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,
Sharing several county updates with you today:
Dane County 2027 Budget Memo
On Feb. 18, county finance staff provided a preliminary outlook for the 2027 county budget. We have known for a few years now that 2027 would be especially challenging, and now the rubber is hitting the road. The biggest task ahead of county leaders in 2026 will be finding a path forward, balancing maintaining essential services with our requirement to approve a budget that fits within our levy limit. The full memo is attached for reference and I’ve highlighted the major takeaways and data below. My primary motivation for serving in local government is the idea that the public sector can make peoples’ lives better and solve problems, so we face a harsh reality but must make judicious decisions, think creatively, turn over every stone, and do so strategically. I’m all ears on solutions or questions, please reach out at any time.
Expenditure Increases
Overall GPR supported expenditures for the 2027 budget are currently projected to increase by approximately $17 million. This includes the scheduled restoration of the 1% wage reduction implemented for 2026, health insurance increases, steps and longevity along with normal contractual increases.
Revenue Increases
Overall GPR revenue available for the 2027 budget are currently projected to increase by approximately $7.2 million. So, ongoing operations are imbalanced by nearly $10 million. When the reduction in available surplus of approximately $20 million is added to this amount along with adjustments for one‐ time items within the 2026 budget, the county’s operating deficit as it approaches the 2027 budget totals over $31.5 million.
Summary of 2027 Budget Factors
Eliminating a deficit of this magnitude will require creative and fairly drastic adjustments to county operations. For perspective, with the average cost of a county position being $132,000, if this deficit were approached strictly through a reduction in force, it would require the elimination of 241 FTE. If this entire amount were spread across county departments based on their current GPR allocation, it would require across the board GPR reductions of 9.3%, over twice the reductions required for the 2026 budget.
Longer Term Outlook
Beyond the 2027 budget, the county will likely continue to face difficult budgets unless cost increases can be slowed. In rough terms, if current health insurance increases do not abide, annual personnel costs could continue to increase by $8.0 to $10.0 million per year. Other contractual increases could continue increasing by $2.0 to $3.0 million leading to total base budget cost increases of $10.0 million to $13.0 million. Overall GPR revenue increases might continue increasing by $5.0 to $6.0 million between operating levy and sales tax increases. This leaves potential annual gaps of $5.0 to $7.0 million. The revenue increases above are based on recent levy and sales tax increases. Should there be an economic downturn, these revenue projections might be optimistic. Due to these longer‐term projected shortfalls, it will be important that solutions to the 2027 deficit rely heavily on adjustments to base ongoing expenditures and not one‐time sources.
AEC Town Hall & Listening Session on March 10
I attended the first of several listening sessions this week regarding the AEC redevelopment. County staff provided a recap of multiple new projects and staff and contractors were available for questions on stormwater management, bike accessibility, and more. With the county facing a budget crunch, you may be wondering… How this is possible? Quick reminder – the budget constraints only apply to our operating budget, not capital (like the AEC new construction and renovations). In addition to the big projects underway at the AEC, Dane County had one respondent to an RFP to advance a public-private-partnership to redevelop the Coliseum, which is currently drastically under-utilized and not providing the revenue or entertainment it could be, if optimized. Conversations are underway with the respondent, but I don’t expect negotiating will conclude until May, at the earliest.
Learn more and attend an upcoming event: https://aecstudy.danecounty.gov/
Local Immigration Enforcement
We are having many “live” conversations about immigration concerns coming to Dane County, including the use of cameras such as Flock technology for license plate readers, which the county currently uses, but under certain circumstances. Regarding immigration enforcement and protections, I continue to flag the following:
Transportation Data
Are you a transit and transportation data nerd? I serve on the MPO which is a regional planning entity charged with a lot of policy and funding related to transportation. This slide deck has fascinating local data and maps on sidewalks, accessibility, incomplete bike paths, and more: https://www.cityofmadison.com/mpo/documents/3_4_2026_BoardPacket_0.pdf; see for example bike accident and fatality trends:
In service and in this together,
Richelle Andrae
Dane County Board Supervisor District 11
