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 near West High School. 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 chaired the Public Protection & Judiciary Committee from 2022 to 2026, 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. I now serve as Vice-Chair of the Personnel & Finance Committee which has primarily jurisdiction over important budget decisions.
A few of my "success stories" on the Board include navigating the complex jail consolidation project, improving constituent outreach by encouraging implementation of a successful blog system for Supervisors, and budget amendments to improve the pay structure for staff attorneys to support the timely service of justice, expunge Birth Recovery Costs (learn more about this policy issue here), and fund a local Food System Action Plan.
When I’m not at work or engaged in Board activities, you can find me on a walk enjoying the oaks in the Speedway cemetery with my rescue pup, Roux, or paddling my kayak on the Yahara. 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,
It’s local government budget season! Find all of the details here: https://board.danecounty.gov/budget. That page includes all upcoming hearings and opportunities for providing feedback to the County Board.
On October 1, County Executive Agard released her budget proposal which is available at https://admin.danecounty.gov/documents/pdf/Budget/2027/County-Executive-Budget.pdf. The summary on pages 6 – 19 is a great overview. From here, the baton passes to the County Board and we’ll hold hearings, debate amendments, and ultimately hope to pass a budget by Nov. 5. The Executive’s proposal does not eliminate any positions that are currently staffed; it does however eliminate 48.6 existing FTE while also adding a few. The Executive’s proposal also restores some temporary cost savings measures from 2026 including a 1% wage reduction for staff and reductions for Purchase of Service (POS) agencies that provide services on the county’s behalf. There are still other more targeted cuts for program contracts, including for case management services, which is a concern. We are also hearing partner agencies like Journey Mental Health call for new investments in light of reductions in federal funding, broken reimbursement systems, and rising costs of providing the same level of service.
I’m sharing an editorial that ran this week in the Cap Times from County Board Chair Miles that lays out many of the dynamics at play:
Every government operates within finite resources. For those of us crafting Dane County's budget, that fact weighs heavily on our decisions that directly impact people's lives: whether residents travel safely to work on county roads, whether families have a warm place to sleep this winter, whether someone in crisis reaches help in time.
This fall, you'll hear strong appeals to restore positions, protect programs and preserve contracts in the 2027 budget. The advocates speaking up represent residents who depend on that work, and they are right to do so. Public advocacy is essential to a healthy budget process.
But those appeals rarely address the part the County Board cannot avoid. Every amendment that restores money in one area must take it from another. The reduction that pays for it is often the harder conversation. Ultimately, our job is to weigh competing needs and ensure every dollar delivers the greatest impact.
Those resources are under pressure from forces beyond the county’s control. State law caps our property tax levy increase to the value of new net construction, which has lagged behind inflation — leaving us with fewer dollars to sustain existing services just as a growing population demands more of them.
Meanwhile, state aid is falling further behind costs of state-mandated services, and federal grants are shrinking even as burdensome agreement terms grow. Residents rely on these safety net programs; when state and federal support weakens, people turn to the county and our nonprofit partners precisely when our resources are most strained.
Last year, the county faced a structural deficit exceeding $30 million. Through tough decisions by the county executive, county staff and this board, we cut that gap roughly in half, down to $15 million heading into 2027. We froze hiring, offered early retirement incentives, eliminated 31.5 vacant full-time positions and scrutinized contracts and assets for savings. County employees accepted a temporary 1% wage reduction and absorbed extra work as positions went unfilled. None of this was painless.
But progress is not resolution. This month, S&P Global Ratings reaffirmed Dane County's AAA bond rating, the highest available, while shifting its outlook to negative because of the use of human services reserves. That rating influences the interest rates we pay when borrowing for roads and facilities; every dollar spent on interest is a dollar unavailable for services. Protecting our rating means stabilizing reserves and aligning ongoing spending with ongoing revenue. Which raises a fair question: How did we come to lean on reserve funds?
The answer requires candor. During and immediately following the pandemic, federal relief and strong revenue growth expanded county resources for the near term. We put those resources to work to address urgent needs — from sheltering unhoused residents to expanding mental health services to keeping wages competitive during high inflation.
But as revenue growth declined, ongoing commitments remained as costs rose. The board and other county leaders should have looked harder at that pattern. We are adjusting now. One critical step: We’ve stabilized reserves at 10% of the operating budget.
At our recent department budget hearings, one department leader after another gave supervisors the same stark message: Every reduction carries real consequences for real people. Our goal is to make the choices that do the least harm. That means avoiding false choices that pit deputies against caseworkers, county employees against nonprofit partners who deliver services. A race to the bottom helps no one. Our responsibility is to safeguard the entire local safety net that keeps Dane County residents safe, housed and healthy.
No budget gives everyone what they ask for; this one will be no exception. What I can promise is an open and deliberate process. County Executive Melissa Agard released her proposed 2027 budget on Oct. 1. From Oct. 6-19, the board's standing committees will review it and consider amendments in public meetings. Residents can testify at those meetings and public hearings on Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 2 at 6 p.m., before the full board votes in November. The full schedule is at board.danecounty.gov/budget. Tell us what matters most to you and your neighbors, and what you would protect if you were in our seats. The decisions ahead are difficult, and they belong to all of us.”
The 2027 budget proposal includes a recommendation to implement body worn cameras for the Sheriff’s Office. The west precinct has had body worn cameras since 2024 but the rest of the deputies in other areas do not. See the DCSO BWC Policy at https://www.danesheriff.com/documents/pdf/policies/Draft-DCSO-BWC-Pilot-Policy-v.1.pdf. I authored a budget amendment prior to implementation of the pilot to make sure there was a robust public engagement process in that region, facilitated by a third party, along with transparency measures including public policies, reporting, etc. I am supportive of the measure now, while acknowledging there are serious concerns about accountability, trust, and other factors that all need to be addressed not only now but ongoing.
Please reach out to share your input, questions, and priorities throughout October as we deliberate on the budget. I now serve on the Personnel & Finance Committee; it’ll be our job to reconcile budget amendments across Committees and present a full budget proposal to the whole County Board. I welcome your feedback all along the way.
In non-budget news...
And finally, Public Health has a safe gun storage campaign; I encourage you or anyone you know who has a firearm to learn more: https://publichealthmdc.com/news/2026-09-22/unload-lock-and-separate-public-health-launches-awareness-campaign-for-safe-gun.
In service,
Richelle Andrae
Dane County Board Supervisor District 11
