County merges two departments

• Two Door County Government departments have been merged. The Sanitarians Department has been merged into the Soil and Water Conservation Department (SWCD) as of Jan. 1, with William Schuster overseeing the new consolidated department. Sanitarians Dept. staff are now SWCD staff members, with Sanitarian Department Head John Teichler assuming the role of leader of the Sanitarian Work Unit of the SWCD.

Schuster said he doesn’t anticipate any cost savings or service changes right away.

“This year will be about learning how we can work together, finding efficiencies, and probably do some job sharing with our staff,” he said. “Customers will get the same message and visit the same office, so it should streamline processes for customers, result in fewer phone calls and fewer people to talk to in dealing with an issue.”

Schuster said that Door County Administrator Mike Serpe made the decision to consolidate the two departments because they serve similar customers.

The majority of the Sanitarians Department’s work is related to human waste treatment, while the Soil and Water Conservation Department handles storm water and agricultural runoff, beach monitoring, and development of conservation and construction plans.

Schuster said the newly merged department will operate with the 2012 budget as is, with the financial merger of the two departments coming with the 2013 budget.

• The 2012 Federal Budget includes $300 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to clean up toxic pollution, restore wildlife habitat and stop invasive species. The budget also included $1.47 billion to help communities address sewage overflows. Wisconsin will receive $39,657,800 dollars in restoration funds.

• The State of Wisconsin received a $24.5 million “Performance Bonus” from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Dec. 28, recognizing the state’s success in covering uninsured children.