By Dane County Supervisor Brett Hulsey In Dane County, we all appreciate the hard and dangerous work of our Dane County deputies which is why we invest more tax money in the Sheriff's department than any other. The Sheriff and his staff are doing a great job to protect our safety. It is unfortunate that the deputy association leaders are personally attacking me, but I hope we can have a reasonable poIicy debate without resorting to personal attacks. Last fall, I simply could not support the deputy association leaders' plans to cut vital services by millions, slash flood and lake protection, and raise property taxes a record 12% so that they would not have to take furloughs like all other county and state employees. Doing so would be unfair and unwise. As chair of the Personnel and Finance Committee, I try to balance the needs of everyone to sustain vital services, protect jobs and protect taxpayers—a challenge in the worst recession since the Great Depression and millions in state budget cuts. We had to make hard choices like most Dane County families. The majority of the county board voted to put our money where our mouth is to protect public safety: Source: Dane County 2010 Budget and Department of Administration figures. For comparison, Milwaukee County required 22 furlough days, 38% more than we have, and most large counties around the nation are laying off hundreds of workers. Our goal here was to maintain service and avoid layoffs without extreme tax increases, which is what we did. On the overtime issue, I appreciate the sheriff and deputies addressing this cost area when it came up and saving county taxpayers $1 million last year. To address this, I also set up a subcommittee to study and recommend controls for unbudgeted overtime in all departments, not just the sheriff's office. For the past 12 years, I have worked well with the deputies association voting to add 83 new deputies, a 22% increase, which is almost three times more than any other department. I also voted for many salary increases. But I became concerned last summer that the deputy leaders were taking an unfortunate turn. On purchasing the National Park Ice Age Trail property, their spokesman said: "Everyone in this room is up for reelection in April, we will keep track...In my mind and my association's mind, people who spend money like this are either on our train or in the springtime may be underneath it."[1] Threatening and bullying behavior is not appropriate, especially from public employees sworn to protect our safety. We should be able to have a civil discussion and difference of opinion without making threats. Not creating this National Park project also cost county taxpayers $2.2 million in state and federal matching money this year. This money could have restored all cuts in family services, or cut property taxes by 2%, or reduced the salary cuts by almost 50%.[2] I tried to talk and meet with the deputies several times to discuss their budget priorities and practical saving ideas, but to no avail. They did say many things in the media that concerned me, however. The deputy association's spokesman told the Isthmus in "Hell No, we won't go (along)," that they wanted to cut 1% from other programs rather than take furloughs like all other county and state employees. But since people's jobs are 85% of our budget, that 1% cut would have cut hundreds of jobs at the child, senior, veteran, disability, and family services, human service agencies, the 911 Center operators, snow plow drivers, and even other civilian sheriff department employees.[3] The County Board majority and I did not support that. But even with all the thanks and tax investment we give our deputies, their president told the Wisconsin State Journal they were considering a record 12% tax increase rather than taking furloughs like all others.[4] The State Journal editorial said, "If the deputies get their way - and other unions fight off any pay reductions - the county property tax levy could jump by 12 percent. That's nuts."[5] The County Board majority rejected that idea too.
Again, I asked the deputies for reasonable budget solutions. Their only response was to cut all investment in the Land and Water Legacy and Conservation Funds that protect our families from floods, clean up our lakes and beaches, and protect critical habitat.
They did admit that cutting these capital borrowing funds would not help them as they cannot be used for salaries. Conservation investment actually brought in more than $3.5 million of state and federal money last year paying for all of its debt costs, with $300,000 left over to help pay salaries.
These funds help protect us from flood damage that is increasing 700% from record rains.[6] The County Board majority reduced but did not eliminate this funding that brings in state and federal money.
In closing, I am honored to represent the families, seniors and taxpayers in my district and work for a better Dane County. But I could not support the deputy leaders' proposals to cut senior, child, veteran, and family service jobs, flood and lake protection, and hike taxes 12% so they would not have to take the same furloughs as every other county and state employee. That would not be fair and not be in our best interests.
I did sponsor their contract with no layoffs and a 3% raise next year. Perhaps they could be thankful of that in this tough economy with so many people out of work. Let's hope the economy continues to improve.
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Supervisor Brett Hulsey of Madison's west side is Chair of the County's Personnel and Finance Committee.
Dane County Deputy Association Vice President Jim Brigham statement, July 16, 2009 County Board meeting at about the 1:58 point, http://www.cityofmadison.com/mcc12/dcb.html.
2 November 19, 2009 Memo from Dane County Comptroller Chuck Hicklin.
3 "Hell No, We won't go (along)," The Isthmus, 10/29/2009, A 1% cut in all programs would cut $4.9 million total and cut family and human service funding by at least $2.5 million. www.thedailypage.com/isthmus/article.php?article=27274,
4 Wisconsin State Journal, http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt_and_politics/article_069eff6c-a7d5-11de-85c4-001cc4c002e0.html.
5 Wisconsin State Journal editorial, October 4th 2009, http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/opinion/editorial/article_ac1c557a-b05e-11de-933c-001cc4c002e0.html
6 Dane County Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2009, www.countyofdane.com/emergency/mitigation_plan.aspx
