County Finance Committee Approves Amendments

November 13, 2015
County Board Chair Sharon Corrigan, 608.333.2285
County Board

The Dane County Board of Supervisors’ Personnel and Finance Committee has approved amendments to the 2016 operating and capital budgets that will address Board priorities in the areas of criminal justice, housing, equity, human services and the environment. The amended budget will come before the full County Board on Monday, November 16.

 

“Budgets are about priorities,” said County Board Chair Sharon Corrigan. “Changes made to the Dane County Budget by County Board members reflect our core principles of partnering with the community to ensure that all Dane County citizens have the opportunity to be  successful.”

 

“We have a tremendous opportunity to do some real good for the community,” said Personnel and Finance Committee Chair Jeff Pertl. “This past year we’ve had an unprecedented amount of community engagement and unprecedented amount of feedback from the community, especially in the area of criminal justice. Now it’s time to take action, and that’s what this budget is about.”

 

Some of the amendments approved by the committee last night include:

 

• Criminal justice

  • Funding to collect and analyze more and better data on people in the system

  • Funding to train criminal justice personnel on equity issues

  • Funding to study adult and juvenile diversion programs

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  Additional $30,000 to operate the Homeless Day Resource Center

• $2 million for affordable housing, as called for by last year’s budget

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  Moving the new Office of Equity to the department level, increasing capacity and providing physical space

• Establishing a new Partners in Equity Fund of $25,000 to share with community organizations doing work on equity

• Human services

  • Funding for more case management and nutrition site management for the elderly

  • Increasing the Cost of Living Allowance at purchase of services agencies from .5 percent to .7 percent

  • Establishing the ability to use benefit cards at farmers markets

  • Funding for a position to increase capacity at Salvation Army family shelter

  • Funding to establish a pilot project to provide free feminine hygiene products in eight County buildings

     

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  Additional $45,000 for Better Urban Infill Land Development (BUILD) program  to plan for more planning for infill development

• Funding for a Climate Change Action Plan

• Additional $1 million in the SMART fund for county government sustainable practices in operations

• $1.5 million to start a Transit Fund to partner with communities to improve transit opportunities for communities throughout the county

   

The amendments will increase property taxes by an approximately $2.50 per household above the County Executive’s proposed budget, creating a total increase of $34.37 on the average home.

 

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