties in the state that had no errors. Racine County met or exceeded all state guidelines – quite an achievement when you realize that our county authorizes approximately 2,000 child care payments each month, and our staff make sure that child care providers are certified and monitored, that households receiving payments are eligible and receive the proper amount of assistance, while also preventing fraud or errors in the issuance of benefits. As I have said before, we will not tolerate fraud in our public assistance programs, and we make every effort to enforce the law.

“Racine and Kenosha counties’ consortium, the Wisconsin Kenosha Racine Partnership (WKRP), administers public assistance programs, including Foodshare, Badgercare, Medical Assistance, and Caretaker Supplement. WKRP has been ranked number one in the state in 7 of 8 performance standards for the past two months by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS). New state policies required that consortiums be created throughout the state to administer these programs, and WKRP administers these programs for over 46,000 households in our area – and is delivering great results.

“I also want to recognize Ridgewood Care Center, Racine County’s skilled nursing facility. Ridgewood was just awarded a 5-Star rating for overall quality; the highest rating given by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). This Nursing Home Rating Report is based on health inspections, quality measures, staffing and RN staffing. This 5-Star rating shows that Ridgewood deserves its reputation as a high quality facility of choice. Liam Doherty, Ridgewood’s Administrator, and his staff have reason to be proud of this quality award.

“In the past year, Racine County’s Child Support Enforcement Division exceeded its goals in all four federal performance measures, including support and arrears collections. This has only happened once in the last 6 years, and that was when the office operated with 5 more full time employees than today. By meeting these goals, we were able to take full advantage of federal and state funding for administration of the child support program. This is great work and is one more example of how Racine County continues to ‘do more with less.’

“Hiring and keeping a high quality workforce is important to deliver quality services efficiently. Racine County employees are skilled, dedicated and hard working. Our public works crews did a tremendous job this winter keeping our roads cleared through round after round of snow and ice. When they weren’t plowing or salting, they were repairing, patching and filling potholes on County and State highways.

“Development Services has been busy as well, with nearly a 40% increase in land use actions the past two years, and land use activity continues to increase in 2014. By carefully managing the budget and with increased permit activity, Development Services met its 2013 budget goals for the first time in over 6 years.

“I want to recognize our Racine County Sheriff’s Office, led by Sheriff Chris Schmaling. These men and women who protect and serve us 24-7, have recently made national news by making an arrest in the cold case murder of Amber Creek. This arrest, made 17 years after the body of Amber Creek was discovered in Racine County, is an example of the determination and commitment of our law enforcement professionals. Well done!

“We are proud of all of these examples of how well our employees do their jobs, and all of this great work has been accomplished with no increase in the general countywide levy.

“The condition of the county is also determined by the state of our economy. Racine County’s unemployment rates have declined since last year, but are still higher than I would like. Racine County’s March unemployment rate was 8.7 percent this year, down from 9.6 percent in March 2013. To give you some perspective, Racine County’s unemployment rate was 11.9 percent in 2010 and 9.7 percent in 2011. We are headed in the right direction. There are more jobs in Racine County now – one thousand more jobs as a matter of fact, than there were in March of 2013. We are making progress, but we can do more – and we will.

“We have challenges to address as we work to improve our economy. Challenges to an expanding economy have to be, and are being addressed by Racine County. Unfortunately, we still have a “skills gap”. Employers often have a tough time finding workers who are qualified for available jobs. When we can offer a skilled workforce, we will provide a greater opportunity for business recruitment.

“The Racine County Workforce Development Center (WDC) and their partners – Gateway Technical College, RAMAC and RCEDC, continuously deliver creative and effective ways to provide worker training and meet the employment needs of area employers. Their efforts assist us in strengthening our economy and encouraging business investment.

“The WDC hosts numerous job fairs and training for job seekers; including the very successful welding and Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Boot Camps for adults and high school students. Some of the innovative programs offered are: a Career Discovery Center to help young people from the ages of 16 to 21 to develop needed job skills, “Dream It! Do It!”, which works with young people, their parents, and educators to promote manufacturing careers, and our Career Connect program gives young people a single point of contact to find work-based learning opportunities with area employers.

“Economic development and job creation continue to be a priority. I work hard to convince new businesses to come to Racine County and help existing businesses remain here and grow. This focus has paid off and our efforts are working. The I-94 corridor through Racine County is poised for growth and I believe we will see an economic boom in the next several years. One example of our retention efforts is Unico, Regal Beloit in Caledonia. They have almost doubled the size of their manufacturing operation, creating 74 new good paying jobs, and up to 175 new jobs in the future.

“The strong partnership we have with the Racine County Economic Development Corporation (RCEDC) has resulted in good news for Racine County. Because of RCEDC’s efforts, 325 new jobs are expected to be created and 165 jobs will be retained here in Racine County. Let me take this opportunity to acknowledge the work and accomplishments of Gordy Kacala, who will be leaving RCEDC after 24 years. Great job, Gordy! We look forward to continuing our partnership with RCEDC and Jennie Trick as the new Executive Director.

“Last year, United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI) broke ground for their new 425,000 square foot distribution center in Sturtevant. This March, UNFI, in partnership with Racine County’s Workforce Development Center (WDC), held a hiring event which was so successful that other hiring efforts have temporarily been put on hold. UNFI was impressed by the number of skilled and qualified people who attended looking for employment. This is the result when we attract a quality employer and provide them with a qualified workforce; and we will continue this effort.

“Quality of life elements, including recreational activity, play an important part in business attraction and economic development. When people enjoy living in Racine County, and find our area desirable to live and raise families, this helps encourage new businesses and their workforces to locate here.

“Our many county parks and waterways are finally open again after a long winter. The Pershing Park boat launch project has begun. This repair to the boat launch is important to residents, tourists, and the continued success of events such as Salmon-A-Rama. Dredging of the Pershing Park small boat basin will begin after Labor Day. This is a joint project between the city and county which was funded with $1.2 million in state grants.

“Cliffside Park in Caledonia is the county’s most frequently used campground. We have remodeled and upgraded the camper comfort stations and added water service to several campsites. Fischer Park at Brown’s Lake will get a new boat launch this year, and the County’s second dog park will be opening soon at Case Eagle Park. In a joint partnership, Racine County and Union Grove will also open a new dog park this year in Legion Park.

“I am a believer in teamwork and intergovernmental cooperation. In Racine County we are always looking for ways to share services and develop new partnerships. Racine County’s Information Systems (IS) Department is providing technical support for the Town of Norway and the Village of Caledonia. These cooperative agreements to provide IS technical support have been helpful for the municipalities and good for taxpayers as well.

“Our collaboration with the City of Burlington is another example of a successful partnership. The City of Burlington delivers services previously provided by our County Clerk, Treasurer, and Register of Deeds in the Western Racine County Service Center on behalf of the County, and we thank them again for working with us to provide service to our residents, and we look forward to more collaboration in the future.

“Because I am committed to providing service while managing costs, I introduced the policy of LEAN Government to Racine County in 2011. We have seen positive “bottom line” results in several areas of county government in the last few years. To develop additional team leaders and escalate the process improvement, 18 individuals from throughout the county are working on projects as part of Lean Government Six Sigma Yellow Belt training. This investment in our employees is part of the Lean process of continual improvement. We are dedicated to improving efficiency, encouraging innovation, and achieving our goal – to provide cost effective service to all county residents as efficiently as possible.

“Racine County is committed to attracting and hiring and the best workforce possible.

“Consistent with Lean Initiatives, our Human Resources Department has implemented NEOGOV software to automate the hiring process. This has reduced time and increased efficiency as well as reducing paper, printing, and copying costs. NEOGOV has improved the application process for our job applicants, by clearly identifying positions and making the application process more user-friendly and available 24 hours a day. Applicants can self-schedule their testing and interview appointments and can request notification of any future openings.

“I am excited about Racine County’s future and look forward to a strong year. There will always be new challenges, but residents of our county should know that they can count on us to work hard, and keep our focus. I am confident that we will move forward with a sense of purpose and identify new opportunities. I believe Racine County knows how to take advantage of those opportunities and turn them into successes.

“I hope you will join me to use your considerable skills and dedication to achieve our goals and make Racine County the place people choose to live, work, and play.

“Thank you.”