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Walworth County Finance Director Jessica Conley will present the 2026 Preliminary Budget on behalf of the County’s Finance Committee at a Public Budget Hearing on Thursday, October 30, at 6 p.m., in the Board Room at the Government Center, 100 W. Walworth St., Elkhorn. The hearing is one of the final steps before formal budget adoption at the County Board meeting on Monday, November 10, at 5 p.m. The public is encouraged to attend the hearing to learn more about the budget and provide feedback to the Board of Supervisors and staff. Changes to the preliminary budget may be made by Supervisors up until the budget is adopted.

Walworth County residents can expect several direct benefits from the proposed 2026 budget. First, the County is budgeting an additional $1 million in sales tax revenue, helping to maintain services without raising property taxes. The County has also budgeted $1.29 million of contingency reserves, ensuring quicker responses to emergencies like severe weather and infrastructure needs without impacting core services.

The County is investing over $5 million of its existing reserves in capital projects, 41% of the total 2026 capital plan, while remaining debt-free. Among the capital projects outlined in the proposed budget, the future of the Government Center in downtown Elkhorn is particularly significant. The budget delays all Government Center capital improvement projects for 2026 to allow time for a comprehensive evaluation of long-term options, including potential relocation or renovation. This strategic pause avoids unnecessary spending while preserving flexibility and transparency in future planning. Finally, the County’s long-term capital planning process has been strengthened through a more complete 10-year Capital Improvement Plan, ensuring that infrastructure investments are aligned with community needs and fiscal sustainability.

The public budget hearing agenda, supporting documents, and the link to view the livestream can be accessed at https://www.co.walworth.wi.us/agendacenter. Members of the public can also attend in person. For more information about the proposed budget, visit www.co.walworth.wi.us/250/Budget. 

By Olivia Pagnotta
UW-W Senior
Social Work BA

By the time foster children enter their teens, they have been through many homes. They have experienced trauma and have been bounced around from place to place, waiting for someone to be their home. What these children need is stability, structure, and therapy. They need someone to show them their worth and to help them process their hardships. 80% of teens and children in foster care have mental health issues. This is because they lack stability, and many have little family structure and have experienced childhood trauma. The foster care system focuses on finding a place for the adolescents to stay, but what it needs to do is focus on healing their emotional wounds so that they can be set up for success.

The foster care system is there for when it is not safe for the children to stay with their biological family anymore. The foster system places them in a different home, either temporarily or permanently, based on what is best for the child. While it is great that foster children are receiving placement and getting into homes, they also need mental health support. Giving them a bed is a short fix, but mental health care is a long-term solution. Children are going through many changes, and so they do not know how to cope and make sense of their trauma. By talking to a mental health professional, they can start their healing journey and become their happiest self. In society, needs like food, shelter, and physical health are often met, while mental health is left out.

People need to care because this is the future generation. Care4Kids is a program designed to provide Wisconsin children and teens with the necessary healthcare. This includes mental health care. However, it is not supported in Walworth and Jefferson County. To help the children, please reach out to the Department of Health Services to advocate for the kids’ rights.

References

Care4Kids Program. (2014, April 24). Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/care4kids/index.htm

Foster VA. (n.d.). Facts About Mental Health In Foster Care | FosterVA.
www.fosterva.org. https://www.fosterva.org/blog/facts-about-mental-health-in-foster-care

Mental and Behavioral Health Needs of Children in Foster Care. (2020). Aap.org.
Mental and Behavioral Health Needs of Children in Foster Care

Editor’s note: The Whitewater Banner does not normally publish letters to the editor. We have received several submissions from UW-Whitewater students and are choosing to publish them since they have been written as a class assignment. The Banner appreciates having permission from Pixabay to use the photo on the homepage.

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Los Jóvenes de Crianza Merecen, no Solo una Cama

Por Olivia Pagnotta
Estudiante de último año en UW-W
Licenciatura en Trabajo Social

Cuando los niños de crianza llegan a la adolescencia, han pasado por muchas casas. Los
niños han experimentado un trauma y han estado de un lugar a otro, esperando que una persona
sea su hogar. Los niños necesitan estabilidad, estructura y terapia. Necesitan que alguien les
demuestre su valor y les ayude a procesar sus dificultades. 80% de los adolescentes y niños en
crianza tienen problemas de salud mental. Esto es porque ellos faltan estabilidad, muchos tienen
poca estructura familiar y han experimentado traumas de niños. El sistema de acogida se centra
en encontrar un lugar para los adolescentes, pero lo que debe hacer es curar sus heridas
emocionales para que puedan prepararse para el futuro.

El sistema de acogida existe para cuando ya no es seguro para los niños estar con su
familia biológica. El sistema de acogida pone a los niños en un hogar diferente, ya sea temporal
o permanentemente. Hacen lo que es mejor para el niño. Es positivo que los niños de acogida
estén entrando en hogares. También necesitan apoyo en materia de salud mental. Ofrecerles una
cama es una solución a corto plazo, pero la atención de salud mental es una solución a largo
plazo. Los niños están experimentando muchos cambios y no saben cómo afrontar su trauma. Al
hablar con un profesional de la salud mental, pueden comenzar su proceso de salud mental y
alcanzar su máximo potencial. En la sociedad, las personas necesitan comida, una casa y salud
física. No se satisfacen las necesidades de salud mental.

La gente necesita preocuparse porque esta es la generación del futuro. Care4Kids es un
programa que ayuda a los niños y adolescentes de Wisconsin a obtener la atención médica
necesaria. Esto incluye atención de salud mental. Sin embargo, no cuenta con los condados de
Walworth y Jefferson. Care4Kids es un programa que brinda a los niños y adolescentes de
Wisconsin la atención médica necesaria. Esto incluye atención de salud mental. Sin embargo, no
cuenta con apoyo en los condados de Walworth y Jefferson. Para ayudar a los niños, contacta con
el Departamento de Servicios de Salud para defender los derechos de los niños .

Nota del editor: El Whitewater Banner normalmente no publica cartas al editor. Hemos recibido varias contribuciones de estudiantes de la UW-Whitewater y hemos decidido publicarlas ya que han sido escritas como parte de una tarea de clase.

Proceeds from all sales on Thursday, October 23rd from 4:00-9:00 pm will go towards the Bus Fund.

The Whitewater Grocery Co-Op (Grocery Co.) will be holding its annual meeting on Wednesday October 22, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. at the Community Engagement Center located at 1260 W. Main St., Whitewater. During the meeting, Owners will discuss the future community owned grocery store.

The Grocery Co., as it is commonly called, was established in 2017 when the Sentry Store closed. Since then, the Co-Op has gained over 900 Owners and continues to remain active. Over the past 18 months, the focus has been on site selection. Starting with a list of over thirty possible locations, the Board looked at sites from every angle, including: number of parking stalls, space rental costs, income projections, food desert status, and more.

While the ALDI store coming to town has reduced some of the food desert status, the east side of town remains a food desert. Additionally, the Whitewater Grocery Co-Op remains steadfast in its commitment to locally sourced, sustainable, reasonably priced products. Market studies conducted since the opening of ALDI continue to indicate a strong market for the Grocery Co. in Whitewater’s food ecosystem.

Whitewater Grocery Co-Op is your (future) friendly neighborhood grocer supporting fresh and local products. We value: community ownership, quality customer service, welcoming everyone, a lively learning and gathering space, and sustainable practices: people, planet, profit.

Former Wisconsin Poet Laureate and UW-Whitewater Professor Nicholas Gulig presents a lyrical reflection on his return to Wisconsin adjoined to the literary echoes of Fort Atkinson’s famed 20th century poet Lorine Niedecker (1903–1970). “Welcome Poets” is a PBS Wisconsin production that connects the shared and divergent landscapes, personal histories and poetry of both writers — exploring themes of place and displacement, nature and culture, alienation and belonging. Gulig retraces the terrain of his childhood and coming of age as a Thai-American growing up in Eau Claire, his education and career taking him out of state and abroad to Southeast Asia and ultimately back to Wisconsin — landing in Fort Atkinson, the same town where Lorine Niedecker lived her entire life, writing and publishing in relative obscurity until shortly before her death in 1970. Gulig’s story accompanies Niedecker’s biography and poetry in a lyrical, layered conversation, her words etched in the geographies where Gulig is reestablishing home.

The film screening will be followed by a discussion with former Wisconsin Poet Laureate, UW-Whitewater and film writer/narrator Professor Nicholas Gulig and Colin Crowley, productor, director and videographer. 

This event will be held on Wednesday, October 22 from 5:00-6:30 p.m. at the Summers Auditorium in the University Center at UW-Whitewater. It is free and open to the public. No registration required. 

More info: https://events.uww.edu/lectures/event/welcome-poets 

This Tuesday, October 21, will be the season finale for the outdoor City Market, from 4-7 p.m.

The market will be moving to the Cravath Lakefront Community Center on Saturdays, 9 a.m. to noon beginning November 8.

The Rock County Sheriff’s Office released the following press release on October 20:

“On October 20, 2025 at approximately 8:00 a.m., the Rock County Sheriff’s Office, Whitewater Police Department, Milton Police department along with Fire personnel from Whitewater and Lakeside fire were dispatched to a traffic crash with injuries. The location of the crash was in the 11000 block of E CTH N in Lima Township.

The investigation revealed a passenger car driven by a 56-year-old female of Whitewater was WB on E CTH N. There was a passenger SUV being driven by a 53-year-old male of Janesville traveling EB on E CTH N. The WB car had gone into the EB lane with the front of both vehicle’s colliding in a virtually head on collision. There were no other occupants of either vehicle. Both operators were wearing their seatbelts.

The driver of the passenger car was pronounced deceased on scene due to injuries sustained in the crash. The driver of the SUV was treated for non-life threatening injuries at a local hospital.

The Rock County Medical Examiner’s Office, Rock County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Team and Rock County Sheriff’s Office Drone Team assisted with this crash.

The name of the deceased will later be released by the Rock County Medical Examiner’s Office.

The crash investigation is ongoing.”

CURTIS N. FELL
SHERIFF

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Editor’s note: This announcement was provided by the J-Hawk Aquatic Club.