Portage County is a place to live, work and play.

Hello and welcome to Portage County, Wisconsin; the very best of urban and country America. I'm Mark Maslowski, the Portage County Executive, and I welcome you to our web page.

Whether you are visiting to find specific information, or just browsing, we feel you will find our web site full of information. With thousands of acres of county parkland, numerous hiking and biking trails, arts and cultural events, there are countless activities to enjoy. Portage County is a wonderful place to live, work and play.

Through the years we have created close ties between our citizens and county government. The County Executive office is here to be an advocate for you and your family. We believe that county government works only if we have strong communication with everyone concerned, this office, the County Board, county employees and the people of Portage County. Our office is here to help you better understand what county government is all about, and we welcome the opportunity to speak with you. With the historic Wisconsin River, numerous lakes and streams, our county is abundant in natural resources. With access to major highways, our nationally known university, it is easy to see why nearly 70,000 people call Portage County home. I hope that you enjoy exploring Portage County!

The duties and powers of the county executive are detailed in Chapter 59 of the Wisconsin State Statutes. The county executive is the chief executive officer of the county, much like the governor and the president are the chief executive officers of the state and federal governments respectively. The county executive's duties and powers include:

Coordinating and directing the administrative and management functions of the county government

• Appointing and supervising county department heads
• Appointing the members of boards and commissions

The county executive is required to submit to the county board of supervisors an annual state-of-the-county message, recommendations regarding issues of concern, and a proposed annual budget. Section 59.17(5) of the Statutes requires the county executive to "...annually, and otherwise as may be necessary, communicate to the board the condition of the county, and shall recommend such matters to the board for its consideration as he or she considers expedient. Notwithstanding any other provision of the law, he or she shall be responsible for the submission of the annual budget to the board and may exercise the power to veto any increases or decreases in the budget..." As referred to earlier, the administrative and management duties of the county executive are similar to those of the governor and president. A typical day for the county executive will include meetings with his appointed department heads (cabinet member), representatives of various community groups, and individual members of the general public. The county executive is invited to attend and speak at service clubs, church and school groups, scouting events and more. The county executive spends time each day communicating with federal and state legislators, local community leaders, and county board members, in addition to correspondence with concerned citizens.

Click the link below to read the 2009 State of the County Address:
State of the County Address 2009

Contact: Main Office
Address: 1462 Strongs Avenue
Stevens Point, WI 54481
Phone: (715)346-1998
E-mail: CountyExecutive@co.portage.wi.us