County Executive to Hold Series of Listening Sessions Regarding 2012 County Budget
August 30, 2011
Casey Slaughter Becker, Office of the County Executive (608) 267-8823 or cell (608) 843-8858
County Executive
Dane County Executive Joe Parisi announced that he will hold a series of listening sessions next month to allow local citizens to learn more about, and provide their input for the 2012 county budget.
Due to deep cuts from the state level, Dane County is facing an $8 million dollar deficit in it’s 2012 county budget. Two of the September sessions will be done jointly with the Dane County Board and focus primarily on the proposed human services budget – human services account for more than 50% of Dane County’s nearly $500 million budget. A full list of budget listening session dates and locations are attached.
Dane County Budget Scheduled Listening Sessions
HUMAN SERVICES
Monday, September 12th
6pm – 8pm
Alliant Energy Center
Tuesday, September 13th
6pm – 8pm
Alliant Energy Center
GENERAL BUDGET
Thursday, September 15th
5:30pm – 7:30pm
Electronic Theatre Controls
3031 Pleasant View Rd
Middleton
Monday, September 19th
6pm – 8pm
Stoughton Senior Center
248 W. Main Street
Stoughton
“County government touches peoples lives every day – from the snowplow driver who keeps our roads clear and safe, to the social worker that helps kids and families in danger, to the Sheriff’s Deputy who responds at a moment’s notice to protect our community,” said Parisi. “The cuts we’ve been handed from the state are significant, but my goal continues to be to minimize the impact these cuts will have on the vital services our residents depend on.”
Since taking office the County Executive has been working to find savings within county government to fill the void left by state budget cuts. Early in his term, the County Executive achieved $1 million in savings by working with Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney and Dane County Deputies to partially close the county’s minimum-security work-release Huber Center.
Recently, the County Executive negotiated a new, five-year deal with health care provider Physicians Plus, with the help of county employees, that will provide long-term cost containment and $1 million in health care savings for 2012.
Despite this significant progress, difficult cuts are still needed to find the remaining savings necessary to balance the budget. In response to the state budget, the County Executive asked every department in county government to submit budget reduction proposals from 2.5% to 10%. In the weeks ahead, the County Executive will review these proposals, and seek input from the public, to complete his 2012 budget proposal at the end of September.
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