By Madalyn O’Neill for Channel3000.com
The holiday season is a time for putting aside differences and coming together. In Sauk County this year, that goes for governing bodies, as well.
“Today, local governments are pretty good at competing with each other,” said Gary Becker, executive director of the Local Government Institute of Wisconsin. “We think the potential benefits of this process in Sauk are pretty big.”
Becker said that in some ways, the future of local governments looks grim, with less money and citizen participation. So the institute is giving grants, including to Sauk County, to help build a brighter future.
The county and groups within Sauk are working with the Ho-Chunk Nation.
They held three collective workshops, identifying and planning how to address issues like water quality, land usage, preserving natural resources, mental health and understanding different cultures. They formed subcommittees to tackle those projects, and they’re also looking into avoiding duplication when it comes to resident services.
It’s a level of collaboration Kristin White Eagle hasn’t seen before.
“There was none that I’m aware of,” she said.
As both a Ho-Chunk legislator and a Sauk County board supervisor, she’s excited for what it could mean for the future.
“It’s hard to get community engagement,” White Eagle said. “We just saw a huge outpouring of interest and more awareness.”
“Together, the Ho-Chunk Nation and the county can do things collaboratively (that) they cannot do individually,” said Peter Vedro, Sauk County Board of Supervisors chair.
