Board Actions
The following are topics relating to District 24 for which I have included seperate posts for you to find out more details about these topics. Not every issue is identified here, but those that constituents have indicated are important, controversial, or of greater interest to District 24.
2009 Dane County Budget
Monona Drive Construction
Flooding
Sustainability
County Executive Salary Adjustment
Monday, January 19, 2009
2009 Dane County Budget
2009 Budget
Monday, December 1st, I voted to pass the 2009 County Budget, keeping within County Executive self-created standard of not increasing the budget above the rate of growth plus inflation. The $493 million county budget will increase property taxes on the average home by $2.13.
The budget contains some very important priorities – for example, 75% of the budget goes towards public safety, including the Sheriff’s Department and 911 Center, and human services.
The budget includes additional staff and technological upgrades for the Dane County Public Safety Communications Center (911 center). Included in the technological improvements is implementation of and training on Police Priority Dispatch. This new program utilizes nationally recognized response standards to determine the priority of calls, ensuring uniform police responses.
The budget allocates $12-million to begin construction of a new countywide emergency radio network which when completed will result in a $30 million infrastructure investment by the county to ensure that all emergency responders can communicate with each other during emergencies. This will be the second largest capital project in Dane County’s history.
The budget also includes over $3.5 million for the reconstruction of a number of county roads and intersections, including the funding for Monona Drive reconstruction, and a significant increase in lakes and watershed protection programs. These funds will be used to help mitigate future flooding problems.
Lastly, the budget includes 2 budget amendments that I co-sponsored relating to sustainability and making sure that the county becomes as energy independent as possible, saving long term utility costs and minimizing our carbon footprint.
Monday, December 1st, I voted to pass the 2009 County Budget, keeping within County Executive self-created standard of not increasing the budget above the rate of growth plus inflation. The $493 million county budget will increase property taxes on the average home by $2.13.
The budget contains some very important priorities – for example, 75% of the budget goes towards public safety, including the Sheriff’s Department and 911 Center, and human services.
The budget includes additional staff and technological upgrades for the Dane County Public Safety Communications Center (911 center). Included in the technological improvements is implementation of and training on Police Priority Dispatch. This new program utilizes nationally recognized response standards to determine the priority of calls, ensuring uniform police responses.
The budget allocates $12-million to begin construction of a new countywide emergency radio network which when completed will result in a $30 million infrastructure investment by the county to ensure that all emergency responders can communicate with each other during emergencies. This will be the second largest capital project in Dane County’s history.
The budget also includes over $3.5 million for the reconstruction of a number of county roads and intersections, including the funding for Monona Drive reconstruction, and a significant increase in lakes and watershed protection programs. These funds will be used to help mitigate future flooding problems.
Lastly, the budget includes 2 budget amendments that I co-sponsored relating to sustainability and making sure that the county becomes as energy independent as possible, saving long term utility costs and minimizing our carbon footprint.
Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability is more than just saving energy - it's improving efficiencies within a business function. Ultimately this leads to more efficient and effective services. That's why I co-sponsored 2 budget amendments that would increase sustainability for the County. One amendment establishes a small sustainability fund for county departments to use when initially implementing sustainable operations (often start up costs are higher, but long term savings offset those costs). In addition, we will be creating a sustainability oversight committee that will assess and prioritize sustainable projects to ensure the best use of the sustainability fund. Lastly, continued training of county staff in The Natural Step will enhance their ability to identify and recommend changes that will result in higher sustainability operations.
Sustainability is more than just saving energy - it's improving efficiencies within a business function. Ultimately this leads to more efficient and effective services. That's why I co-sponsored 2 budget amendments that would increase sustainability for the County. One amendment establishes a small sustainability fund for county departments to use when initially implementing sustainable operations (often start up costs are higher, but long term savings offset those costs). In addition, we will be creating a sustainability oversight committee that will assess and prioritize sustainable projects to ensure the best use of the sustainability fund. Lastly, continued training of county staff in The Natural Step will enhance their ability to identify and recommend changes that will result in higher sustainability operations.
County Executive Salary Adjustment
County Executive Salary Amendment
The County Executive salary can only be changed once every 4 years, before the upcoming election for that position. A pay recommendation of a 7.3% pay raise for 2009, followed by a 3% pay raise for the next three years was presented to the County Board at their December 4th meeting. The pay rate was recommended so that the County Executive pay would be higher than the County Sheriff, based on the relative responsibilities of these positions. However, given the state of the current economy, and the fact that we were not able to grant point of service (POS) organizations with even a full 1% pay raise in the recently passed budget, I made an amendment that was passed by the Board that would reduce the salary increase for the County Executive for the first year to 1% to match that of the POS agencies. The subsequent 3% pay raises for the following three years remained, in anticipation that the economy will turn around and we will be able to give cost of living adjustments to the POS agencies at that time as well.
The County Executive salary can only be changed once every 4 years, before the upcoming election for that position. A pay recommendation of a 7.3% pay raise for 2009, followed by a 3% pay raise for the next three years was presented to the County Board at their December 4th meeting. The pay rate was recommended so that the County Executive pay would be higher than the County Sheriff, based on the relative responsibilities of these positions. However, given the state of the current economy, and the fact that we were not able to grant point of service (POS) organizations with even a full 1% pay raise in the recently passed budget, I made an amendment that was passed by the Board that would reduce the salary increase for the County Executive for the first year to 1% to match that of the POS agencies. The subsequent 3% pay raises for the following three years remained, in anticipation that the economy will turn around and we will be able to give cost of living adjustments to the POS agencies at that time as well.
Monona Drive Construction
Monona Drive Construction
Reconstion of Monona Drive is a joint project between the Cities of Monona and Madison, Dane County and the State Department of Transportation. Significant planning and design work has already been completed, with input from numerous businesses and other constituents who use the road. Monona Drive Phase 1 construction will begin in 2009 and continue into 2010 for the Broadway/Pflaum Road segment. Additional segments will be constructed subsequent to phase 1. All transportation projects for the County have to be approved by the Metropolitan Area Transportation Planning Committee, to which I was appointed in April, 2008. Monona Drive is both a City and County Road, and thus has been included in their Transportation Improvement Plan and money is included in the 2009 county budget.
Reconstion of Monona Drive is a joint project between the Cities of Monona and Madison, Dane County and the State Department of Transportation. Significant planning and design work has already been completed, with input from numerous businesses and other constituents who use the road. Monona Drive Phase 1 construction will begin in 2009 and continue into 2010 for the Broadway/Pflaum Road segment. Additional segments will be constructed subsequent to phase 1. All transportation projects for the County have to be approved by the Metropolitan Area Transportation Planning Committee, to which I was appointed in April, 2008. Monona Drive is both a City and County Road, and thus has been included in their Transportation Improvement Plan and money is included in the 2009 county budget.
Flooding
Flooding
With the 2008 record rainfall and snow melt, severe flooding occurred throughout Dane County. There simply wasn’t enough storage capacity in the surrounding watershed to absorb all the moisture that fell in a short period of time. To help alleviate future flooding, there are a number of things that the county has done including:
- Upgrade the Babcock Dam that regulates the water coming out of Lake Waubesa
- Approve funding to continue with a cooperative effort between multiple parties to replacement of the trestle bridge between Upper Mud Lake and Lake Waubesa with a wider span bridge that would coupled the railroad tracks with a bike trail connecting Lake Farm Park with McFarland. Recent UW studies indicate that water movement out of Lake Monona is significantly constricted by this narrow bridge
- Approve purchase of sensitive lands to limit development in areas where the land can serve as a natural sponge to absorb rainfall and snowmelt before it reaches the surface waters.
- Approve funding for continued weed harvesting to keep water flowing efficiently out of Lake Monona
With the 2008 record rainfall and snow melt, severe flooding occurred throughout Dane County. There simply wasn’t enough storage capacity in the surrounding watershed to absorb all the moisture that fell in a short period of time. To help alleviate future flooding, there are a number of things that the county has done including:
- Upgrade the Babcock Dam that regulates the water coming out of Lake Waubesa
- Approve funding to continue with a cooperative effort between multiple parties to replacement of the trestle bridge between Upper Mud Lake and Lake Waubesa with a wider span bridge that would coupled the railroad tracks with a bike trail connecting Lake Farm Park with McFarland. Recent UW studies indicate that water movement out of Lake Monona is significantly constricted by this narrow bridge
- Approve purchase of sensitive lands to limit development in areas where the land can serve as a natural sponge to absorb rainfall and snowmelt before it reaches the surface waters.
- Approve funding for continued weed harvesting to keep water flowing efficiently out of Lake Monona
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