Watchdog Wednesday: Manitowoc County Human Services Department budget, MPSD budget focus of upcoming meetings

MANITOWOC – Manitowoc County Human Services Board will hold a public hearing on the department's 2025 budget Aug. 22.

The hearing will begin at 4 p.m. at the Human Services Department on Jay Street.

The department is also accepting written testimony until 4 p.m. Aug. 22 for those who are unable to attend the hearing.

The Human Services Department has been in the spotlight this year after County Executive Bob Ziegelbauer announced a $6 million deficit in the budget. In an attempt to fix the deficit, the County Board passed an ordinance to enact a 0.5% sales tax in 2025.

The board will hold a meeting directly after the hearing. The agenda includes a report on agency operations by Human Services Director Lori Fure and a presentation on Community Support Program by Dr. Basil Spyropoulos and Crystal Franzen.

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Manitowoc schools host second informational meeting on budget issues

The Manitowoc Public School District is hosting a second informational meeting titled "Understanding the MPSD Budget; Funds, Major Expense Areas and Strategic Planning." The meeting will be held at 4:30 p.m. Aug. 27 in the District Office School Board meeting room. It will also be livestreamed through YouTube .

The first session, which took place Aug. 13, was titled "School Funding & the MPSD." A recording of that meeting is also available on YouTube .

The meetings were planned in response to an audit that showed the buildings in the district need more than $47.5 million in urgent repairs.

Superintendent James Feil proposed consolidating elementary schools to give the district fewer buildings to repair and more money to repair the remaining buildings. The school board rejected that proposal during a July 25 meeting and instead decided to close the District Office building and move the administrative staff to unspecified vacant areas of existing school buildings.

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Local government meetings

Find the latest on local government meetings at these links:

More info: City of Manitowoc meetings

More info: Manitowoc County meetings

More info: Manitowoc Public School District meetings

More info: City of Two Rivers meetings

More info: Two Rivers Public Schools meetings

Have a story tip or public interest concern? Contact Alisa M. Schafer at aschafer@gannett.com . "Watchdog Wednesday" is a weekly series that aims to give you the news you need to stay on top of local government .

This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Watchdog Wednesday: Manitowoc County Human Services Department budget, MPSD budget focus of upcoming meetings