Supervisor J Sayre Hoeft
W5543 Frankie Lane
Johnson Creek, WI 53038

Dear Supervisor Sayre Hoeft,

Last January the Jefferson County Board of Supervisors approved a contract with the Jefferson County Economic Development Corporation (JCEDC) for services. It states in that contract that the Executive Director, who is now Marilyn Haroldson, was to receive $71,000 as an annual payment for these services. The contract also stipulated that Ms. Haroldson was to make public her expenditures and a record of the services she provides to our county.

John Foust, a Jefferson County taxpayer and interested party in this matter, officially made a request to Ms. Haroldson to review her records per the contract she signed with the Jefferson County Board. Included with my letter is a copy of Mr. Foust's request to Ms. Haroldson. Mr. Foust's request falls within the guidelines set forth in Ms. Haroldson's contract with the Jefferson County Board and I do not believe he has made any request not authorized by this contract.

Rather than comply with Mr. Foust's request for the release of public records, Ms. Haroldson hired an attorney to reject Mr. Foust's request, which I am sure was paid for with taxpayer money, and she has refused to disclose her records and expenditures. I have attached a copy of the letter Ms. Haroldson's attorney sent to the Jefferson County Corporate Counsel. It seems that neither the County Administrator, Mr. Hausen, nor the Corporate Counsel, Mr. Ristow, are happy with Ms. Haroldson's actions and have stated as much in their response to Mr. Foust. I have enclosed this correspondence with my letter to you.

Ms. Haroldson's refusal to comply with the terms of her contract with the Jefferson County Board, by denying public access to her records, is action enough to suspend payments to the JCEDC until such time that she does comply. I have always believed that the JCEDC serves no purpose in our County and that each City and Village in Jefferson County can adequately manage their own economic development, and they have despite Ms. Haroldson's claim that a county wide economic development administrator is necessary.

I now ask that the Jefferson County Board Rules and Legislation Committee, Budget Committee, and the full Jefferson County Board suspend Ms. Haroldson's contract and her funding until such time that Ms. Haroldson complies with the terms of her contract and allows public access to some of her records. if she continues to resist compliance then I ask that her contract and funding be terminated. The JCEDC contract states that it can be terminated in 30 days notice.

Ms. Haroldson receives $71,000 annually from the taxpayers bf Jefferson County in addition to what she receives from the taxpayers of the individual cities, villages and townships that are members of JCEDC. Since 1993 Ms. Haroldson has received over $450,000 in County taxpayer funding. This annual payment of $71,000 could be better utilized in our county to: make major repairs to the Countryside Home, build a new exposition building at the fair grounds, purchase the development rights on two farms a year for their preservation, supply health care services to more people in Jefferson County, purchase land for preservation in environmentally sensitive areas, supply more police protection to the areas in Jefferson County that are now undeserved, or simply return these revenues to the taxpayers of Jefferson County.

Thank you for your help in this matter.

Respectfully,

Martine Koeppel
President-Jefferson County Environmental Network
P.O. Box 142
Watertown, WI 53094
920-261-8560