Dane County operates on an annual, calendar-year budget. Each fall, the county adopts its budget for the upcoming year.
The following video and handouts walk through how the process works and lay out the general budget timeline. This page also shares ways to participate and engage in the process along with the review schedule for the current budget cycle.
To view the county's current budget and supporting documents, as well as budgets from previous years, visit: https://admin.danecounty.gov/budget
Learn about department programming and initiatives for the upcoming year.
Share your thoughts on the county executive’s proposed budget with the county board.
Learn about and share your thoughts on proposed amendments to the executive budget proposal.
The final opportunity to provide public testimony before the county board begins deliberations.
Find your elected supervisor on the county board supervisor directory, or email all supervisors at County_Board_Recipients@danecounty.gov.
This section will be updated with additional information and key dates as they are finalized.
| Date | Time | Department/Office | Location* |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 9, 2026 | 5:30 p.m. | Office of Justice Reform, Medical Examiner, District Attorney, Clerk of Courts, Sheriff’s Office, Juvenile Court, Public Safety Communication, Emergency Management, Corporation Counsel, Family Court Services, Pretrial Services, Civil Rights, County Executive’s Office, County Clerk, County Board Office | City-County Building |
| September 15, 2026 | 5:30 p.m. | Alliant Energy Center, Highway and Transportation, Waste and Renewables, Airport, Henry Vilas Zoo, Register of Deeds, Planning and Development, Public Health Madison & Dane County, County Treasurer, Library, Department of Administration, Land and Water Resources, University Extension | City-County Building |
| September 16, 2026 | 5:30 p.m. | Veterans' Services, Department of Human Services | City-County Building |
Executive Budget Proposal Released: On or before Oct. 1, 2026 to the Department of Administration's website.
| Date | Committee*** (Time) | Location* |
|---|---|---|
| October 6, 2026 | PP&J (5:30 p.m.); PWT (5:30 p.m.) | City-County Building |
| October 7, 2026 | Exec. (5:30 p.m.) | City-County Building |
| October 8, 2026 | EANR (5:30 p.m.) | City-County Building |
| October 13, 2026 | PP&J (5:30 p.m.); ZLR (6:30 p.m.) | City-County Building |
| October 14, 2026 | HHN (5:30 p.m.) | City-County Building |
| October 15, 2026 | Exec. (5:30 p.m.) | City-County Building |
| October 20, 2026 | PP&J (5:30 p.m.); PWT (5:30 p.m.); ZLR (6:30 p.m.) | City-County Building |
| October 22, 2026 | EANR (5:30 p.m.); HHN (5:30 p.m.) | City-County Building |
| October 26, 2026 | P&F (5:30 p.m.) | City-County Building |
| October 27, 2026 | P&F (5:30 p.m.) | City-County Building |
| October 29, 2026 | P&F (5:30 p.m.) | City-County Building |
| Date | Time | Event | Location* |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 19, 2026 | 7:00 p.m. | Hearing on Executive Budget Proposal | City-County Building |
| November 2, 2026 | 6:00 p.m. | Hearing on P&F recommendations | City-County Building |
| November 4, 2026 | 6:00 p.m. | Budget Deliberations** | City-County Building |
| November 5, 2026 | TBD | Budget Deliberations (if necessary)** | City-County Building |
*Attending virtually: All hearings, meetings, and deliberations are available via Zoom. Registration instructions are included in each meeting agenda on the Legislative Information Center.
**Public testimony: No public testimony is taken during budget deliberations.
