Dane County’s Public Protection & Judiciary Committee on Oct. 16 considered PP&J 1, an amendment proposing to retain a Deferred Prosecution Program (DPP) clerk position (Clerk 3) that the executive’s 2026 budget omitted, with an offset that would eliminate a Special Projects Coordinator position in the Department of Administration (DOA). Committee members postponed the amendment to the board’s next PP&J meeting to allow further review and because the amendment’s offset is still being worked out between DOA and the executive’s office.

Why it matters

The Deferred Prosecution Program’s clerk position (Clerk 3) is described by program staff and employee groups as essential for daily operations: an administrative employee told the committee the absence of the Clerk 3 leaves a single staff member responsible for tasks previously handled by two people and creates “employee burnout, operational inefficiency, and a lack of coverage.” Employee group leadership (Local 720) and program staff urged that the Clerk 3 role be restored to the 2026 budget to maintain service levels.

DOA’s defense of the Special Projects Coordinator post

Director of Administration Greg Brockmeier and Shelby (the current special projects coordinator and the incoming director of administration) argued that eliminating the Special Projects Coordinator would remove critical countywide capacity. Brockmeier urged members to vote against eliminating the position, saying the coordinator provides management support across county operations and that removing the role would “significantly weaken the Department of Administration.” Shelby outlined specific projects supported by the coordinator, including the countywide learning platform (NeoGov Learn), a cross-county workgroup for training and new-employee orientation, parking-ramp operations and meter replacements, improvements to the open-records process, and initial work on handbook proposals and workplace-safety policies.

Support for DPP staffing

An employee-group representative reading a submission from DPP staff described the Clerk 3’s role as central to maintaining workflow and processing participants in a program that diverts people from the criminal legal system. The submitted testimony said the DPP’s administrative workload has grown and that the absence of the Clerk 3 position causes delays in client sign-ups and critical time-sensitive tasks such as processing restitution payments for victims.

Process and immediate outcome

Committee members postponed PP&J 1 to the next PP&J meeting so that DOA and the executive’s office can reconcile offsets and provide fuller impact information to the committee. Director Brockmeier and Shelby both requested that the committee not eliminate the position and pointed to the range of countywide programs the coordinator supports.

Clarifying details

- NeoGov Learn procurement and initial launch: DOA reported procuring the system in late 2023/early 2024 and launching initial modules countywide in mid-2025 after finalizing six modules with subject-matter experts.

- Parking-ramp work: Shelby described procurement and meter replacement; the special projects coordinator had taken operational oversight and implemented new meters that reduced complaints and recovered revenue.

What’s next

The amendment was postponed for reconciliation between DOA and the county executive’s office over offsets. Committee materials and public testimony will be revisited at the next meeting, where the amendment may return for action.