Dane County Executive Joe Parisi signed the 2019 Dane County Budget this week, a $630.1 million proposal that lowers property taxes for Dane County residents, while providing new resources for agriculture and rural Dane County.
“Agriculture remains the backbone of Dane County’s economic identity, but our local agriculture industry has faced trying times, particularly our dairy industry,” said Dane County Executive Joe Parisi. “I’m proud to introduce a budget that provides additional support and continues the important partnerships that have helped improve our county’s quality of life.”
The 2019 Dane County budget includes over $52,000 to restore a state funding cut that left Dane County without a Dairy and Livestock Educator at its UW-Extension. The state’s actions left Dane County’s dairy farmers without a local resource to turn to during the most challenging time for the industry since the 1980s, a time when many family farms faced the undesirable decision of shutting down, selling, or taking on additional jobs.
The county budget also builds on the work Dane County is doing to recover from the late summer floods that devastated so many communities, and improves the overall health of the county’s chain of lakes.
The budget will create a brand new Dane County Conservation Reserve Program to help convert lands at a greater risk of run-off into prairies and grasses that can hold more soil and keep water where it lands. The new $750,000 program will pay farmers and property owners to convert portions of their lands to this permanent cover.
Partnerships formed between the County and its farmers in the area of manure processing and treatment have been integral to local efforts to reduce phosphorus run-off into lakes and methane emissions into the air. Work by the Dane County Climate Change Council has shed new light onto the important role that manure digesters can play in these areas, and has identified key areas where new digesters could help. The county budget includes $200,000 to help prepare design specifications for these additional digesters.
New innovations in the creation of renewable fuels from manure digesters, supported in Parisi’s previous budgets, are set to come online in 2019. With the construction of a new bio-gas facility at the County’s landfill, the day is nearing when gas generated from manure will be turned into millions of dollars a year in revenue – good news for the environment, and for the economic future of multi-generational dairy farms.
Finally, the Dane County budget makes a historic $42 million investment in Dane County’s infrastructure, including investments for road construction, repair and maintenance, more clean fuel powered trucks, and an additional 7 highway staff. The 2019 highway capital budget totals $27.7 million, with an additional $28.3 million for day-to-day operations. Over $22 million of this total is for new projects next year – a record high for Dane County.
In addition to new funding for roads, the county budget includes $20 million for a bold modernization and expansion of the Dane County Regional Airport’s Terminal. The Dane County Regional Airport is one of the county’s greatest areas of growth. Passenger numbers have increased (up 20% in the month of July, over 8% year to date), as have the number of direct flights, and overall air service. The DCRA remains the county’s and the region’s economic gateway, particularly during international showcases such as the World Dairy Expo.
At an estimated total cost that could exceed $50 million, this project is anticipated to expand the main terminal, add new gates to bring in additional flights, and replace the airport’s jet bridges along with adding a new jet bridge. It will also upgrade security, lighting, bathrooms, and plumbing, and add more space to the airport concourse.
Budget by the Numbers
The 2019 Dane County budget increases the operating portion of the county levy by 0.8%, the lowest since 1991. The county share of property taxes on the average Madison home is estimated to decline $8.10 under this budget proposal. The operating budget totals $558.6 million, and the capital budget is $71.5 million, bringing the total budget to $630.1 million.
The county budget will take effect on January 1st of 2019. More information can be found online at https://admin.countyofdane.com/budget/.
Previously Announced Initiatives
Prior to the signing of the 2019 budget proposal, the County Executive and Dane County Board Chair, Sharon Corrigan, announced a sweeping package of initiatives totaling $18 million to help Dane County recover from this summer’s devastating flash floods, improve the quality and flow of water through our lakes, and help Dane County become more resilient in the face of future flooding events:
https://www.countyofdane.com/press/details.aspx?id=4364
In partnership with local law enforcement and service providers, the County Executive also announced an unprecedented $325,000 increase in funding for mobile mental health crisis services, additional funds for de-escalation training, and increased support for programs that combat Dane County’s opioid epidemic: https://www.countyofdane.com/press/details.aspx?id=4366