January 19th, 2024

 

The January edition of Eggs & Issues titled State of the County featured panelists who are actively involved in Eau Claire County. Members included; Judge Michael Schumacher, Sheriff Dave Riewestahl, Eau Claire County Human Services Deputy Director Ron Schmidt, Criminal Justice Services Director Tiana Glenna, Eau Claire County Administrator Kathryn Schauf and County Board Chair Nancy Coffey.

People attending the event got a chance to hear ways the county is improving our community. The moderators, the Chamber's Vice President of Governmental Affairs, Scott Rogers, and Jennifer McHugh asked panel members a series of questions involving what they are doing in the community and how it is positively impacting others.

Nancy Coffey and Kathryn Schauf started the meeting off by looking back at 2023 and the accomplishments met. They mentioned 6 different categories the data fell into; Public Safety, Conservation & Economic Development, Judicial, Transportation & Public Works, Health & Social Services and Parks & Forestry. In Public Safety, law enforcement handled 7,423 cases over 645 square miles. 47,429 pounds of hazardous waste was collected in Eau Claire County which resulted in over 300 home compost bins being sold. In 2023, 2,827 criminal cases were filed compared to 2022 with 2,923 jail bookings. 1,684 crime victims were also served. 50,000 passengers utilized the services compared to the previous year of 34,594 and aircraft operations for the first time since 2013 exceeded 23,000. ADRC Meals on Wheels delivered 100,256 meals. Lastly, public parks added three new park payment kiosks due to the increase of card payments and decrease of cash carried.

Another accomplishment met was the areas served with high speed internet by 2024. Due to the increase of citizens in Eau Claire County met a need for internet access. High speed internet access will be increased to most of Eau Claire County with the exception of low populous areas outside of towns/villages.

Focus shifted from the County members to the criminal justice system. Judge Michael Schumacher started the criminal justice side of the conversation with how to help with those in the system. He mentioned the Deflection program. This would include; Pre-charge diversion, OWI early intervention, Community Service, DAGP and DAGP - Star. Sheriff Dave Riewestahl spoke about the Co-Responder impact. They have seen 712 response calls. Of those calls, 31 resulted in arrest. The Deflection program is a 4 agency collaboration. The county wants to replace arrest and help those who are going through this with support. The county also spoke about stopping the revolving door before ever getting into the system.

Peer support for mental health crises has been an increasing topic around the county. The topic of peer support came into question when looking back on what hasn't worked. Due to evidence-based practice, it has been shown to positively impact those who are going through mental health crises. These programs already exist and to rebuild our community, bridging the gap is the most important step. When these programs are created, it helps law enforcement understand the next steps to a call and how to properly assist those affected.

More Information 

Posted by Leah Brawdy, Governmental Affairs Intern
brawdy@eauclairechamber.org