DANE COUNTY, Wis. — Leadership of the Dane County Board of Supervisors on Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, unveiled the board’s 2027 county budget package, known as Sub 1, ahead of final deliberations by the full board.
Sub 1 represents the county board’s amendments to County Executive Melissa Agard’s 2027 executive budget proposal. The package cleared the Personnel and Finance Committee with unanimous approval on Thursday, Oct. 29.
“County Executive Agard and her administration worked hard to deliver a robust proposal to the board, giving us a solid foundation to work from. Our changes to it are modest but will have a strong impact on our community,” said County Board Chair Patrick Miles. “This is a responsible budget that builds our resiliency for the uncertain times ahead.”
Most of the board’s operating amendments reduced proposed cuts to human services, including housing case management and navigation programs and overflow shelter services. Those restorations were offset within the budget, primarily by temporarily freezing two vacant deputy positions in the Dane County Sheriff’s Office for 2027, reducing expenditures by $367,067. The Sheriff’s Office funding will be restored automatically in the 2028 base budget. The sheriff’s office currently carries roughly 33 vacancies.
“This package is not perfect, and it is important to say that plainly. Departments, services, and nonprofit partners are still absorbing reductions in this budget,” said Supervisor Heidi Wegleitner, chair of the Health and Human Needs Committee. “What these amendments do is address critical service gaps and reduce the harm those reductions would cause. We heard powerful and personal testimony from residents whose lives have been changed by these services, and that testimony shaped this package.”
On the capital side, the board directed $7.25 million toward affordable housing and shelter. The package also protects mental health and crisis services. The board redirected $70,000 already included in the Human Services budget toward Journey Mental Health’s crisis intervention programming, addressing a projected contract shortfall without adding new county dollars.
The full board will begin deliberations and take final action on the 2027 county budget on Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 6 p.m.
