Jackson County Board approves opioid settlement

BLACK RIVER FALLS - The Jackson County Board approved unanimously entering into agreement for a settlement with several pharma companies in regards to their promotion of addictive opioid treatments for chronic pain at its March Board meeting held back on the 20th.

The Board also unanimously approved a resolution to authorize the Board's Executive and Finance Committee to have full and final approval of all projects proposed to be financed by any opioid settlement funds in the county’s efforts to abate the opioid epidemic.

In personnel matters, the Board unanimously hire of Hunter Rudnick as Jackson County’s Veterans Service Officer; authorize the Jackson County Animal Shelter manager to become a full-time, benefited position in Jackson County and changes the Animal Control/Humane Officer position to a part-time, non-benefited, with less than 30 hours per week position; and authorize the county's Highway Committee hire a qualified design consultant to design a new facility plan for the Highway Department and that funding for such consultant be allocated from American Rescue Plan funds not to exceed $150,000.

In other agenda items the Board unanimously approved the 2023 Annual Work Plan for the Forestry and Parks and agreed to enter into a Landowner Agreement and Certificate of Inclusion into the Lakes States Forest management Bat Habitat Conservation Plan in consideration of the needs to conserve the bat populations in Wisconsin while continuing multiple use management consistent with the Jackson County Forest Comprehensive Land Use Plan,

The Board approved a re-zoning request on the property known as Lot 2 located in the SE1/4-SE1/4, Section 16, T24N, R5W, Town of Cleveland, Jackson County, WI. The request is to change 5.00 acres of the A-2 (Forestry and Limited Agriculture) District to the R-2 (Residential) District for the construction of a single-family home