Gov. Evers, WisDOT, DWD announce over $4 million to expand access to transportation

KEWAUNEE – On May 14, Governor Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), announced over $4 million in Wisconsin Employment Transportation Assistance Program (WETAP) grants for organizations across 54 Wisconsin counties — including Kewaunee County — to expand access to employment-related transportation. Funded by the Federal Transit Administration and state funds from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) and WisDOT, WETAP is a grant program for transit systems and organizations designed to help local communities to ensure transportation access is not a barrier to low-income Wisconsinites seeking and retaining employment.

“Whether your family car needs repairs, you’re working the night shift when public transit options are limited or there’s no bus route close to home and work, if there’s a bus at all, transportation can be a significant barrier for Wisconsinites in finding and maintaining gainful employment,” Gov. Evers said. “Wisconsinites are hard workers by nature, but you’ve got to have a way to get to work in order to work hard and put food on the table. So, I look forward to seeing how these grants will help close gaps in communities across our state to help fill available jobs, get folks to work and build the 21st-century workforce and infrastructure we need to support a 21st-century economy.”

Kewaunee County will be served by the Forward Services Organization (FSO), a nonprofit which, according to their mission statement, is dedicated to helping people finding meaningful employment by providing supportive services to address the obstacles that stand in the way of stable, high-paying careers. FSO has received $651,323 in capital funding with an estimated $32,290 in operating funds to support 40 counties, in addition to Kewaunee.

“Lack of transportation can be a significant barrier to getting and keeping jobs for many people in Wisconsin,” WisDOT Secretary Kristina Boardman said. “Supporting these transportation options will help to improve economic outcomes not only for these workers, but for the entire state. WisDOT applauds and supports these community organizations that are working to address transportation needs for workers in every county.”

The FSO office serving Kewaunee County is located at 1300 Egg Harbor Rd., Suite 124, in Sturgeon Bay. The office is open Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. but staff can also meet in pre-arranged public locations or virtually. The office number is (920) 366-7656, but main WETAP contacts Meri Tawawaili (via phone at (920) 292-1336 or via email at mtawawili@fsc-corp.org) and Vickie McParlon (via phone at (608) 665-9118 or via email at mailvmcparlon@fsc-corp.org) are also available for further information.

With this initiative, Governor Evers said he aims to build upon his previous efforts to prioritize improving Wisconsin’s transportation aids and infrastructure to ensure the state has the modern infrastructure workers, businesses and visitors depend on. The 2019-21 and 2021-23 biennial budgets, signed by Gov. Evers, both included an increase of $250,000 annually for WETAP, bringing the state’s investment in the program to over $830,000 annually. The governor had also proposed an increase of nearly $127,000 for WETAP in the 2023-25 biennial budget, but Republican members of the Joint Finance Committee rejected the governor’s proposed increase. The 2023-25 biennial budget, signed by Gov. Evers, increased mass transit aids by 2% to assist local transit systems, increased paratransit aids by 4% and increased funding for specialized transit aids for seniors and people with disabilities.

“Not much means more to a family than a good, stable job,” said DWD Secretary Amy Pechacek. “After a year of record employment in Wisconsin, we will continue to fight to remove barriers to work and connect skills with opportunities in a new environment of unpredictability.”

Governor Evers included several efforts in the 2025-27 Executive Budget to promote transit accessibility, such as raising state support of mass transit aids to help provide Wisconsinites better access to jobs, education, friends and family, healthcare and entertainment; increasing funding for programs supporting seniors and people with disabilities, paratransit and employer-sponsored commuting options and increasing funding for programs which assist populations with specialized transit needs and job access. To view Gov. Evers’ official press release and the full list of 2025 WETAP awards, visit www.content.govdelivery.com/accounts/WIGOV/bulletins/3e0624e.

About WETAP

WETAP was formed in 2000 as a joint effort between DOT and the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD). WETAP is supported with funding from the state transportation fund, DWD’s workforce training grants appropriation, federal funding and a required local match from awardees. The program supports several initiatives to help provide Wisconsinites with access to the transportation they need, including new or expanded transportation services that address the employment-related transportation needs of eligible low-income workers; shared solutions such as ridesharing, public transportation expansion, vanpools or carpools; individual solutions, such as car repair or used car loan programs and coordinated transportation solutions which address gaps in service and streamline community efforts. To learn more about WETAP, visit www.wisconsindot.gov/Pages/doing-bus/local-gov/astnce-pgms/transit/wetap.aspx