The Dane County Board of Supervisors approved the 2016 operating budget Monday by a 33-3 vote.
The budget, consisting of $567 million in spending and a $40.5 million capital budget, will lead to an increase of $34 to the average household’s property tax.
“This budget is about improving the quality of life for all Dane County residents,” said County Board Chair Sharon Corrigan in a Monday statement.
The budget prioritizes funding for environmental protection, support for county employees, homeless services and affordable housing. It also focuses on mental health programming and measures to increase diversity and combat racial disparities.
The budget created an Office for Equity and Inclusion, which aims to influence county decisions and help recruit employees of diverse backgrounds for the county government.
This is in response to a report that was released earlier this year investigating county employees’ awareness of racial inequities and the county’s efforts to eliminate this imbalance.
In the report, employees reported a lack of time and resources for addressing racial equality, although two-thirds of these employees reported an interest in increasing their engagement to address these issues.
“The Board has made equity a priority, both by providing additional resources for the Office for Equity and Inclusion and by supporting criminal justice initiatives which address racial disparities,” Corrigan said in the statement.
It also includes a study of the Dane County Jail, which would collect and monitor data on race, gender and ethnicity to help pinpoint areas of racial disparity in the criminal justice system.
