ÃÛèÖÊÓƵ

In August, the board approved allocate $625,000 in ARPA funds to tornado victims. The first-ever February tornado in Wisconsin hit Evansville earlier this year, destroying four homes and damaging 20, prompting the countyÃÛèÖÊÓƵ allocation of the funds.

On Dec. 15 of last year, the board gave $700,000 in ARPA dollars to HealthNet weeks after the organization announced it was facing “a serious financial challenge� after moving into a new building in Janesville on S. Franklin St. in 2022.

ARPA dollars need to be allocated by Dec. 31. The county has until Dec. 31, 2026 to spend them.

Passenger rail ad hoc committee

The board also approved extending its ad hoc committee on passenger rail development.

The committee is authorized, but not limited, to communicate, engage and gather support from regional stakeholders; engage with regional planning organizations; research grants and other non-county funding sources to supplement the planning effort; create a plan to engage the Department of Transportation; and when funding is available and authorized, develop a request for proposals to complete a study to identify the feasibility to bring passenger and/or commuter rail to the county.

The chair of the committee and county staff are authorized to comunicate with stakeholders on behalf of the county, per the resolution approved by the county board.

County board member RJ Sutterlin, the initiator of the resolution, said the work of the committee will shift toward a connection in Madison for AmtrakÃÛèÖÊÓƵ Milwaukee-to-Minneapolis line and MetraÃÛèÖÊÓƵ Chicago-to-Rockford line.

The final vote on the extention of the committee was split, with it passing 15-11, with some vocal opposition.

“From a business persepective, if Rock County is the place to come to and the place to be, you should be approached by Amtrak and the railroad companies, not the other way around. And, thatÃÛèÖÊÓƵ something I’m concerned about the time, effort and maybe lost productivity on something. If itÃÛèÖÊÓƵ something in the best interest and makes best financial sense for the railways, they’ll come to us,â€� county board member Christine Fugelseth said.

The county board has already formally requested Gov. Tony Evers, through a resolution, for support in the 2025-2027 biennial budget to fund a commuter and/or passenger rail rail study with a designated corridor to include Rock County.