Dunn County committee reviews FY 2026 draft budget, program reviews and potential fee increases; committee forwards balanced draft to full board

Dunn County’s Executive Committee reviewed a balanced draft of the FY 2026 county budget, discussed program reviews and a range of revenue and expense options — including fee increases, grant cost‑recovery and potential staff reductions — and voted to forward the draft budget to the full county board for consideration.

County manager Dan opened the discussion, noting departments had delivered a revised budget packet and that the draft reflects program changes, a 2% wage variance set earlier by the committee and a reduced health premium projection from 18% to 13%. He said the package sets aside roughly $3,000,000 for highway projects and incorporates program reviews and fee proposals to achieve balance. Dan told the committee the administration would continue reviewing programs through 2026 to avoid repeated last‑minute fixes in 2027.

Department staff outlined options under consideration. Sarah, treatment‑court/grants staff, said the county expects to claim indirect grant costs on new 2026 awards and proposed eliminating a 0.5 FTE program assistant in one division, noting “we have put forth a couple of cost saving suggestions.” Rachel, GIS staff, described proposals to adjust fees for external GIS and tax data requests and modest increases for address sign replacements to better align with neighboring counties and recover staff time. UW–Madison Extension educator Kristen warned that eliminating extension educator positions would remove programs from the county because those positions are co‑funded and shared regionally.

Finance and operations staff presented other opportunities: Beata (finance operations) shared proposals to centralize accounts‑payable processes and use the county’s bank platform for ACH/vendor onboarding to reduce check‑printing and staff time. Austin (facilities) proposed modest reductions in fleet lease budgeting based on historical underspending. Departments also identified fee increases tied to services such as equipment rental (no‑till drill), farmland preservation services and permit reviews, and a potential policy to charge for administrative time on third‑party grant applications (producer‑led watershed, snowmobile trails).

Committee members discussed strategy and trade‑offs: some supervisors favored maximizing constituent communication while preserving access, others urged caution about charging residents for services tied to environmental practices. The county manager recommended developing a strategic planning and budget prioritization exercise early in the next budget cycle to give a future board clearer choices for FY 2027 and beyond.

Votes at a glance - Motion to forward the FY 2026 draft balanced budget to the full board (motion carried). Moved: Supervisor Morehouse; second: Supervisor Wilsey. Outcome: approved. - Resolution/policy: Adopt fund-balance and net working capital policy (motion carried with an editorial correction replacing "county administrator" with "county manager"). Moved: Supervisor Steen; second: Supervisor Pragna. Outcome: approved. - Budget amendment: 2025 budget amendments for Human Services and Public Health (motion carried). Moved: Supervisor Steen; second: Supervisor Bauer. Outcome: approved.

The administration said it will refine program reviews and recommended fee and policy changes and route detailed proposals back to the standing committees that oversee each department. Staff will present the balanced FY 2026 draft to the full county board as the next step.