News – January 24, 2023

(Juneau) The Dodge County Board recently made an appointment to fill a key departmental position. Earlier this month, current Treasurer Patti Hilker announced that she is retiring following her last day on April 3rd. The position is typically filled following a four-year election cycle, but the county board can appoint a new person to the role midterm if a vacancy occurs. During the board’s January meeting, they tabbed Chief Deputy Treasurer Kris Keith. Her first day as treasurer will be April 4th and she will serve the remainder of the term through January of 2025.

(Juneau) Dodge County has a new Human Resources Director. The Dodge County Board recently approved appointing Assistant Human Resources Director Tonia Mindemann to the department’s top post. Mindemann’s annual salary comes to $56.35 an hour in addition to fringe benefits and paid time off. Her first day on the job was January 18th.

(Juneau) Former Dodge County Public Health Officer Abby Sauer has passed away. Sauer served in the US Army and was a combat medic in Iraq between 2003-and-2005. She resigned from the county in January of last year after providing guidance during the height of the pandemic. Memorials can be directed to Baggin’ for a Cure, a Mayville-based non-profit whose mission is to help families that have battled or are battling cancer. You will find a link with this news story at DailyDodge.com. Sauer was 44-years-old.

(Herman) A company that operates a Dodge County wind farm is looking at what caused part of the wind turbine to collapse. The blades and top portion of the turbine fell Wednesday night. It was located at the Butler Ridge wind farm near the town of Herman. The collapse of the turbine, which the National Weather Service says stands about 400 feet above the ground, left a scattering of massive pieces of debris, as well as a crater in the ground from the impact. A statement from the company that owns the turbine say they are working to determine the cause. – WRN

(Juneau) January is National Radon Action Month. Officials with Dodge County Public Health says citizens can get a free radon test kit from their department at 199 County Road D F in Juneau. They say that the naturally occurring, radioactive gas can cause lung cancer if exposed to it for prolonged periods of time and that one out of 10 homes in Wisconsin has high radon levels.