When
you look at your property tax bill, about 15% of those dollars go to fund
County operations and programs. That is
the smallest share in comparison with costs for City and School operations. The 2014 operating budget for Dane County is
proposed at approximately $510 million and the capital budget is approximately $50
million. Below is a brief highlight of
the budget as prepared by County Executive Joe Parisi, which is now before the
County Board for review. I’m proud that County
Executive Parisi has drafted a budget that mirrors our priorities and values,
and I am sponsoring several amendments to further enhance this draft budget, as
noted below.
Human
Services – this comprises about ½ of the operating budget at just over
$250 million
·
Supporting
children and schools-
Creating “Mental Health Rapid Response Teams” in two of our suburban school districts in partnership with the Verona and Sun Prairie School Districts
- Partnering with the United Way of Dane County to fund an “Early Childhood Zone” to serve disadvantaged neighborhoods in Allied Drive and areas around Westside Elementary School in Sun Prairie.
- $25,000 for a new “Youth Eviction Prevention” fund, administered by Dane County “Joining Forces for Families” for families with school aged children during uncertain times.
- A $20,000 increase to Planned Parenthood of Dane County to expand education efforts both in schools and across the community
- Creation of a new “Dane County Work Apprenticeship Program,” in partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County
-
funding in partnership for the Domestic Abuse Intervention Services (DAIS)
- adding an Elder Benefits Specialist position to ensure seniors have timely access to services and information
- $15,000 for the OutReach LGBT Community Center to expand its services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender elders in our county.
- $16,578 in county money to cover a federal government budget cut to our senior meal sites and an additional $40,000 to ensure our seniors continue to receive warm meals
- Continued funding for our developmental disabilities service organizations with $83,575,449 in 2014, of which $13,009,069 is county general purpose revenue dollars
- Providing $750,000 to purchase a site for affordable housing units, in collaboration with the Madison Community Development Authority
- Continued funding for the Tenant Resource Center
- Funding a “Re-Entry Coordinator” position who will work with those soon to be released from jail to identify potential barriers to success and help them reintegrate
into their families and communities.
· Funding to continue assessing options for improving Jail space configurations.
· Implementing “Accountability 24-7,” testing sites so individuals out on bail for alcohol offenses will report twice a day for mandatory screening. Should they fail, they go to jail.
· Continuing capping of Deputy overtime expenses at 6.6% of total salaries.
· Replacing nearly 20 outdoor storm warning sirens
· Acquiring a new telephone system for the county’s Public Safety Communications (911) System.
· Providing $2-million for a new 25% private matching grant program to acquire and remediate lands responsible for the highest percentage of phosphorus run-off in the Yahara System.
· Establishing a community manure “drop-off” in the Town of Springfield
· With $750,000 for Yahara Clean to continue the implementation of low-technology land restoration and conservation practices
· Expanding the public access and enjoyment of the new 2.5 miles of acreage recently purchased from the Bruce Company, including parking lots, canoe launches and trail development along the river from the north end of the property straight to the shops and stores in Paoli
· Developing a new off-road bike trail north of Lake Mendota, in partnership with the Town of Westport, Village of Waunakee, and City of Middleton
· Creating the “Dane County Youth Conservation Corps” in partnership with Operation Fresh Start to work through the year on a wide variety of projects needed for upkeep of our parks
· Creating a “Partnerships and Outreach Coordinator” position to build community support for our parks and coordinate enhanced private fundraising efforts to support our parks
· Increasing funding for Rangers and parks staff as park use increases
· Continued development of our newest county park - - Silverwood Park in the Town of Albion
· Continued funding for reconstructing Mineral Point Road and County Highway M on the west side of Madison
· Continued work on County Highway J to complete an important connection to the Military Ridge State Bike Trail from Riley
· Resurfacing County Trunk VV and planning for Highway P near Cross Plains, in conjunction with federal dollars to complete that project including bike lanes in 2016
· Acquiring 13 additional highway trucks (including 8 snowplows) fueled by the much less expensive and more environmentally responsible compressed natural gas
· Continued enhancements at the Alliant Energy Center (AEC) and Henry Vilas Zoo
· Constructing additional floors on the parking ramp at the airport
Climate
Change
·
Creating
a new fund to replace outdated culverts under roads · Establishing a new emergency sandbag fund for Dane County Emergency Management
· Purchasing radios so Dane County Parks rangers can communicate on the new “DaneCom” interoperable radio system
· Purchasing 4wd vehicles for the Sheriff’s Department
· Retro-commissioning The Human Services building on Northport Drive to identify energy savings opportunities and implement cost-savings
· Installation of a new climate change exhibit for the Arctic Passage project, including acquiring a vehicle scientists used decades ago to provide tours of the North Pole to evaluate the impacts of climate change
· Asking workers to voluntarily take leave time next year without pay, saving almost $200,000
· Increasing the Sustainability Fund to $2 million to continue to increase the County’s operating costs through sustainable practices
· Continued funding for improvements at the Alliant Energy Center to retain world-class events including World Dairy Expo and Midwest Horse Fair
· Funding assistance for the YMCA Job Ride program to help link workers to jobs on routes or at times when the Madison Metro buses aren’t viable.
· Funding for the Healthy Skies initiative to inventory air pollutants, including greenhouse gas emissions, throughout Dane County business, not-for-profits, and residences, inventory conservation and efficiency opportunities and renewable energy resources and the create a climate action strategic plan for the greater Dane County community
