By Price County Fun Editorial Team | May 20, 2026
PRICE COUNTY — The Price County Board of Supervisors met Monday evening for their regular monthly meeting, and the most consequential moment came not from any agenda item but from a public comment that the board nearly didn’t allow at all. See also: our guide to free camping in Wisconsin. See also: what makes Price County communities special. See also: our guide to Price County public records. See also: our weekend weather preview. See also: our 48-hour Price County itinerary.
Brittany Volkman, executive director of United Together Against Violence (UTAV), had gotten her organization’s proposals onto the agenda for discussion — but when it came time to actually speak to those proposals, the board’s rules stood in her way. Only after a formal motion to suspend the rules and a roll call vote did Volkman receive three minutes to address the board.
Those three minutes were barely enough to scratch the surface of what she came to say.
A Rule Suspended, Barely
The UTAV proposals were listed as agenda item number two under “resolutions,” placed there after Board Chair Lonnie Palkie promised at the April meeting that the group would have a chance for discussion. But when Palkie opened the floor, he clarified that the agenda item was only for board awareness — not for actual discussion of the resolutions, and not for public testimony.
Only board members could speak to agenda items. Volkman, sitting in the audience, was not recognized.
“I’m told I have three minutes to speak?” Volkman asked from the floor, referencing an email she’d received.
“That was during public comments,” the chair responded. “That wasn’t to clarify it in your email.”
What followed was a debate among board members themselves about whether to hear from Volkman at all. Supervisor Patricia Stephan argued the board should follow its own rules: “I think we need to follow our board rules. You sign up for public comment. You can speak. If not, I think we should just let it fall by the wayside.”
But Supervisors Robert Kopisch and Larry Palecek
But Supervisors Robert Kopisch and Larry Palecek pushed back. “I’d give her three minutes. She’s here,” said Kopech. “I’m not on Facebook. I’m hearing rumors about what UTAV is. I’d like to hear what she has to say.”
“I agree with Patty,” added Kopisch. “I’d like to hear what she has to say. Three minutes still.”
The board ultimately voted 11-1 to suspend its rules and allow Volkman three minutes. The lone “no” vote came from Stephen.
Three Minutes That Weren’t Enough
Volkman used her brief window to touch on several issues that have been raised by UTAV’s “Price County Files” campaign, but the time constraint meant she could only gesture at problems that deserved far more discussion.
She opened with a striking statistic: “40% of all firearms violence in Wisconsin happens right here in the sparsely populated rural Northwoods,” she said. “Let that sink in.”
Volkman then pointed to what she described as a wall of open records denials facing citizens who try to understand what’s happening in their county: “When you, the citizens, try to find out what is going on and what happens, these people hit an old brick wall of open records and FOIA denials. What are you hiding and why?”
She raised the issue of law enforcement’s severed relationship with domestic violence services, saying that law enforcement stopped contacting domestic violence agencies directly during crisis situations because “the domestic violence shelter put a Black Lives Matter sign up in 2020.”
Volkman also questioned the county’s approach
Volkman also questioned the county’s approach to tracking violent offenses and firearms, calling it “an honor system” that is “algorithmically proven to increase the weight of homicide.” (Referring to how the state or county logs and tracks localized violent crime metrics.)
Just as she was building toward what sounded like a broader point, the chair cut her off: “Thank you, Ms. Volkman. That’s three minutes.”
No board members asked follow-up questions. No committee referral was made. The agenda item was closed with the observation that “you have what she proposed in your packets. If you want to discuss further, let me know.”
Board Chair Report: “We’ve Talked About That Enough”
Later in the meeting, during his board chair report, Palkie briefly addressed the UTAV situation again, saying only: “I’ve been dealing with the UTAV situation and, well, we’ve talked about that enough today.”
The remark drew attention for its dismissiveness — a community group raising serious concerns about violence, transparency, and public safety was effectively told the conversation was over before it had really started.
Earlier Public Comments Also Raised Concerns
Volkman wasn’t the only citizen raising difficult issues. Three speakers addressed the board during the public comment period:
Ginny Strobl spoke against the proposed habitual animal offender ordinance, calling it “unnecessarily vague” with “may” instead of “shall” language. She argued the revision could lead to “unintended consequences” and urged the board to send it back to law enforcement for a rewrite that’s “less than two pages and more specific.”
Shirley Smith, a 20-year attendee of board meetings, criticized UTAV’s “Price County Files” campaign directly, saying it “uses what I am assuming is AI-generated dark imagery and a spooky voice” to make “disturbing accusations against board members, county employees, and business people.” Smith defended the board, saying they are “good people dedicated to serving the people of Price County.”
Anthony Sleck of Phillips called out what he saw as the board’s lack of seriousness: “I’ve seen a video of your law enforcement meeting and it’s disturbing to see everybody standing around laughing like this was a joke. You guys need to start taking your position seriously. You all want to act like clowns, go join the circus.”
The Animal Ordinance Passes Despite Concerns
Despite Strobl’s criticism, the board passed both the habitual animal offender ordinance (Section 223-44.1) and the associated definitions ordinance (Section 223-19) unanimously (11-0 and 12-0, respectively, with one member absent for the first vote).
The ordinance was prompted by a specific case where a pack of dogs at one residence was involved in five attacks, but because current law tracks individual dogs rather than premises, only one animal could be removed. The new ordinance tracks the residence itself.
A significant change from the law enforcement committee’s version was noted: the word “may” was changed to “shall” regarding the 10-year tracking period, ensuring mandatory rather than discretionary enforcement.
District 5 Special Election Timeline Amended
The board also addressed the vacancy left by Mr. Hastings’ departure from District 5, with an important amendment. The original proposal had the appointed representative serving until December 31, with the elected successor starting January 1, 2027.
Supervisor Robert Kopisch moved to amend the timeline, arguing that the elected representative should start as soon as possible after the November election rather than waiting six additional weeks. “The sooner the individual elected by the electorate is representing them, the better,” said Supervisor Alan Barkstrom, who seconded the motion.
The amendment passed 8-4, setting the elected official’s start date to November 12, 2026 (three days after canvassing) and the appointment end date to November 11, 2026. The main motion then passed 12-0.
Financial Update: IT Costs Skyrocketing
County Administrator Nick Trimner reported that IT costs have spiked dramatically, with one software product’s annual maintenance fee jumping from $36,000 to $76,000 overnight — more than doubling with no corresponding increase in service. For a county with roughly 170 employees and a general fund budget of around $10 million, that single line item now consumes nearly 1% of the entire budget.
Email costs alone have risen from roughly $1.50 to over $5 per employee per month, driven by cybersecurity requirements — meaning the county is now paying roughly three to four times what it paid just a few years ago just to keep inboxes running. Trimner noted that the county has been moving some systems to cloud-based services, which shifts cybersecurity burden to third-party providers but comes at a higher per-employee cost. The county also maintains multiple backup systems — local, off-site, and cloud — adding further expense.
Trimner told the board he’s been communicating with state officials about operating costs climbing rapidly while levy limits restrict how much the county can raise to cover them.
On the positive side, Price County’s sales
On the positive side, Price County’s sales tax collections hit a record $107,000 in February, up from $73,459 the prior year. However, Trimner cautioned that the county may be hitting a plateau as wage growth slows and consumers shift spending to non-taxable categories like gas and mortgage payments.
Cash on hand stands at $10.6 million, above the state-recommended 90-day reserve threshold.
Audit Firm Review Underway
The county is reviewing its audit relationship with Baker Tilly (10 years) and will interview three firms — Kerber Rose, CliftonLarsonAllen, and Baker Tilly — at the June executive committee meeting, with a board vote on the recommendation to follow.
What Comes Next
UTAV’s proposed resolutions remain in board packets with no committee referral. The board took no action to refer them for further study. Volkman’s three minutes of testimony, and the board’s decision to treat the UTAV agenda item as informational only, means the concerns raised about open records denials, domestic violence coordination, and firearms data will not advance through the county’s formal process unless a supervisor chooses to sponsor them.
The next Price County Board of Supervisors meeting is scheduled for June 2026.
Watch the full meeting: Price County Board of Supervisors Meeting 05/19/2026
Related coverage:
– When Transparency Fails: The Anthony Sleck Case and Worcester Open Records Crisis
– UTAV Drops Video Ahead of May 19 Board Meeting: A Four-Point Plan for Price County
– Price County Board Preview: Ordinances, Bridge Aid, and the District 5 Clock Starts Ticking
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