richelle andrae
Thank you for the opportunity to serve District 11, which includes most of Hill Farms, Shorewood Village, and the neighborhoods immediately east of Midvale Blvd. I’ve lived in Madison since 2013, and reside just west of Hilldale. I’ve experienced our community through the eyes of a student, a young professional working in non-profit, an academic, and a volunteer. During the day, I am an advocate for safety net clinics in Wisconsin, working with state policymakers and partners to ensure that all residents have access to quality health care, regardless of income or insurance status. I’ve previously worked on local public health evaluation projects, rural workforce development, and Medicaid policy. After serving an AmeriCorps service term in California, I returned to Wisconsin and worked directly with underserved teens in Madison high schools, helping them find and keep their first jobs.
On the County Board, I Chair the Public Protection & Judiciary Committee, which has oversight for the Dane County Sheriff's Office, District Attorney's Office, Emergency Management, 911 Call Center, Courts, Pre-Trial Services, Medical Examiner, and more. A few of my "success stories" on the Board include navigating the complex jail consolidation project, improving constituent outreach by encouraging implementation of a blog system for Supervisors, and budget amendments to embed crisis expertise in emergency response and improve the pay structure for staff attorneys to support the timely service of justice. I also serve on the Dane County Food Policy Council and Greater Madison MPO, which administers transportation-related funding and programs across the region.
When I’m not at work or engaged in Board activities, you can find me at the Odana dog park with my rescue pup, Roux. I studied Spanish at UW-Madison during my undergrad, and earned a Masters in Public Affairs from the La Follette School, focusing on health policy and administration. Please reach out at any time and I look forward to working with you.
Neighbors,
This month, I am providing information on our Prejudice in Places project about racial covenants in Dane County (spoiler alert – the near west side is a primary area with these covenants), county department leadership, ICE communications via the jail, and federal funding issues that could impact the county.
Prejudice in Places: At last night’s Board meeting, we recognized and learned more about the Prejudice in Places project, a partnership between the Planning department, Dane County Historical Society, Boys & Girls Club, and others, to identify and confirm discriminatory restrictive language in Dane County real estate records. The project’s preliminary search of digitized land records from 1937-1969 yielded more than 500 land records that are now mapped and many of these land records are on the near west side of Madison, particularly in Shorewood and along Midvale. These discriminatory restrictions are void and unenforceable so there are no real impacts today but they are a stark reminder of the systems and context that have led to different outcomes for Black and Brown people right here in Dane County. An example of one of these covenants (note the language is repugnant but I think it’s important to hear): “The premises shall not be sold or conveyed to any Jew, Italian, Negro or member of the yellow race.” (1938). Learn all about the project here: https://www.danecountyplanning.com/Prejudice-in-Places#:~:text=In%20the%202022%20pilot%2C%20County,%E2%80%9Ckey%20words%E2%80%9D%20were%20flagged and search for your own land records.
Note that there isn’t really a good pathway to remove a racial covenant from your own land record, but the County is working with the State to see if we can develop a simple process for anyone that wishes to have theirs removed. The exhibit from the Dane County Historical Society on this issue is excellent and will be traveling to local libraries throughout 2025. Sequoya is scheduled for October but there are plenty of places to see it prior, all listed on the website. I believe this project helps start important conversations and draws a direct line to racial discrimination and adverse outcomes for people right here in our own backyards. On a positive note, we also learned about excellent local initiatives to improve housing outcomes, such as Own It: Building Black Wealth which improves Black home ownership.
Human Services and Airport Director: There has been some media coverage recently about leadership at both of these essential Dane County Departments. For more than 2 years, the County Human Services Department has been without a permanent leader. A week ago, the finalist in our process rescinded her acceptance of an offer to lead the agency, and the County Executive is rapidly working to expedite that work now. I am hopeful that we will see this process to a conclusion and have a permanent leader there this spring, which is key for the county’s largest department responsible for housing, child services, our county nursing home, and more. Interested candidates are encouraged to submit their applications through the County’s executive search firm, MGT, at: https://www.govhrusa.com/careers-page-govhr/?rpid=1342682&postid=TPkn6XWEY78. The application portal is now open. The first review of application materials will be on February 27 and will include a review of previously submitted applications. The County will also have a new Airport Director, following an investigation and personnel issues that came to light but I believe that’s on the right track now, and we can move forward with expansions and more direct flights, especially westward, in 2026.
ICE/SCAAP System: I want to thank Sheriff Barrett for proactively removing Dane County from the SCAAP system, a technology connection that relayed information about undocumented individuals in the jail retrospectively. I was concerned about the chilling effect that involvement in the system has for undocumented and minority families given the priorities of the new federal Administration and potential implications for immigrants. This was not a real-time alert – rather the information about individuals was provided after their release from the jail – but I firmly believe it was the right call and commend the action. Read more: https://www.aclu-wi.org/en/press-releases/aclu-wisconsin-celebrates-dane-county-sheriff-terminating-involvement-scaap-program.
Federal Funding: This is a significant area of concern and risk for the County and our services because of uncertainty about federal funding and grant restrictions from the new administration. For example, our efforts to start a new Community Court are funded through a federal Bureau of Justice Assistance grant, and many of the dollars flowing through the county are tied to Medicaid programs. According to communication from the County Executive and our county accountant:
Many grants under the Inflation Reduction Act are still frozen. Some awardees with funding from the National Science Foundation have not been able to draw funds. Scattered non-profits, including many in Wisconsin, that provide Head Start programs and refugee services have had their funds frozen. Dane County receives over $100 million annually in federal funding. Given the scope of our partnership with the Federal government, it is possible that some county services are at risk in this unprecedented environment. The county has not experienced any interruption in its ability to draw federal resources yet.
A few of the major county programs funded with Federal revenues are operations at Badger Prairie Health care center $30 million, child support enforcement $7.6 million, SNAP administration $8.6 million, foster care $4.6 million, Social Services Block Grant, $2.9 million, CDBP/HOME $1.3 million, key public safety initiatives like our speeding task force at $250K annually, as well as many other smaller federal awards.
I see two potential risk areas. In the short-term, we will be monitoring any freezes in funding that might emerge. Some Federal recipients have lost access to funding even though they had signed grant agreements and have obligated grant funds to other entities. I have instructed departments to increase the timeliness of their reimbursement requests so that we can closely match reimbursement revenues for expenses incurred.
The longer-term risk is in future Federal funding. The current Continuing Resolution that funds Federal operations expires March 15, 2025. Congress will be working on a reconciliation bill in the coming weeks that will include extension of expiring tax cuts and the potential expansion of tax reductions. These tax provisions are very expensive, and Congress will likely include spending reductions in the reconciliation bill to at least partially offset the cost. We will be monitoring this legislative activity and attempt to assess the impact on Dane County as best we can.
We must be vigilant in monitoring and planning, and in our advocacy with Congress. I will keep constituents apprised as we learn more.
And now a few resources and upcoming events:
On behalf of the NAACP of Dane County’s Education Committee: “The Right to Read: The Greatest Civil Rights Issue of Our Time”. This event will bring together educators, community leaders, and advocates to address the urgent need to combat illiteracy, especially for Black children in Dane County.
📅 Date: Saturday, February 22nd
📍 Location: Madison College - Truax Campus
🔗 Event Info: Eventbrite Link
If you haven’t had a chance to view the NAACP’s documentary, “The Right to Read,” you can find it here: The Right to Read Film.
Did you know that Dane County has our own Law Library? See all details at https://courts.danecounty.gov/Assistance/Law-Library. Staff at the Law Library can help local residents complete legal forms, figure out how and where to submit them, etc. The County recently renewed our contract for the services and I want to make sure that District 11 residents are aware of this great program. Library staff can:
Finally, I want to recognize the work of all public servants whether that’s county employees, federal officials, or anyone in between. Last night we honored county staff who have completed 25-year work anniversaries, more than 50 people. With attacks on public service at the federal level including significant reductions and a general attitude of distain for public service, I am proud that Dane County can be a place where many people invest their entire career and can earn family-sustaining wages.
Thank you, and as always please reach out if you have questions, want to connect on a county issue, or get more involved. See you around the neighborhood, and hope you have a chance to enjoy the sun and warm-up this weekend. I know I’ll finally be getting out with my dog to stretch our legs after the deep freeze.
In service,
Richelle Andrae
Dane County Board Supervisor District 11
Andrae.richelle@countyofdane.com
