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.
Happy Labor Day Weekend! The August edition of the blog is focused on one of our best assets in Dane County- the county park system. Read on for information about park-related fee changes and a new land purchase that will expand a wildlife area.
Thank you for reading,
Sarah
August Board Meeting at Indian Lake
We held our August County Board meeting at Indian Lake County Park and heard a presentation about the master plan for the park. Prior to the pandemic, the County Board held one meeting per year at a park and this was our first opportunity to do so in recent years. These meetings help draw attention to the importance and impact of the county park system.
Sugar River Wildlife Area Expansion
At our last Environment, Agriculture, and Natural Resources Committee meeting, we voted to approve a purchase of 625 acres near Verona, RES-139, to expand the Sugar River Wildlife Area. This marks the largest conservation acquisition the County has ever made. The purchase will use funds that were already set aside in the Conservation Fund Grant Program. The mission of this program is to preserve natural, recreational, and cultural greenspaces that fit in the Dane County Parks & Open Space Plan. This purchase will use most of the funds currently available in the Conservation Fund, but we typically refill the Fund in each budget, so we’ll have the opportunity to replenish this important program in the fall. RES-139 was also recommended for approval by the Personnel and Finance Committee and the Park Commission. Next it will go to the full County Board for final approval.
Dane County Park Fee Increase
The Dane County Park Commission will hold a hybrid public hearing regarding proposed 2024 park fee increases. The hearing will take place on Wednesday, September 6 at 5:30 pm. Those interested can attend the public hearing in person at the Lussier Family Heritage Center Lower Level, 3101 Lake Farm Rd, Madison, WI. There will also be a virtual open available by registering for the Zoom meeting here.
The Dane County Park Commission is proposing to keep the majority of permit fees the same for 2024. There are increases proposed for the Tenney Lock permit, horse trail permit, and limited archery access permit. For many of these permits, the last fee increase was over a decade ago. The Dane County Park Commission is also proposing a simplification of the shelter reservation fee schedule and a nominal increase in camping reservation fees.
A complete list of the current and proposed 2024 park fees is here.
Three County Board Supervisor Vacancies
Our meeting at Indian Lake served as the final County Board meeting for Alex Joers, Mike Bare, and Olivia Xistris-Songpanya. Olivia has previously served in District 13 which includes the UW-Madison campus. Her post-graduate life is taking her out of Dane County. Alex Joers, who represented District 9, and Mike Bare, who represented District 32, were both elected to the State Assembly last year. Though they are leaving the Board, they will continue to serve Dane County well as State Representatives.
These districts will be filled by temporary appointment by the County Board Chair Patrick Miles, with confirmation by the County Board. We will be acting on his appointments, yet to be announced, at our September 21 meeting.
Public hearings for the candidates for each district will be held in person:
Interested applicants are welcome to attend the hearing to describe their qualifications for the position. Written support can be submitted in advance to miles@countyofdane.com, and members of the public may register in writing at the hearing.
