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The most immediate concern is the HSHS/Prevea closure and its potentially drastic negative effects on the entire region's healthcare infrastructure - loss of rural clinics and treatment facilities, loss of needed healthcare workers, a shortage of ER capacity, and a cascade of other effects. Losing so many local psychiatric care beds alone could be staggering because sending adult Chapter 51 (involuntary commitment) patients to the state facility at Winnebago is not covered by Medicaid so the county would be covering the entire cost. The county board is actively investigating options as this situation develops, and as vice chair of the board I meet weekly with the chair and administrator to consider how we might help find solutions or alternatives as information becomes available.

We have a population distribution imbalance in Eau Claire County, and it is getting worse. As Eau Claire and Altoona grow and urban housing costs become a concern, the rural communities dwindle and the average ages of their residents increase. I believe that one of the most important keys to halting and reversing this trend is high-quality rural broadband. As chair of the county broadband committee, I have partnered (and sometimes haggled) with town boards and ISPs to extend service to the greatest possible number of rural sites. Our committee has overseen multiple successful grant applications which have brought millions in state funds to lay fiber optic cable to 98% of our homes and businesses by the end of this year. But this job is 2% not done, and I would like the chance to finish it.

I sit on the county EMS study committee exploring the feasibility of providing some sort of countywide EMS service. We are not at a crisis stage with regional EMS service coverage (yet), but the proverbial writing is on the wall - especially with the pending HSHS closure - and it is both wise and financially prudent of the county to try to get ahead of this situation before it develops into something potentially dire. This is a complex problem with many stakeholders, and I am determined to see that any approach the county attempts will be fair to our small towns and villages. There is legislation pending at the state level that is expected to more clearly define what options the county may pursue in providing EMS service above levy limits, and what specific forms we may adopt.

Depending how the HSHS closure plays out, the county might be facing increases in patient care costs, social services, law enforcement, rural transportation needs, and probably other unforeseen costs. Our revenue projections are solid for the time being, but it would be imprudent to assume that we will continue to see increases in sales tax revenues given the loss of a major area employer. I would like to see the county take a cautious approach to budgeting this year and reserve enough of a fund balance so that we would be able to cope with unforeseen issues as our local healthcare infrastructure shifts to meet demand. That said, I also think it is important to complete our rural broadband commitment and fully fund our other rural infrastructure projects like lake and road maintenance.