Dane County Executive Melissa Agard announced plans to institute a hiring freeze on non-essential vacancies and cut spending in her first Executive Budget on Oct. 1. The budget totals $903.6 million — a 3% decrease from 2025.
The budget aims to close a $31 million structural deficit caused by increased costs and declining or flat revenues, according to a statement from Agard. The budget includes an operating budget of $825.1 million and a capital budget of $78.5 million, a 30% decrease from the previous year.
“Certainly, this is not the budget that I dreamed of putting together as I was a candidate… thinking about $31 million worth of cuts,” Agard told The Daily Cardinal. “At the end of the day, it's about delivering high quality services to people in Dane County and ensuring that people can be very proud of their government at a time when there's a lot of skepticism about government.”
This is the second year in a row the county has proposed a downturn in spending, after a more than $300 million increase from 2019 to 2025.
“I was elected to make hard choices, and that truly was a reality with this budget,” Agard told The Daily Cardinal. “My goals were to make sure that we continue to protect and deliver high quality core services, that we preserve the jobs of county employees and that we ensure that Dane County continues to be strong.”
To address the deficit, the budget combines spending cuts with strategic revenue growth.
County departments were directed to reduce their budgets by 4%, saving nearly $14 million. Additionally, the county predicts savings of around $1 million by eliminating more than 50 vacant positions, implementing a temporary 1% wage reduction in 2026 and instituting a hiring freeze, while offering voluntary unpaid leave and an early retiring incentive program.
Agard has already publicly announced the hiring freeze. By statute, she will go before the County Board in October to inform them of her plans to implement it.
“With the amount of growth that we have seen in the county when it comes to positions that people hold — and with the uncertainty at the federal level — it is important that we continue to hold ourselves accountable and are good stewards of the tax dollars that are entrusted to us to invest back into Dane County,” Agard told the Cardinal.
Agard emphasized the hiring freeze is especially important going forward, given the uncertainty of the next three years under the Donald Trump Administration. She said thoughtful constrictions and management of the budget are crucial, citing that roughly 10% of the revenue Dane County depends on is from federal funding.
The budget does increase funding and support in some areas.
It would increase revenue for Badger Prairie operations, a health care center offering services and care to individuals with disabilities, by $4.2 million.
The budget also invests over $2.4 million to support shelter services, such as the new men’s homeless shelter, the Salvation Army and the YWCA. The proposal also includes $10 million for the Affordable Housing Fund.
“We know that municipalities across Dane County are also investing in support for people who are either unhoused or on the brink, and working hard to address affordability,” Agard told the Cardinal. “[Investing in support] is something that municipal partners, as well as the county and our state and federal partners — in order for it to work well — need to be working together hand in glove, and we are going to continue that commitment.”
The budget highlights the launch of the first community court in Dane County, the growth of the Assessment, Treatment, Transition and Aftercare program — which addresses youths’ needs and aims to keep them connected to Dane County — and additional support for the Community Justice Council system reform efforts.
In addition, health and social service programs will receive more than $65 million, reaching over 65,000 residents, along with new investments supported by opioid settlement funds.
Parks and the Dane County Conservation Fund will receive a $10 million investment, continuing the growth and preservation of Wisconsin’s parks systems, and $340,000 for the North Mendota Trail extension.
The budget also allocates $16.3 million for road and bridge improvements, along with investments in rural EMS capacity and ongoing upgrades at the Alliant Energy Center and Dane County Regional Airport.
The Dane County Board of Supervisors will review Agard’s proposal, and their approval is expected later this fall.
Zoey Elwood is copy chief for The Daily Cardinal. She also covers state news.
