Jean M. Jacobson
 

OPERATING AUTHORITY AND PURPOSE

The County Executive is elected every four years on a countywide basis as the Chief Executive Officer of Racine County. The duties and responsibilities of the County Executive are set out in Chapter 59 of the State Statutes. All resolutions and ordinances adopted by the County Board are reviewed and then approved or vetoed by the County Executive, who then returns them to the County Board prior to the Board's next regularly scheduled meeting. Those items not returned to the County Board by the County Executive automatically become effective without the County Executive's approval. If necessary, the County Executive has the authority to veto individual appropriation measures. A 2/3 vote of the County Board can override a veto by the County Executive.

The County Executive also selects and supervises the heads of all County departments, except where state statutes provide that the appointment be made by a board, commission or other elected official.

The County Executive prepares and delivers the annual executive budget and the annual address to the County Board concerning the condition of County government. The County Executive also serves as the goodwill ambassador for the County.
 

 EVALUATION OF PERFORMANCE MEASURES

This office works continually to operate Racine County government and deliver required services to our citizens as smoothly, efficiently and cost-effectively as possible, and to prepare for the future with vision and responsibility. In 2002, the County Executive (CE) established the E-government Racine County Committee to set out a strategy for the orderly development of e-government in Racine County. The CE also established the Racine County 2020 Harbor Task Force to plan for improvements to our harbor that could be implemented over the next 20 years. This year also saw the ahead-of-schedule completion of the Child Support Order Modification Project, a major undertaking involving the courts, the Clerk of Circuit Courts and the Child Support Division.

The CE serves as the County's representative in communication with other Counties, the State and the Federal government. She serves on Governor McCallum's Task Force on State and Local Government, which is developing recommendations for improving the ways that the state and local governments interact. She also continues to be active on the National Association of Counties' Transportation and Telecommunications Steering Committee. Letters, phone conversations and person-to-person meetings with state and local officials occur daily.

Another goal of the CE's office is to heighten the level of intergovernmental cooperation and public-private partnerships when this will be beneficial for the County's citizens. In 2002, a Sewer Agreement was signed between eastern Racine County municipalities that will enable orderly development and equitable revenue sharing. The CE initiated the meetings several years ago that ultimately led to this agreement. A new round of intergovernmental meetings is looking into ways the County and its municipalities can work together to save money on insurance and purchasing costs.
 

2003 GOALS AND BUDGET STRATEGIES

1. Operate Racine County government and deliver required services to County citizens as smoothly, efficiently and cost-effectively as possible.
    
2. Prepare County programs and operations for potential reductions in State Shared Revenue in the next few years.
    
3. Continue to improve public access to Racine County Government through electronic means, including information, forms and payments.
    
4. Prepare for a higher-than-usual number of vacancies of supervisory personnel due to retirements.
    
5. Continue to encourage intergovernmental cooperation among Racine County municipalities, as well as public-private partnerships that benefit our citizens.
    
6. Begin to implement the objectives of the Economic Adjustment Strategy.