Parks and Recreation Committee Meeting

Waupaca County Parks and Recreation Committee meeting, August 12, 2026: The committee reviewed proposed 2027 parks and fairgrounds budgets, accounting for the new Workday budget categories and noting that spending estimates may be refined as more data becomes available. The parks proposal showed a net levy increase of about $40,899, primarily attributed to personnel and benefit costs and revised allocation of staff expenses. The fairgrounds proposal included a $20,000 contribution to the Junior Fair; 2025 revenues were reported at about $91,000, largely from storage rentals. A motion to approve the parks and fairgrounds budgets as presented carried, sending them forward for county budget review, with possible revisions if requested by Finance. No contract award or vendor selection was reported.

The committee discussed a planned online payment option for park fees, expected to be introduced in the fall alongside existing cash, check, and envelope payments; customers using cards would pay the processing fee. A county conservation aid grant is expected to reimburse about $2,500 of a $5,000 trail-surfacing project, and a grant application for a snowmobile-trail bridge near Marion is awaiting a decision. Keller Dam’s final survey work is complete and engineers are developing the final design; an NRCS engineering group is expected to visit in September. Project updates also noted progress on the Revit building and the courthouse remodel, with staff back in their renovated courthouse space.