Oneida county

Oneida county is going to take more time before deciding to implement a new compensation package for employees that has a component of pay for performance.

The county board contracted with Carlson-Dettman Consultants of Madison to compare Oneida county's employee compensation to other governments and the private sector.

Consultant Patrick Glinn said their study found a disparity between county compensation and the marketplace and proposes a change...

The mixed economic news reflects on figures given to the Oneida county board on delinquent taxes and foreclosures.

County Treasurer Kris Osterman said the number of tax delinquencies last year were down which usually shows people have enough money to pay their taxes. But other parts of her report showed tough times...

"....we had the same foreclosures this year as we had last year. We finished foreclosing on 24 properties which is a record ever since I've been here, we've never had that many properties...."

We’re heading into November, and that means deer hunting will soon be in full swing. 

It’s a cultural phenomenon in the state, with deeply rooted traditions that go back 100 years or more. While there has been much change in Wisconsin deer hunting over time, controversy and disagreement have never been far away.

In the first of a series we’re calling History Afield, WXPR Contributor Bob Willging has the story of one of the oddest deer hunting political battles of the last century.

With Halloween here, local governments are proving that some things can come back from the dead. 

"I thought this thing was dead and buried"....

A federal appeals court is hearing an Oneida county case involving a local government's ability to regulate private property designated for religious purposes.

After more than three years of sometimes heated debate, the Oneida county board has adopted a comprehensive land use plan. The vote was 20-1.

The plan is mandated by the state. The county adopted a plan having the 20 town plans and the city of Rhinelander compose the core, known as a "bottom up" approach. The plan gives local officials a blueprint to determine future land use.

Bill Liebert from Rhinelander and Newbold said planning could drive up local land prices beyond the ability to pay. He says Madison is an example...

Public safety workers got a chance to test their emergency preparedness in a mock exercise today at the Rhinelander Airport.  Crews simulated a response to an airplane engine catching fire while taxiing.

Turnout at the Oneida County Fair last weekend broke the record for the four-day event.  Fair Coordinator Nancy Gehrig says the tally narrowly cleared 20,000.

“We beat our record attendance from last year which was around 17,800.  So every day the sun was shining and every day the fairgrounds here were filled with people.”

Oneida County 4H youth development agent Lynn Feldman says there were hundreds of entries for the fair exhibit at Rhinelander’s Pioneer Park.  And more than half of them were youth projects. 

The Northwoods Realtors Association would like Oneida county to loosen it's rules about signs on roadways. But that proposal is opposed by one government body, and met with skepticism by another.

The county controls signage through ordinance. Small signs pointing to a spot are allowed, but the realtors would like to display larger off-premis directional arrows to properties for sale.

At the county Planning and Development meeting, the proposal was met with opposition from committee member and realtor Jack Sorenson...

Oneida county is still trying to figure out where to locate some departments after two departments moved into the new Oneida Senior Center downtown.