Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk has proposed requirements for the 2006 budget suggesting that the Dane County Board of Supervisors raise revenues, as well as reduce spending on departments in order to remedy a $4 million \budget challenge.""
The budget requirements include cutting costs or raising revenue by 1.5 percent in larger departments and 0.75 percent in smaller departments. Such changes are projected to raise a little over $2 million from the county department heads, leaving about a $1.8 million gap that Falk plans to fill.
Regarding plausibility of such altercations to the budget, County Executive Press Secretary Lesley Sillaman said, ""I think it will work well because this is actually a better picture than we have faced the past couple years.""
Last year, the Board of Supervisors was challenged by large and small department cuts as well as revenue increases of 3.2 percent and 1.6 percent, respectively.
Although it is early in the process, Sillaman and members of the board of supervisors, Elaine DeSmidt and David Worzala, are cognizant of each member's likelihood of following Falk's suggestions and the difficulties concerning cutbacks.
""Revenue is growing better,"" Worzala said, ""so I think it'll be less difficult than the past two years but, again, repeated cuts are not easy.""
Following that sentiment, DeSmidt said concerning the altercations to the budget that, ""They're doable but it's up to county supervisors to find out if they want to do it that way.""
The necessary cuts will also impact Madison residents. Programs not included in the budget for 2006 are the W-2 and Community Development Block Grants program, which were voluntarily funded by the county previously. The CDBG program, specifically, has given the local municipalities in the past grants that allow them to apply for revitalization of the downtown area annually since 1997. With big cuts facing the county department heads, such charitable services might not withstand.
Worzala theorized such an impact on citizens when he said, ""The budget situation will affect the residents because the county is the primary provider of human services."" However, he concluded positively saying, ""We will maintain a good system"" despite the ensuing revisions to the budget.
Concerns over the budget can be deferred for a few months as the creation of the budget for 2006 has three months of review between department heads and Falk before it is presented to the county board in October.
