Dane County offices will be closed on Nov, 28th & 29th 2024
michael engelberger
Michael Engelberger was elected to District 35 in April 2022 representing the city of Stoughton and portions of the Towns of Pleasant Springs and Dunkirk. He is a lifelong resident of Dane County. His family settled here in the 1840’s. He grew up in Monona and lived in Madison and Fitchburg for many years before moving to Stoughton in 2010. Michael is a retired Sheet Metal Worker, Labor Leader and HAVC Project Manager. He owned a business for several years providing employment opportunities for people with disabilities through the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation of the State of Wisconsin. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the National Labor College. He served two terms in leadership capacities with the city of Stoughton Common Council from 2012 to 2018. Michael has great interest in sharing his many years of service and experiences to further the interests of the people of Dane County. He is a 40 plus year member of the Sheet Metal Workers International Association and a member of the Madison Rotary Club.
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
2024 Budget
The 2024 budget was approved by the Dane County Board on November 6th. The County Executive’s proposed budget reflected many of the County Board’s priorities. Amendments to the budget by the Dane County Board expanded those priorities in such areas of crisis care services, affordable housing, and the capacity to address the needs of youth and families. Some of the Board’s amendments to the budget included an increase in wages for Point of Service agencies, including an additional 2.5% Point of Service COLA increase, bringing the total to 7.0%, an increase of $1.065 million to Journey Mental Health to allow wage increases among staff involved in the crisis response system, a $10 million increase to the Affordable Housing Development fund, a new capital housing fund of $8 million targeted for farmworker housing, two positions to move the Regional Housing Strategy recommendations forward, a $100,000 increase in funding for youth programming across Dane County youth centers, and a $2 million amendment, I proposed, to increase Habitat for Humanity’s capacity to build more affordable housing projects in Dane County by providing land acquisition funding to name a few.
Jail Consolidation Project
The Jail Consolidation project recently received only one bid. The lone bid from Miron Construction was over budget by a substantial amount of more than $25 million. The board and committees will be meeting in the near future to determine how to proceed. Options would be to approve more borrowing and accept the Miron bid, to re-bid the project or to re-design the project. This project has been in the works for many years. The jail consolidation project has been very contentious and costs have mounted greatly as time goes on. We need to start building this jail facility sooner than later so we can have a safe and humane place for our residents and county employees as well as to contain costs which continue to sky rocket over time.
Land and Water Issues
I was recently appointed to the Lakes and Watershed Commission by County Executive Parisi. The Lakes and Watershed Commission, authorized by Chapter 33 of Wisconsin State Statutes, conducts or coordinates studies of local surface waters and groundwater, maintains liaisons with other public agencies involved in protecting or managing water resources, develops public information programs, and makes recommendations regarding water-related portions of the Dane County budget.
This new appointment fits in well with work I have been fortunate to be involved in for the county with the Land Conservation Committee and UW Extension Committee, both great committees dealing with land and water issues with the Land and Water Resources Department of Dane County. It also fits in well with my work as a Commissioner on the Dunkirk Dam Lake District Commission. Here is a link to the website for further information on the Land and Water Resources Department.
Public Health Madison & Dane County
Dane County has a wealth of knowledge on its website to inform the public of resources and information for the citizens of Dane County. Each newsletter I put out every several months will showcase some valuable information for constituents. Public Health Madison & Dane County is the local health department for Madison and Dane County, Wisconsin. With a staff of more than 250 people, the department serves over 560,000 people in more than 60 cities, villages, and towns. Their mission is: “Working with the community to enhance, protect, and promote the health of the environment and the well-being of all people.”
The website for Public Health Madison & Dane County includes important information related to protecting your health, protecting our environment, and working with community partners to improve health and prevent health inequities. I encourage you to visit the website to learn more: https://publichealthmdc.com
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.countyofdane.com
Please don’t hesitate to contact me. Thank you!
