— An expert with UW-Madison says the pandemic and supply chain disruptions have inflamed an existing workforce housing crisis in the state.
Kurt Paulsen, a professor of urban and regional planning with the university, says the cost of building new housing has risen by 35 percent in the past two years.
“It’s been a slow-burning crisis for the last 20 years, but then you just add on COVID and the supply chain and that just flames everything up,” he told WisconsinEye yesterday during an interview.
He was joined by Wally Orzechowski, executive director of the Southwestern Wisconsin Community Action Program. They agreed that the shortage of workforce housing harms low-income workers and their families the most.
Orzechowski noted many Wisconsin residents end up with a long commute if they’re unable to find affordable housing near where they work, placing more of a burden on those with an already tight budget. His organization is focused on supporting low-income residents in the region.
“You’re paying for gas and wear and tear on your vehicle, and that adds to the additional cost to the family that’s struggling anyway … their child care comes into play, and all kinds of other factors come into play,” he said. “So it’s not a good thing.”
WisEye’s Lisa Pugh, who moderated the interview, noted many communities in the state have more open jobs than available housing units. For example, Waukesha County has a ratio of 1.37 open jobs for every available home or housing unit. Other counties with a similar ratio include Brown, with 1.33; Dane, 1.32; and Outagamie, 1.31.
Paulsen explained this trend puts pressure on the rural housing market as more workers look outside the traditional urban centers for options of where to live. That leads to higher prices in these areas, and can pose a problem for economic development as well, he said.
“That makes it difficult for employers, right, if you have shift work and people are stuck in the snow or their car breaks down, it’s just hard to keep and retain a workforce,” he said.
He added that builders and developers are more likely to look to urban and suburban areas, where the population density makes it easier to recover costs.
“So one of our challenges is, even though there’s a shortage of housing in rural workforce areas, nobody’s building any housing,” he said.
Orzechowski discussed a workforce housing effort led by the Southwestern Wisconsin Community Action Program in Lafayette County, where more than half of the jobs are supported by agriculture. The Meadows project in Darlington is aimed at supporting ag laborers, many of which are immigrants, he said. Local partners and his organization are building 32 housing units to support this workforce.
“The idea is, not only are we providing housing for a labor force that we and they desperately need to keep the dairy industry going, but also it’s an opportunity to help those farmers being able to recruit and retain their employees,” he said.
See the full interview: https://wiseye.org/2022/12/05/newsmakers-the-need-for-workforce/
— The state Department of Justice says it’s filed charges against a CAFO operator in Kewaunee County, a manure hauler and an agronomist who were allegedly involved with submitting a falsified report to state officials.
According to the DOJ, concentrated animal feeding operation owner Johannes Wakker hired Gregory Stodola in late 2019 to spread excess manure on Wakker’s land. But the amount that was spread “so far exceeded what Wakker’s permit allowed that it resulted in pollution discharges” into tributaries leading to Lake Michigan, resulting in significant levels of E. coli bacteria readings.
Stodola allegedly created a document that “grossly underreported” the amount of manure that was spread by over 1.9 million gallons and gave it to Wakker, who then gave it to consultant Benjamin Koss. He was hired by Wakker to file the manure spreading report with the DNR, according to the DOJ. But Koss allegedly made further changes to the figures in the report to match state regulations before filing it.
CAFOs have previously come under fire for their environmental impact due to the large numbers of animals held in close proximity. But advocates for these farms — such as the Wisconsin Dairy Alliance — say they are unfairly blamed for pollution issues and follow strict environmental guidelines.
See more details on the case: https://www.doj.state.wi.us/news-releases/kewaunee-co-cafo-owner-manure-hauler-and-crop-consultant-charged-conspiring-submit
— Population levels for the invasive spongy moth are on the rise in Wisconsin, according to the latest update from DATCP.
This insect, formerly called the gypsy moth, can cause “severe leaf loss” in the areas where it spreads. In its larval form, the spongy moth caterpillars eat the leaves of many different trees and shrubs, especially oak trees. In large numbers, the spongy moth can harm timber industries by killing trees, causing millions of dollars in damages.
State wildlife officials set out over 10,000 traps this summer as part of an effort to reduce the population of spongy moths. They caught an average of 20.1 spongy moths per trap — more than double the number from 2021 and the highest that average has been since at least 2013.
These trapping efforts help inform DATCP’s aerial spray treatments. This year, the agency treated over 120,000 acres across 15 western Wisconsin counties, according to a release.
Michael Falk, the trapping coordinator for the agency, says weather trends in the state have enabled the spongy moth population to grow in recent years.
“A lack of extreme cold events has allowed many spongy moth eggs to survive the winter, and a steady trend of warm, dry summers has limited the impact of diseases that normally kill spongy moth caterpillars,” he said.
See more on regional population levels in the release:
<br><b><i>Top headlines from the Health Care Report … </b></i>
— Wisconsin is getting a $45 million federal grant to support the public health workforce, state health officials announced.
And federal officials have approved a five-year extension of the state’s waiver to operate the Wisconsin Healthcare Stability Plan, according to the state Office of the Commissioner of Insurance.
<i>For more of the most relevant news on COVID-19, reports on groundbreaking health research in Wisconsin, links to top stories and more, sign up today for the free daily Health Care Report from WisPolitics.com and WisBusiness.com.</i>
Sign up here: http://forms.gle/o8FtqTLviGJPja8C9
#TOP STORIES#
# Gulfstream Aerospace’s $55M expansion to bring 200 jobs to Appleton
# Noble Knight Games voluntarily recognizes employees’ union
# Farmer, 2 others charged with over-spreading manure, falsifying documents
#TOPICS#
# AGRIBUSINESS
– State cheese production falls slightly in October
– Holte, Geigers earn WFBF Distinguished Service Awards
# BANKING
– Deposit growth slowed at Wisconsin banks in third quarter
# CONSTRUCTION
– Ripon College plans to use $35M to build new science hall, stadium
# EDUCATION
– WFBF’s YFA presents top awards in Wisconsin Dells
– Mentorship program for high school students expands Wisconsin chapter to Madison
– Madison College launches Africa initiative to bolster curriculum, international options
– ECASD reverses decision on Hmong, Japanese languages discontinuation
# INVESTING
– Geno.Me focused on growing client base as company nears close of seed two round
# POLITICS
– Alderwoman accused of ethics violation for advertising her business in parade
# REAL ESTATE
– A year later, displaced Waukesha condo owners are still searching for answers
– $25 million affordable housing redevelopment advances on Milwaukee’s near west side
– New Ballpark Commons apartment building will have craft beer and a unique name
– Streetwise: This real estate firm aims to create legacies in downtown Green Bay
# RETAIL
– This Neenah shop sells old bourbon barrels and gifts for bourbon lovers: The Buzz
# TECHNOLOGY
– Lac du Flambeau tribe plans to build its own internet service with federal grant
# TRANSPORTATION
– Madison seeking public feedback on new train station location
# COLUMNS
– Wanna spread holiday cheer? Buy local
# PRESS RELEASES
<i>See these and other press releases:
https://www.wisbusiness.com/press-releases/ </i>
