These County Supervisor Races Need Your Vote on April 7 … We Explain Why
Columbia County Board of Supervisors Meeting Room
Here are the Candidates
These candidates are running for contested seats on the Columbia County Board of Supervisors. If one of them is in your district, please serious consider giving him or her your vote on Tuesday, April 7.
Columbia County Board candidates in contested races.
Dist. 2--Sarah Lloyd
Part of the Dells, Town of Lewiston and Newport
Sarah Lloyd for County Board
W13615 Nelson Rd, Wisconsin Dells, WI 53965
sarahlloyd5365@gmail.com
920-210-7335
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/sarah-lloyd-for-county-board
Dist 6-- Tim Henney
West side of Portage
805 Prospect, Portage WI 53901
henneyt@yahoo.com 608-617-3870
Dist.14--Liz Miller
Caledonia, part of Pacific
N4771-State-Road-78, Merrimac-WI 53561
lzmiller@palacenet.net 608-963-0978
Dist. 15--Helen Leystra
Part of Dekorra, Lowville, Town of Wyocena
helenleystra@gmail.com 608-697-1424
Dist.16--Gary Peroutka
Town of Dekorra
Elect Peroutka, N3393 Tipperary Rd, Poynette WI 53955
garyperoutka@gmail.com
608-212-2241
Supervisor Candidate Peroutka Addresses the Power of Your Vote
Elections on April 7 will determine your municipal and county representation. In these local elections, your vote has more power than you might realize.
For example, let’s look at Columbia County Board Supervisors.
Columbia County has 28 board supervisors. Each one represents about 2,100 residents, or about 900 households. With these small districts, Columbia County supervisors are highly accessible and should be directly responsive to your concerns or questions.
Some people may not know what the County Board does and why county leadership matters.
I’ve learned a lot about that in my run for County Board Supervisor in District 16, which covers about half the Town of Dekorra.
Columbia County delivers essential services to all of us on a shoestring budget. The county provides road repair/maintenance, solid waste disposal/recycling, emergency management, medical assistance, land mapping and planning, veterans assistance, UW-Extension outreach, and many other services (sheriff, jail, district attorney, court, child support, zoning, public health, aging and disability, register of deeds, and agriculture, land, and water conservation.) The county also has an extremely well-run public nursing home, and county leadership influences state government policy decisions.
That’s a lot of responsibilities making this election extremely important. Please vote on April 7th.
Gary Peroutka
Poynette
(Peroutka’s letter originally appeared in Tribune-Enterprise.)
This is Why They’re Important
In Columbia County, the Board of Supervisors acts as the legislative branch of the county government. While the day-to-day operations are handled by department heads and staff, the 28 elected supervisors focus on "big picture" policy, lawmaking, and financial oversight.
The work generally falls into three main categories:
1. Financial Stewardship
This is arguably their most critical role. Every autumn, the board is responsible for:
Approving the Annual Budget: They review department requests and decide how much funding each county service receives.
Setting the Tax Levy: They determine the property tax rate required to fund county operations.
Approving Major Projects: They authorize funding for infrastructure, such as county highway repairs or renovations to county buildings (like the courthouse or jail).
2. Policy and Lawmaking
Supervisors create the "rules of the road" for the county by:
Enacting Ordinances: These are local laws covering everything from zoning and land use to public safety and health regulations.
Establishing Public Services: They decide which programs the county will provide, such as veteran services, health clinics, and elderly assistance.
Monitoring Performance: They provide oversight to ensure county departments are meeting the goals set by the board.
3. Committee Work
Most of the "heavy lifting" happens in committees. Every supervisor is appointed to at least one standing committee where they dive deep into specific issues before making recommendations to the full board. Common committees include:
Highway: Oversight of county roads and snow removal.
Health and Human Services: Managing social programs and public health.
Agriculture and Extension: Focusing on local farming and educational outreach.
Executive: Handling high-level administration and personnel policies.