Welcome Back!
Welcome back to the Dane County Board of Supervisors District 35 News/Updates and Information Bulletin. My goal is to update constituents of District 35 in the Stoughton, Pleasant Springs and Dunkirk area of Dane County a couple times a year. I am interested in informing constituents on what I have been working on in county government and hearing any input you would like to provide to me about the county and our district. You can contact me at my email address and visit my page on the Dane County Website to sign up for District 35 Updates.
Recent Happenings
My Process
Here is a little information on how I prepare for county board and committee meetings. After each county board meeting, generally two meetings per month, board members are referred 15-25 ordinance amendments or resolutions for consideration to appropriate committees and future board meetings. As chair of the Public Works & Transportation committee I sponsor almost all that are referred to the PW&T committee as all need a sponsor to be introduced and considered. I look over each referred ordinance amendment or resolution to consider if I want to sponsor it and to make sure I understand what they are trying to accomplish. I generally sponsor most resolutions and ordinance amendments if I believe them to be legitimate, fair, appropriate and likely to pass. Most are strait forward and non-controversial. There are a few that cause a great deal of debate and those are the ones that take more time to debate at meetings with a great deal of public comment and pro and con debate between board members before voting whether the motion passes or fails. I do my best to encourage my colleagues to come to common sense solutions on these types of motions. These are the committees and commissions I currently serve on: Executive Committee, Chair of Public Works & Transportation Committee, Lakes & Watershed Commission, Community Development Block Grant Commission, Alliant Energy Center Redevelopment Committee, and the Dunkirk Dam Lake District Commission.
2025 Budget
The 2025 Dane County Budget was approved October 30th. The operating budget totals $813,712,952. The budget raises taxes on the average Madison home by $19.65, an increase of 1.7%. The capital budget is $112,466,152, a 37.2% reduction from last year. I was proud to sponsor another $2 million grant amendment for permanent ownership housing to partially address our severe affordable housing crisis. Here is the press release with more information on the 2025 Dane County budget.
Press Releases | Dane County, Wisconsin
danecounty.gov
Dane County Executive Election
Melissa Agard was elected last November to finish the term which ends in April 2025. The election for a full four year term will be held April 1st. In addition to overseeing and directing the affairs of Dane County government its departments and employees and representing the 600,000 residents of Dane County, the County Executive’s office houses Dane County Arts and Cultural Affairs and the Dane County Office of Energy & Climate Change. The website includes many press releases and processes to apply for board and commission positions. Here is a link to information of the office of the County Executive.
Home Page | Office of the County Executive
exec.danecounty.gov
Alliant Energy Center and Henry Vilas Zoo
Some may not be aware that the Alliant Energy Center and the Henry Vilas Zoo are owned and operated by Dane County. The Public Works & Transportation Committee has over site of both entities. The zoo is one of the few admission free zoo’s in the nation, is fully accredited by the Association of Zoo’s & Aquariums and is a great entertainment and education center here in Dane County. The Alliant Energy Center is a wonderful entertainment center with many events, conventions and shows including the Dane County Fair, the World Dairy Expo, the Midwest Horse Fair, Brat Fest and many more. We are continually making improvements and upgrading both of these great facilities. Here are links for more information.
Alliant Energy Center
alliantenergycenter.com
Welcome to Henry Vilas Zoo | Madison, Wisconsin
henryvilaszoo.gov
Dane County Board
The Dane County Board of Supervisors is the legislative and policy making body of County Government. It is made up of 37 supervisors elected from districts in the county. The mission of the Board of Supervisors is to effectively represent the people of Dane County, providing services which secure the blessings of freedom, ensure domestic tranquility, promote the general welfare, and perfect the forms of government.
https://board.danecounty.gov
Please don’t hesitate to contact me. Thank you!
