Manitowoc County’s executive is still concerned about some proposals in the 2026 County Budget.
In a letter to county supervisors, Bob Ziegelbauer is still not excited about a proposal for body cameras and tasers for the sheriff’s office or about borrowing $370,000 for a 1% salary increase to cover operational expenses.
Ziegelbauer calls the borrowing “fiscally irresponsible,” saying it will set the stage for future borrowing.
He’s also criticizing the board for moving segregated accounts to add an artificial intelligence component to the sheriff’s body camera proposal.
The county executive calls AI the “latest new buzzword” and says the option for deputies “hasn’t been evaluated nearly enough.”
The AI component he’s talking about would help track what’s recorded on body cameras, making it easier to write reports after an incident.
Ziegelbauer is also still against the body camera and taser proposal, saying that while he’s “absolutely in favor of tasers, bodycams & cameras for our Law Enforcement, wasting taxpayer money is not.”
The county executive has been critical of the proposal, saying a couple of weeks ago in another letter that he wants to cut out the $800,000 proposal to save taxpayers’ money.
County Board Chairman Tyler Martell has come out against Ziegelbauer’s comments, saying he’s not supporting law enforcement by wanting to cut out the proposal.
