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YWCA and a taxpayer urge continued nonprofit funding, taxpayer criticizes county spending practices
Summary
A Janesville taxpayer submitted written remarks criticizing county spending and staff telework; a YWCA Rock County representative gave in-person remarks asking the board to continue nonprofit funding for domestic-violence and child advocacy services.
A written comment from Rock County resident Sheila Williams and an in-person comment from a YWCA Rock County official asked the Board of Supervisors to consider nonprofit funding decisions as the board reviews the 2026 recommended budget.
Williams, identified in an emailed submission as a Janesville taxpayer, wrote that the board has allowed the administrator to “spend the maximum” and said small cuts have been offset by additional spending. Williams wrote that the board has “bypass[ed] levy limits by placing us further into debt,” criticized pay inequities, questioned county donations to nonprofit organizations, and said staff telework (including from other states) has occurred. Williams concluded, “If you are that incompetent, then your name should not appear on the 2026 April ballot.”
Heidi Dyneger (identified in the transcript spelling as “Heidi Dyneger”), representing YWCA Rock County and speaking from the Town of Union, asked the board to continue funding nonprofit community initiatives and described the YWCA’s “Care House” child-forensic program and domestic-violence shelter services. Dyneger said the YWCA Care House served 131 children in 2024 who had witnessed or experienced crimes; the program budget includes two staff (a forensic interviewer and a family advocate case manager) and the YWCA estimates total staff and program expenses at about $100,000 annually for that program. Dyneger said the shelter operates 24/7, has nine rooms (33 beds) and an annual operating budget “almost $400,000.” She said that in 2024 the YWCA documented 2,639 shelter bed nights, 1,785 case-management hours and 751 legal-advocacy hours, and noted “8 deaths have already occurred in Rock County in regard to domestic violence.”
Why it matters: Public comment occurred during the citizen participation portion of the budget review meeting and raised both procedural concerns about county spending and operational pleas for continued nonprofit support for domestic-violence and child advocacy services. Board members did not take immediate action in response to the comments at this meeting.
Ending: The administrator and staff will continue committee-level budget deliberations; written public comments and public testimony will be part of the record as the budget proceeds to committee review and eventual adoption.
