6.1 COUNTY’S ROLE AND ORGANIZATION

Overview The concept of regional government has been around for a very long time In medieval France, dukes of Normandy awarded their supporters, called “counts,” with land to administer, called “counties” Early British and French settlement made counties part of the American political landscape Today, there are over 3,000 counties in the U.S.

Differences Among Counties One of the problems in discussing or managing Wisconsin counties is that they vary greatly The largest in land area is Marathon, at 1,545 square miles; the smallest is Pepin, at 232 Wisconsin’s most populous county is Milwaukee, with almost 937,000 people; the least populous is Menominee, with 4,633 people

Largest, Smallest, Most & Least Populous Marathon Pepin Milwaukee Menominee

The County’s Dual Role The county serves two purposes: It provides certain services for the state It is also a unit of local self-government The county assists the state in many ways: The sheriff enforces state laws, including state traffic regulations The district attorney represents the state in prosecuting offenders The county highway department maintains state highways The county register of deeds keeps certain records The county clerk performs election duties and can issue licenses

Organization of County Government Counties can vary slightly in how their government is organized, but they all have the same basic structure

County Board of Supervisors The county board of supervisors passes ordinances and resolutions Most boards divide into committees In counties without an executive or administrator, the committee also supervises departments assigned to it. This type of administration may be called government by committee

Terms of Office Each supervisor on the county board is elected from a supervisory district All supervisors are elected on a nonpartisan basis for two-year terms, except in Milwaukee County, where the term is four years County boards are required by law to meet at least twice a year

County Administration State law permits selection of a single officer to manage county government If elected, this official is called a county executive If appointed by the county board, the title is county administrator

Other County Officials Each county is required to elect certain officials whose duties are set forth by state law: district attorney sheriff clerk treasurer register of deeds clerk of circuit court coroner (unless the county has a medical examiner system) surveyor (unless that officer is appointed)

6.2 COUNTY ACTIVITIES AND FINANCING

Activities Your county does many things—major county services are: Health and Social Services Highways Public Safety

Financing County Government Major sources of county revenues are: charges for public services (such as nursing home fees) state and federal aids (especially for social services, mental health, and highways) the county sales tax the county property tax

County Income Dollar 2011

County Expenditure Dollar 2011