From: Eagle River Historical Society <eagleriverhistoricalsociety@gmail.com> Subject: Re: Local Municipal Funding Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2019 11:44:34 -0500 Message-Id: <430B5436-953B-4D7D-BEFC-D721904844E5@gmail.com>
Do you receive $38,000 or is that the total budget?
Karen Sailer
Sent from my iPhone
> On Oct 31, 2019, at 10:36 AM, Barron County Historical Society <> On Oct 31, 2019, at 10:36 AM, Barron County Historical Society <museum1@ch
ibardun.net> wrote:
>
>
> We receive approximately 25% ($38,000) of our annual budget from the count
y. We have been told to expect less in 2021, because they are anticipating b
udget cuts in all departments. The county administrator told the county boa
rd of supervisors that the fair grounds and the museum are basically a depar
tment, and were therefore subject to the cuts.
>
> We run independently, as an incorporated nonprofit entity, but somewhere a
long the line, things have gotten a little muddled. We are required to send
the county our meeting agendas and minutes, as they must be posted for the p
ublic. We also have a representative from the county who sits on our board.
We receive other benefits from the county, as well. We are able to buy ou
r property insurance through them, which gives us a better rate than we woul
d pay independently. They plow our driveways in the winter. Many years ago
, we were able to borrow money from them for construction of a building at a
favorable rate. In addition, we are located on county land. We have a 99 y
ear lease for $1. We own the buildings and have been able to build or move b
uildings in without consulting them (except where zoning regulations apply).
>
> The historical society asked and received land on which to start a museum i
n the early 1960’s. There was no official agreement until a lease w
as started in the mid-1970’s. I assume that is when this unofficial
relationship began. When they started subsidizing our budget, I’m n
ot sure, but a former treasure of the historical society gave the county fal
se financial records in order to receive more money from the county. When t
he other officers of the historical society found out about it, they disclos
ed it to the county. It was at that time that the county insisted on having
one of their supervisors sit on our board, which you can’t blame th
em for.
>
> Each August we petition the county to include us in the budget. They neve
r let us know whether they included us or not. I suppose it is on the count
y website for anyone to look at. I usually just ask one of our board member
s, as it seems like there are always 2 or 3 who also sit on the county board
(purely a coincidence). Then in January, I have to ask them to release it t
o us.
>
> I usually send the county administrator an annual update on our activities
. It’s not required, but I want them to see that we are having an i
mpact on the communities we serve. I don’t time it to our request, a
s I don’t want to have to justify what we receive, but I do want the
m to know that we are relevant. We also invite the county supervisors to ou
r volunteer picnic. They usually don’t come though. Just about eve
ry year, they ask me to come to a board meeting and give a short report.
>
> Two of the communities in our county also give a small stipend annually. W
e also have to request that they include us in that. We receive about $1000
from each of them. One is through their tourism board and the other is thr
ough their community United Way.
>
> To get them to see you as a service organization, maybe you could ask to a
ddress their boards at a meeting. Get something in the paper about your org
anization. Do these things every year, so they really understand the needs o
f the communities that you are meeting. And keep asking. Once you finally g
et something, expect it annually. After a few years, ask for a small increa
se. Keep doing that until you get it to where you need it. Good luck.
>
> Tammy Schutz
> Barron County Historical Society
> Pioneer Village Museum
> 715.458.2080
>
>
>
> From: localhistory-request@listserve.uwec.edu < <localhistory-request@listse
rve.uwec.edu> On Behalf Of Julie Huebel
> Sent: Wednesday, October 30, 2019 7:09 AM
> To: Sussex-Lisbon Area Historical Society, Inc. <slahsinc@yahoo.com>; loca
lhistory@listserve.uwec.edu
> Subject: Re: Local Municipal Funding
>
> Pierce County, WI - We receive $12,000 per year from the county. We have n
o official affiliation with the county government. We are associated with WH
S. We own our own property, the county has no involvement in that or decisio
n making. Sorry you haven't had luck getting county funding, I recommend to k
eep trying.
>
> Get Outlook for Android
>
> From: localhistory-request@listserve.uwec.edu < <localhistory-request@listse
rve.uwec.edu> on behalf of Sussex-Lisbon Area Historical Society, Inc. <slah
sinc@yahoo.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, October 23, 2019 10:41:22 AM
> To: localhistory@listserve.uwec.edu <localhistory@listserve.uwec.edu>
> Subject: Local Municipal Funding
>
> Our organization once again tried, without success, to acquire municipal f
unding from the towns and village we serve. We are thought of as a charity, a
nd besides the possibility of a minor property tax rate hike (50 cents per r
esident per year), the respective boards don't want to open the flood gates f
or other such petitioners. I've expressed multiple times that we're not a ch
arity, but a community resource, much like the local parks, highway, and fir
e departments.
>
> My questions to all of you that do receive municipal funding support are t
hese: Is your historical society an extension of your municipality[ies] gove
rnment, ex. under your park & rec dept, or as a separate department? Does
it have to be to receive funding?
> If you're not part of the local municipality you serve and receive funding
, how does the local government justify to the residents [and themselves] of
the community that they should do this?
> If you receive funding, do you have to petition the municipalities each an
d every year to be added to their annual budgets, or ?
> I wonder how many Wisconsin historical society organizations receive local
government funding, and to what degree of the organization's annual budget?
> If you receive government funding, can you also be an incorporated entity u
nder Wisconsin law, and an affiliate of the Wisconsin State Historical Socie
ty?
>
> Apart from the above, has anyone been successful in conducting online soci
al media fundraising events/programs, such as GoFundMe on Facebook or other?
>
> Mike
>
> Michael R. Reilly
> Museum Director: Sussex-Lisbon Area Historium
> President: Sussex-Lisbon Area Historical Society, Inc.
> www.slah.online www.slahs.org
> P. O. Box 2, Sussex, Wisconsin 53089-0002