Connecting the Ice Age Trail

One of the goals of the Dane County Parks and Open Space plan is to connect segments of the Ice Age Trail. In EANR, this week we approve an acquisition to connect Swamplovers preserve, Hickory Hill Conservancy, and Andersen preserve.

This is important as it provides a direct connection and takes portions of the Ice Age Trail off of the streets and roads.

As we go forward, our capital budgets are going to get much tighter as grapple with a 31 million dollar structural deficit. That will certainly affect our goals of conservation and climate change resiliency. Our committee will prioritize those discussions as we balance the many needs of our neighbors in Dane County.

Capital Improvement to the Beacon Homeless Day Resource Center

The County Executive's budget was released this week. I have requested a printout of it so I can review in detail and reference it in meetings. There are many issues we certainly need to grapple with (wage cuts, POS cuts, mens shelter funding and so many more).

However, I pleased to see necessary funding for the Beacon Homeless Day Resource Center (1.2 million dollars). This capital request funds for renovations that are required to enhance security in the courtyard for the safety of guests, staff, and neighbors; to improve daily storage capacity; and to address ingress and egress at the main entrance.

In addition, repairs are needed in the facility’s shower area, along with replacement of equipment and furniture due to heavy use.

Funding the Conservation Fund Appropriately

At tonight's Environment, Ag and Natural Resources Committee, I am proposing an amendment (link in comments) to fund the County's Conservation Fund at 5 million in line with the departments request.

The fund has a carry over of 11 million from last year so that brings the total funding to 16 million. The amendment reduces the County Exec's allocation from 10 million to 5 million and is in line with the guidance to "Use extreme restraint when it comes to new capital requests."

The 16 million in funding is roughly in line with the 2025 budget.

We have many tough choices to make with our 31 million deficit. I am strong advocate for land purchases for conservation, to control sprawl and for climate change and flooding resiliency.

However, we need the balance our priorities as a County and focus on our most immediate needs. We also need to keep our debt service manageable so they don't eat too much into our operating funds.

The amendment will be discussed tonight but will not be voted on until our 2nd EANR budget meeting on 10/22.

Permanent Easements for Cover Crops

The Dane County Continuous Cover Program (CCP), created in 2019, supports landowners in converting row-cropped fields into continuous vegetative cover to improve water quality, reduce erosion, build soil health, increase wildlife habitat, sequester carbon, and diversify farming practices.

Beginning in 2024, landowners may choose between a 15-year CCP cost-share agreement or a permanent conservation easement, which ensures continuous cover in perpetuity.

Having these practices in perpetuity will help protect our land, reduce phosphorous and provide an immediate financial benefit to the producer.

In our last EANR meeting, we approved two permanent easements and they will go to the full board for a vote at our next meeting.

Community Manure Treatment Facility Feasibility Study

At EANR on Thursday 9/25, we will have a presentation of the Community Manure Treatment Facility Feasibility Study (linked in comments). Manure Digesters have lots of potential benefits such as energy production, manure disposal and phosphorous reduction. We have toured and studied our existing digester as a committee.

However there are a number of downsides as well like missed phosphorous reduction targets resulting in fines, being expensive to operation and maintain due to the corrosive materials and helping a limited number of farms.

I intend to approach the presentation with an open mind to learn more but I am hesitant to support capital spending in this tight budget environment especially when we have so many vulnerable communities and neighbors to support with limited financial resources.

Willy Street Fair!

It was great to close out the festival season by marching in the Willy St Fair Parade!

I try to meaningfully participate and help out with the festivals because in an addition to seeing so many friends and neighbors, they are vital to raising crucial funds for so many neighborhood organizations.

I was pleased to march alongside Supervisor Wegleitner. Early in my tenure, she taught me to focus on my district and the people who need our help the most, to work hard until solutions are found and when you’re done to start all over again on the next problem.

I intend to bring these values along with those of our neighbors in District 6 who work tirelessly for a better world as we tackle one of the most difficult budgets the County has ever faced.

Also I work towards full recovery from COVID, I want to thank everyone who helped me through some of those hardest days

Congrats Harmony Bar - Climate Champion!

I was happy to nominate the Harmony Bar and Grill for a climate champion award. They have taken an innovative approach to HVAC by capturing heat from their appliances and using that to help heat their water in addition to many green changes in their back patio.

Here is their write up:

Harmony Bar & Grill – Harmony Bar achieved 2025 Climate Champion (Energy/3 stars) status for installing a heat recovery system and a new, efficient compressor. All refrigeration appliances and fans are new EnergyStar. The kitchen replaced gas fired soup turbines with two electric induction re-thermalizers, in addition to properly insulating coolers and other efficiency measures.

Mail Scanning in the Dane County Jail

I will be voting no on resolution 2025 RES-056 for a contract with Smart Communications that would scan jail residents physical mail and provide them digital copies.

An essential part of re-integration into the community is maintaining strong bonds with your support network outside of the jail.

Mail scanning discourage personal communications, and dismisses vital tangible cues such as handwriting, texture, and other sensory connections. It could also lead to future digitization and monetization of communications which is a slippery slope in all parts of society.

If there is a serious data driven approach that shows that physical mail is causing drugs and contraband to be brought into the jail, that would change the conversation. However, what I have seen thus far has been mainly anecdotal.

I do realize the fiscal implications of this and I will help work towards a long term solution on this.

Keep Dairy Drive Open!

I join my colleagues on the Health and Human Needs Committee who voted unanimously to oppose the closure and demolition of Madison’s urban campground at Dairy Drive and the ending of Madison Street Medicine’s program serving people experiencing unsheltered homelessness.

I support extending the City’s contract with Madison Street Medicine to continue the program at least through April 30, 2026.

When we find approaches that work, we need to invest in them and not abandon them.

$2 million to fund the Madison Area Community Land Trust (MACLT)

I co-sponsored a resolution that just passed to allocate $2 million to fund the Madison Area Community Land Trust (MACLT) in creating permanent affordable owner-occupied housing.

This is one of the innovative approaches we are using to tackle the Affordable Housing crisis.

At least $1 million will go toward affordable home ownership opportunities outside Madison, with properties reserved for households earning at or below 50% of the area median income.

MACLT plans to develop at least seven single-family homes, which will be sold to income-eligible buyers. The land will remain under MACLT ownership through a 98-year renewable lease, and buyers must agree to resell at an affordable price based on a resale formula.

Not one single approach when it comes to affordable housing so we need to press any and all solutions.

PFAS testing at Dane County Parks

Good news to report: The Land and Water Department has been working to proactively test water wells at County Parks for PFAS.

This is in addition to the testing that they already do for Nitrates and EColi. This testing is partially a result of the Environment, Ag and Natural Resources focus on PFAS chemicals and proactively reporting public health information.

There are not many guidelines or regulations when it comes to PFAS testing in transient non community wells defined as a water system that serves at least 25 people at least 60

days of the year, but does not regularly serve at least 25 of the same people over six months of the year.

However, this proactive testing will help the community make informed decisions about drinking water at Dane County Parks.

The full report will be released this summer however more details are in this draft:

https://dane.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=14117335...

My goal is to do a deep dive into this testing at an upcoming SASY neighborhood association meeting.

Glacial Drumlin Trail Updates

Today I voted for a resolution in support of the Glacial Drumlin Trail. There are still some obstacles to move forward with this project but we are working with the City of Madison and other agencies to get the land, design and construction needed.

The WisDOT granted Dane County $7,224,360 for construction of the trail, construction engineering, and state review. County funding, currently estimated at $4,000,000 will need to be budgeted in 2026 for the project to proceed and I will support having that money in the budget. More details are in this link:

https://dane.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=13571112&GUID=1415E004-D6A6-4F95-8868-881065111944