Board weighs bonding for list of items that range from essential maintenance to nature preserve contribution

    The Ozaukee County Board was expected Wednesday to finalize plans for something it rarely does — borrow money.

    After the lengthy process of vetting dozens of proposals, the county has compiled a list of 14 projects totalling $9.9 million — all, some or none of which could be financed through borrowing.

    “We have plenty of (borrowing) capacity to do all the projects, but it will come down to political will,” County Administrator Tom Meaux said.

    The projects are broken into categories — $5 million in essential maintenance, which includes everything from deferred road projects to tuck-pointing historic buildings; $3.7 million to address long-term needs; and $1.2 million in value-added projects. The last category includes $600,000 to help purchase the former VK Development property on the far south side of Port Washington to create a county-owned nature preserve.

    County Board Chairman Lee Schlenvogt has said a historically conservative board that has been loath to borrow money may now be willing to issue bonds for essential projects the county has been unable to pay for within its shrinking budget. But, he said, projects seen as optional, like the purchase of land, may be a tough sell.