Today, Attorney General Brad Schimel issued a formal opinion to Shawano County Corporation Counsel Tony Kordus concerning whether a county board is legally authorized to appropriate money to a private nonprofit food pantry. Schimel concluded that a county board is not authorized to do so. County boards only have the powers expressly conferred or necessarily implied by statute. The statute governing county boards’ authority with respect to health and human services, Wis. Stat. § 59.53, does not authorize appropriations to nonprofit food pantries and such a power cannot be implied because Wis. Stat. § 59.53 specifically grants authority to appropriate money to other types of nonprofits.