[Amended by Ord. No. 113-91; Ord. No. 03-2001; Res. No. 147-2004; Ord. No. 69-2005; Ord. No. 11-2006; Res. No. 37-2009; Res. No. 75-2016; 8-20-2019 by Res. No. 67-2019 (Ord. No. 15-2019), effective 8-29-2019; 11-10-2020 by Res. No. 87-2020, effective 11-24-2020; 2-16-2021 by Res. No. 26-2021, effective 3-2-2021]
(1) 
Display of Procedural Information. As required by Wisconsin Statute, each designated legal custodian of public records retained by Oneida County government shall prominently display a notice for the guidance of the public, containing a description of its organization and the established times and places at which, and the methods whereby, the public may obtain information and access to records in its custody, make requests for records, or obtain copies of records, and the costs thereof.
(2) 
Responding to Requests for Public Records. In responding to the request for public records, the legal custodian shall follow any applicable state and federal statutes and County policies. No records custodian will unlawfully discriminate against any public records requester.
[Amended 1-16-2024 by Res. No. 15-2024, effective 2-6-2024]
(3) 
Records Retention Schedule.
(a) 
Purpose. The purpose of this subsection is to establish a County-wide records retention schedule and authorize destruction of County records pursuant to that schedule on an annual basis. Record custodians do not have the authority to destroy records prior to the established retention period, unless such records have been photographically reproduced as original records pursuant to § 16.61(7), Wis. Stats. If there is not a specific law requiring a specific retention period, all records must be retained seven years, unless the Public Records and Forms Board fixes a shorter period. Notwithstanding the foregoing and subject to § 1.30(9)(d) and (e) below, recordings of a meeting, as defined in § 19.82(2), Wis. Stats., made for the purpose of making printed minutes of the meeting may be destroyed no sooner than 90 days after the printed minutes have been approved and published, including those published by filing in the Office of the County Clerk.
(b) 
Definitions.
LEGAL CUSTODIAN
See § 1.30(2) of this subchapter.
RECORD
See § 1.30(1)(b) of this subchapter.
(c) 
Historical Records. The State Historical Society of Wisconsin (SHSW) has waived the required statutory sixty-day notice under § 19.21(5)(d), Wis. Stats., for records marked "W", which designates waived notice. SHSW must be notified prior to destruction of records marked "N", designating nonwaiver. Notice is also required for any record not listed in this subsection. "N/A" indicates not applicable and applies to all County records designated for permanent retention.
(d) 
Destruction After Request for Inspection. No requested record may be destroyed until after the request is granted or 60 days after the request is denied. If an action is commenced under § 19.37, Wis. Stats., the requested record may not be destroyed until a court order is issued and all appeals have been completed. See § 19.35(5), Wis. Stats.
(e) 
Destruction Pending Litigation. A legal custodian having actual knowledge that a record is subject to pending litigation shall not destroy that record until litigation is resolved and all appeals have been completed.
(f) 
Microfilming of Department Records. Departments may keep and preserve public records through the use of microfilm, provided that the microfilm meets the applicable standards established in § 16.61(7), Wis. Stats. Departments should consider factors, such as the retention period and estimated cost of the microfilming, in deciding which records to microfilm. After verification, paper records can be destroyed if these records are preserved on microfilm. For microfilmed records not identified as permanent, the above records retention periods apply.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Subsections (3)(g) through (ee), regarding records retention for various County departments, as amended 8-17-2021 by Res. No. 83-2021, effective 9-3-2021, which immediately followed this subsection, were repealed 8-16-2022 by Res. No. 88-2022, effective 9-13-2022. See now Subsections (3)(g), (h) and (i), below.
(g) 
Adoption of Retention and Disposition Schedules. The County adopts, and incorporates by reference, the General Records Schedule identified as County Records Retention/Disposition Schedule approved by the State of Wisconsin Public Records Board as of May of 2010 and any subsequent extensions, amendments or resubmissions hereto.
[Added 8-16-2022 by Res. No. 88-2022, effective 9-13-2022]
(h) 
Incorporation by Reference. The County Records Retention/Disposition Schedule shall be subject to § 25.03 of the Oneida County Code.
[Added 8-16-2022 by Res. No. 88-2022, effective 9-13-2022]
(i) 
Notification of Adoption. The County Board Chair and County Clerk are authorized to provide notification of adoption to the State of Wisconsin Public Records Board and the Wisconsin Historical Society for the current County Records Retention/Disposition Schedule and any future amendments, revisions, modifications, repeals and recreations or creations of the schedule.
[Added 8-16-2022 by Res. No. 88-2022, effective 9-13-2022]
The County shall be included in a Vocational, Technical and Adult Education District comprising an area large enough to provide a sound base for vocational, technical and adult education, subject to approval by the State Board of Vocational, Technical and Adult Education under the provisions of Ch. 38, Wis. Stats.
(1) 
Establishment. Pursuant to Resolution No. 12-72, dated February 15, 1972, the County establishes the Oneida County Junior Fair.
(2) 
Administration. The Junior Fair shall be administered by a Board of Directors consisting of members of all youth groups in the County.
(3) 
Liaison Members. The Chairman of the Resource Development and Agriculture Committee, or his appointee, shall be a liaison member of the County Junior Fair Board.
The County Medical Examiner shall rent from an established local bank a safe deposit box in the name of the County, subject to rules and regulations of such bank. Any two of the following officials shall have access to such box:
Medical Examiner
District Attorney
Chief of Police of the City of Rhinelander
[Amended by Ord. No. 83-95; Ord. No. 22-97; Ord. No. 01-2002]
(1) 
The County offices shall be open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except on New Year's Day, the Friday before Easter, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, the day after Thanksgiving, December 24th and 25th. In the event any of the above listed days fall on a Saturday, the Courthouse will be closed the preceding Friday and if the day falls on a Sunday, the following Monday the Courthouse will be closed.
(2) 
Department Heads may establish different working schedules, for bonafide business reasons, with the approval of their Committee of Jurisdiction and the Executive Committee.
[Amended 2-20-2024 by Res. No. 32-2024, effective 4-16-2024]
(3) 
Cut-off Reception Time for the Filing and Recording of Documents with the Register of Deeds Office. Pursuant to § 59.20(3)(c) of the Wisconsin Statutes, provision is hereby made that the cut-off reception time for the filing and recording of documents with the Oneida County Register of Deeds shall be one-half hour prior to the close of the official business day during which time the Register of Deeds Office is open to the public, in order to complete the processing, recording and indexing to conform to the day of reception.
[Added by Ord. No. 103-2005]
[Added by Ord. No. 24-88]
All ordinances adopted by the County Board, the substance of proceedings of the Board and every other legal notice required by law to be published by the County pursuant to § 985.01, Wis. Stats., shall be published in the Rhinelander Daily News. This section shall not be construed as a designation of the Rhinelander Daily News as the official County newspaper pursuant to § 985.05, Wis. Stats. This section shall not prevent the Board, its committees, commission or any other subordinate body from determining on the record that a particular legal notice or other notice should also be published in one or more other newspapers or trade journals in order to give adequate notice in the area of the County affected or to the person affected.
[Added by Ord. No. 58-91; amended by Ord. No. 31-2000; Ord. No. 92-2012; Res. No. 83-2014]
The County may dispose of or utilize any personal property which has been abandoned or remained unclaimed for a period of 30 days after the taking of possession of the property by County officials or employees by the following means, which are determined to be in the best interests of the County:
(1) 
Such abandoned property shall be inventoried in a manner which will reasonably describe it, including identification numbers; where it was abandoned; the name and last known address of the owner, if known; and its estimated fair market value.
(2) 
The inventory list shall be circulated to the various departments of the County, and requests for use of specific items of personal property appearing on the list may be submitted to the Public Safety Committee for review and approval as being in the best interests of the County. An inventory of such property shall be maintained and updated on an annual basis for so long as such property is utilized by any of the various County departments. The name of the department, the person in such department who is responsible for the property, the consideration received, if any, for the utilization of such property and the manner in which the property is ultimately disposed of shall be included on the inventory list. Such inventory list of such utilized property shall be kept as a public record for a period of not less than two years for each piece of property.
(3) 
Any property which is not utilized by a County department as provided for above shall be disposed of in a sale open to the public under the jurisdiction of the Sheriff and the Buildings and Grounds Committee or its designee, and all receipts from the sale, after deducting the necessary expenses of keeping the property and conducting the sale, shall be paid into the County treasury. Forty-five days prior to any auction, the Sheriff's Department shall submit to the Buildings and Grounds Committee a list of items in the possession of the Sheriff available for sale to the public or distribution to County departments. The Committee shall thereafter disseminate the list to the County departments, who shall thereafter make any requests for use of specific items to the Committee for final approval.
(4) 
Any abandoned property in the care and custody of the Oneida County Sheriff's Office shall be disposed of pursuant to the policies and procedures of the Oneida County Sheriff's Office that are consistent with state and federal laws.
[Added by Ord. No. 3-98; amended by Res. No. 105-2006; Res. No. 117-2008; Res. No. 32-2009]
(1) 
Introduction. The timely deposit and investment of public monies is an important and integral part of any cash management program. This statement of policy is intended for the use and guidance of the designated County official or officials with investment authority and any investment advisers to whom County officials have delegated investment authority as defined in § 66.0603(2) of the Wisconsin Statutes. This investment policy shall be reviewed annually by the County investment officer and the Finance and Insurance Committee. The Finance and Insurance Committee shall approve any recommended changes, and the necessary resolution to modify the existing policy shall be presented to the Oneida County Board for its action.
(2) 
Statement of Purpose. The purpose of this investment policy is to establish guidelines for investments that are broad enough to allow the investment officer to function properly within the parameters of responsibility and authority. It is also intended to be specific enough to establish a prudent set of basic procedures to assure that investment assets are adequately safeguarded.
(3) 
Goals and Objectives.
(a) 
The primary objectives of Oneida County investment activities shall be the following in order of importance:
1. 
Safety. The safety of the principal shall be the foremost objective.
2. 
Liquidity. Funds shall be invested to provide sufficient liquidity to meet all reasonably anticipated disbursement requirements; and
3. 
Yield. Funds shall be invested to maximize return consistent with the objectives in Items 1 and 2 and other limitations described in this policy.
(4) 
Delegation of Authority.
(a) 
Pursuant to §§ 59.62(1)(2) and 59.25(3)(s) of the Wisconsin Statutes and to § 1.13(6)(a)(b) of the Oneida County Code, the authority to invest and reinvest monies of Oneida County, to sell or exchange securities so purchased and to provide for the safekeeping of such securities is delegated to the County Auditor/Finance Director.
(b) 
The Auditor/Finance Director or his/her designee shall have the authority to direct the Treasurer to transfer funds between accounts established for investment purposes.
(c) 
As defined in § 66.0603(2) of Wisconsin Statutes, the Auditor/Finance Director may delegate investment authority for any funds not immediately needed to a state or national bank, or bank, or trust company which is authorized to transact business in the State.
(5) 
Prudence Required. The standard of prudence will apply to all investments made on behalf of the County in accordance with the "prudent person rule" of § 881.01 of the Wisconsin Statutes which states:
"Investments shall be made with judgment and care, under circumstances then prevailing, which persons of prudence, discretion and intelligence exercise in the management of their own affairs, not for speculation, but for investment, considering the probable safety of their capital as well as the probable income to be derived."
(6) 
Depositories and Providers of General Banking Services. The primary provider of banking services will be Associated Bank North, located in the City of Rhinelander, Oneida County, Wisconsin. In addition, the Auditor/Finance Director "shall" direct the Treasurer to place funds in other depositories defined in § 59.61(3) of the Wisconsin Statutes.
(7) 
Depository Collateralization Requirements. With the passage of Wisconsin Act 25, effective August 1, 1985, the State of Wisconsin no longer provides an overall guarantee of public fund deposits. However, the State will continue to pledge general purpose revenues as described in Wisconsin Statutes § 20.124(1)(a) for the payment of losses of public deposits until the balance of the appropriation is exhausted. However, no payment for a loss in excess of $400,000 for any one public deposit in any individual public depository will be made. As the FDIC insures deposits up to $250,000, a public deposit is protected up to $650,000 in any one depository institution. Funds will only be placed in depository institutions that are FDIC insured.
Funds placed in any one depository institution above $650,000, including demand deposits, time deposits, and certificates of deposit must be 100% collateralized as to principal and accrued interest with securities that are obligations of the U.S. Government or its agencies that are fully guaranteed by the U.S. Government. Securities held as collateral shall be delivered for safekeeping to a custodial bank selected by Oneida County. Securities held as collateral at the custodial bank will be marked to market at least monthly, with a monthly statement sent to the Investment Officer detailing all holdings.
(8) 
Permitted Investments.
(a) 
All investments will be made in accordance with § 66.0603 of the Wisconsin Statutes governing the investment of public funds and as further restricted by this Investment Policy Statement. Permitted investments are:
1. 
Securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. Government or agencies thereof.
2. 
Fixed income securities with a minimum long-term debt rating of AA by Moody's or Aa by Standard & Poor's at the time of purchase and meeting the maturity criteria outlined above.
3. 
Investments in commercial paper and variable rate demand notes are restricted to corporations rated A-1 and A-2 by Standard and Poor's or P-1 or P-2 by Moody's at the time of purchase.
4. 
Time deposits in any credit union, bank, savings bank, trust company or savings and loan association which is authorized to transact business in the State of Wisconsin if the time deposits mature in not more than three years.
5. 
Floating rate securities, the coupons of which adjust to market interest rates with a minimum frequency of four times annually, meeting quality and maturity criteria outlined above.
6. 
No-load money market mutual funds whose investments are limited to those meeting the above criteria in compliance with § 66.0603.
7. 
The State of Wisconsin Local Government Investment Pool (LGIP).
(9) 
Diversification. Total holdings of any one issuer may not exceed 10% of the market value of the portfolio at the time of purchase, with the exception of U.S. Government issues and issues of U.S. Government agencies fully guaranteed as to both principal and interest by the U.S. Government.
(10) 
Maturities.
(a) 
Maturities of individual securities must be in compliance with § 66.0603 of Wisconsin Statutes. Per this section, time deposits may not exceed three years, and debt that is not guaranteed as to principal and interest by the Federal Government or its Agencies, or a Wisconsin municipality must have a maturity not more than seven years. Maturities may be further restricted by guidelines set forth below.
(b) 
No individual issue shall exceed five year(s) in maturity from the date of purchase.
(c) 
Floating rate securities, the coupons of which adjust to market interest rates with a minimum frequency of four times annually, shall at a minimum be subject to the maturity constraints outlined in Item "A" above.
(11) 
Liquidity. All securities must be readily marketable to ensure adequate portfolio liquidity.
(12) 
Reporting.
(a) 
Investment Advisers and Custodians. All investment advisers and custodians retained by the County will provide detailed monthly statements to the County Auditor/Finance Director. Such reports will contain at a minimum a description of each security including units held, cost, market value and current yield as well as a detailed list, by date, of all transactions executed during the period.
(b) 
Auditor/Finance Director. It will be the responsibility of the Auditor/Finance Director to establish and maintain records and accounts to:
1. 
Provide necessary internal controls.
2. 
Detail investments as to purchase date, cost, maturity and interest rate.
3. 
Maintain other records that may be required to accurately reflect all investment transactions.
(c) 
[Investments.] The Auditor/Finance Director shall, when requested, make a report on County investments to the Oneida County Finance and Insurance Committee. In addition, the Auditor/Finance Director shall include a description of the County's investment Portfolio as part of his/her annual report to the County Board of Supervisors.
[Amended by Res. No. 131-2004]
(1) 
In County. Subject to the exceptions set forth below, the Corporation Counsel shall provide legal advice and representation to the County Board, its committees, boards, commissions, departments and staff pursuant to § 1.22 of this Code and § 59.42, Wis. Stats.
(a) 
Emergency or Conflict of Interest. In the event of an emergency, a conflict of interest or an appearance of a conflict of interest which may require the retainer of outside legal counsel, the chairpersons of the County Board, the Chairperson of Administration Committee and the Chairperson of the committee of jurisdiction, or in the absence of any chairperson, the vice chairperson, shall immediately meet with the Corporation Counsel, or in his/her absence, an Assistant Corporation Counsel, to determine whether an emergency exists requiring the immediate retainer of independent legal counsel. If such determination is made, the County Board Chair is authorized to make such retainer. The Chair shall thereafter inform the members of the County Board in writing. The retainer shall remain in effect until it is reviewed and approved at the next meeting of the County Board.
[Amended 2-19-2019 by Res. No. 21-2019 (Ord. No. 4-2019), effective 3-2-2019]
(b) 
Interest/Grievance Mediation and Arbitration. After consulting with the Executive Committee and Corporation Counsel, or in his/her absence, an Assistant Corporation Counsel, the Director may retain independent legal counsel to assist in collective bargaining under §§ 111.70 and 111.77, Wis. Stats., and in workers compensation and employment discrimination matters.
[Amended 2-20-2024 by Res. No. 32-2024, effective 4-16-2024]
(c) 
Board of Adjustment. The Corporation Counsel shall represent the Board of Adjustment except when there is a conflict of interest resulting from his/her representation of the County in a matter before the Board. In such event, the Board of Adjustment may retain independent legal counsel upon approval of the Administration Committee.
[Amended 2-19-2019 by Res. No. 21-2019 (Ord. No. 4-2019), effective 3-2-2019]
(2) 
Outside of County. For participation by Oneida County as a party-plaintiff or party-intervener in any action having a venue outside of Oneida County, the County Board shall first authorize the same. In the event the committee of jurisdiction determines that an emergency exists requiring the County to proceed as such party-plaintiff or party-intervener, the Committee may authorize the same subject to the requirement that it shall immediately submit a written report to the County Board for review and approval to continue such participation.
(3) 
[Retaining an Attorney.] The County Board may retain an attorney to perform the duties of the Corporation Counsel as the need arises pursuant to § 59.42, Wis. Stats.(3) In the event a determination is made under Subsections (1) and (2) above to retain outside legal counsel, consideration shall be given to the availability of qualified counsel approved by the County's insurance carrier through any existing legal expense coverage endorsement to the County's liability policy.