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Dane County Executive Melissa Agard urges regional collaboration, outlines priorities in Verona visit
Summary
Dane County Executive Melissa Agard spoke to the Verona Common Council about county growth, budgets, public health, and infrastructure priorities, urging local collaboration and announcing initiatives including the ‘25 in ’25’ parks outreach and the Sustainability Campus work.
Dane County Executive Melissa Agard visited the Verona Common Council and used her remarks to press for collaboration across municipalities as Dane County prepares for continued growth.
Agard, who was elected in a November special election and recently won a full four-year term, said Dane County is "the fastest growing county in the state of Wisconsin" and outlined priorities that include behavioral health, opioid response, environmental protections, economic development and county infrastructure. "We are the fastest growing county in the state of Wisconsin," she said.
Agard described county government as a "soft blanket" of services that covers nearly 600,000 residents, with about 3,000 county employees and a current operating budget just over $800 million and a capital budget of roughly $112 million last year. She said the health and human needs department accounts for about 40% of the operating budget and public safety roughly 20%.
She previewed several initiatives: the "25 in '25" campaign to visit 25 county recreational parks during 2025; pursuing an international designation for the Dane County Regional Airport; and development of a Sustainability Campus and composting sites tied to that campus. Agard also emphasized justice-system reforms and reconvening the Community Justice Council to address racial disparities and recidivism.
On behavioral health, Agard said waiting lists are not acceptable and described reducing opioid deaths as a personal priority. "We need to make sure we have a strong continuum of care," she said, referencing a family loss to fentanyl poisoning during the COVID pandemic.
Council members asked about housing and County Highway M; Agard pointed to the Dane County Regional Housing Plan and offered to meet with local officials and staff to review highway concerns and potential county collaboration.
Agard closed by encouraging municipalities to invite county leaders to local meetings and by offering her office's newsletter for further contact.
Ending: The exchange left council members with follow-up items: review the regional housing plan, explore county collaboration on County Highway M, and monitor Sustainability Campus and parks outreach developments.
