sarah smith
After growing up in rural western Wisconsin, Sarah moved to Dane County to attend UW-Madison and fell in love with the community. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in History and went on to graduate with a Master’s in Educational Policy from UW-Madison as well. She has been active in volunteer organizations during her time in Dane County, including running a group of volunteers for the Quality Assurance division while she worked at Epic. Sarah has also organized with the Women’s March and served as State Chair for the Young Democrats of Wisconsin. She currently volunteers as a member of the City of Monona Sustainability Committee.
Sarah has previously served as Chief of Staff to State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski and as Communication Director for former state Senator Patty Schachtner. She is now the Director of Public Affairs at the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance. Sarah has represented District 24 on the Dane County Board of Supervisors since April 2020.
Good afternoon,
Since the last edition, the County Board has made our county the first in the country to be a trans sanctuary, supervisors visited a local manure digester, and the public health department rolled out new sexual and reproductive health initiatives! I hope this blog helps make the work of the County Board and Dane County departments more transparent and accessible.
Thank you for reading,
Sarah
Upcoming Hearing on Opioid Settlement Dollars
On Monday July 24, the Health and Human Needs Committee will hold a public hearing at 5:30pm to hear from members of the public related to the allocation of future settlement funds to help prioritize how opioid settlement funds will be used. Members from other County committees will be in attendance as well, including some from the Public Protection and Judiciary Committee. Check out the agenda on the County’s Legislative Information Center for information on attending virtually or in person.
Dane County is a Trans Sanctuary
Supervisor Rick Rose authored RES-074 Declaring Dane County a Sanctuary for Trans and Nonbinary Individuals and I was proud to join dozens of my county board colleagues in cosponsoring it. Trans and nonbinary people are under attack across the country and right here in Dane County. We passed this resolution to make it very clear: in Dane County, you are loved, supported, protected, and celebrated.
Dane County has Expanded Sexual Health Services to Meet Needs Post-Roe
It’s been one year since the U.S. Supreme Court eliminated safe and legal abortion access in Wisconsin. In Dane County, people have to travel 120 miles more to access the nearest legal abortion services. Only 5% of people of reproductive age in Dane County identify as Black or African-American but comprised more than 23% of abortions before the Dobbs decision. That’s why the Dane County Board has made new investments in reproductive health care so Public Health Madison and Dane County (PHMDC) can meet the needs of everyone in our community.
Thanks to 2022 RES-125, PHMDC now offers more appointments and new services, including FREE long-term pregnancy prevention like IUDs. They have also launched the new Reproductive Health Nurse Navigator program to provide all-options pregnancy counseling (including abortion, adoption, and parenting resources), and education for anyone who needs support.
The great work of PHMDC has helped maintain access to services that support reproductive justice and body autonomy.
Violence Prevention Team Funds Community Organizations
PHMDC has also invested hundreds of thousands of dollars back into the community as part of the Roadmap to Reducing Violence. This $475,000 investment has gone toward local organizations that are addressing root causes of violence and engaging in forms of secondary and tertiary violence prevention.
Awardees include:
Funding Opportunity for Community Organizations to Provide Outreach About PFAS
With federal funding awarded to the City of Madison, we want to support local organizations and programs who can help connect with people about PFAS. Organizations with a strong connection to traditionally marginalized or underserved communities and people who live along Starkweather Creek should apply. A total of $30,000 is available this year with anticipated award amounts ranging from $5,000-$10,000. Applications are due August 14!
Applications Open for PARC & Ride Grants
The PARC & Ride Grant Program provides matching funds to develop new regional bicycle playgrounds or regional bicycle/pedestrian trails that are identified in the Dane County Parks and Open Space Plan or Bike Dane Initiative. Up to $500,000 is available for eligible projects conducted by a town, village, or city; 501(c)(3) non-profit organization; or other governmental unit in Dane County.
Last grant cycle, the city of Monona benefitted from a PARC & Ride Grant for the student-led Maywood Mountain Bike Trail project.
Grant applications are due Friday, September 15, 2023. Contact Dane County Parks to find out if your project may be eligible!
Protecting the Watershed with Manure Digesters
Dane County has two community manure digesters that processed over 105 million gallons of manure and removed 231,000 pounds of phosphorus in 2022.
In July, I visited the Middleton digester with a few County Board colleagues to learn about the process - from liquid manure to clean water and renewable natural gas - and the impact this facility has on our watershed. Five farms participate in this digester which puts the facility near capacity, so more are needed. We have put $3 million in the county budget to do a feasibility study for another site and potential land acquisition for it.
Learn more about our county's investments in water quality through phosphorus reduction at lwrd.countyofdane.com/what-we-do/community-manure-management.
