An Act to renumber and amend 28.11 (5m) (a); to create 28.11 (5m) (ad) 1. of the statutes; Relating to: county forest administration grant eligibility.
Summary
SB158 amends Wisconsin law governing county forest administration grants. The bill renumbers and revises the existing grant provision in s. 28.11 (5m) (a), and creates a new definition of “county forest administrator” for purposes of determining which county employees may qualify for state grant support. Under the bill, a county forest administrator must have specified forestry or natural resources credentials and, in some cases, relevant county forest management experience, while excluding employees of the Department of Natural Resources from that definition.
The bill also changes the grant structure so the Department may provide grants to counties with lands entered under the county forest program to help pay for one professional forester serving as county forest administrator or assistant county forest administrator. The grant may cover up to 50 percent of salary and up to 50 percent of fringe benefits, with fringe benefits capped at 40 percent of salary. The act applies to grant applications submitted on its effective date and is retroactive to January 1, 2025.
Impact
SB158 directly affects Wisconsin statutes governing county forest administration, specifically s. 28.11 (5m) (a), by clarifying eligibility standards for county forest administrator positions and the use of state grant funds. Counties participating in the county forest program may be eligible for reimbursement support for forestry personnel costs, but only if the position meets the bill’s qualification criteria. The Department’s grant-making authority remains discretionary, but the bill narrows and defines the class of eligible administrators and preserves the salary/fringe-benefit reimbursement limits.
Sentiment
The available record shows no committee transcripts or recorded votes, so there is no documented floor or committee debate to indicate strong support or opposition. Based on the bill’s content, the measure appears administrative and technical in nature, aimed at clarifying eligibility and funding rules for county forest staffing rather than making a controversial policy change. The absence of recorded dissent suggests the bill likely moved without notable public controversy in the materials provided.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. Potential areas of interest, if discussed, would likely include whether the new qualification standards are too restrictive or too permissive, whether the salary and fringe-benefit reimbursement levels are adequate, and whether counties should receive state support for these positions at all. However, the record supplied does not identify any legislators, agencies, counties, or stakeholder groups explicitly raising objections or concerns.
Crossfiled
An Act to renumber and amend 28.11 (5m) (a); to create 28.11 (5m) (ad) 1. of the statutes; Relating to: county forest administration grant eligibility.