Klekamp on budget, government shutdown’s impact on La Crosse County, and homeless plan update

La Crosse County Administrator Jane Klekamp in studio discussing how the government shutdown is affecting the county — including food stamp distribution. We also talked the upcoming vote to pass the 2026 budget, homelessness and the 111-acre “county farm” that could be put up for sale. Began the show discussing the budget with the county board meeting this coming Monday for passage. After that, we talked quickly about some city-related issues — like the council reviewing the DOT’s plan with downtown bike lanes, and why that’s not on a county board agenda. The city is facing a $2 million budget shortfall, which led us back to talking about the county’s budget process.  The second half of the show, we explored how the government shutdown is affecting county government. Klekamp explained that the most significant impact has been through FoodShare — Wisconsin’s version of food stamps or SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) — and she detailed how the county plays a key role in verifying eligibility and processing applications for those benefits. We wrapped up the conversation discussing the Pathways Home initiative — a coordinated plan to address and ultimately end homelessness in the city of La Crosse — and provided an update on the county’s consideration of selling 111 acres of land in West Salem, commonly referred to as the “county farm.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.