Dane County adopts amended short-term contract for airport grounds maintenance after union testimony

The Dane County Board approved a revised short-term agreement allowing commercial grounds-maintenance services at Dane County Regional Airport for the remainder of 2025, while requiring any extension beyond that term to return to the county board for approval.

Public testimony before the board came largely from members and officers of AFSCME Local 65 and related employee groups, who opposed the original five-year contract proposal and urged that grounds work be returned to county employees. Imran Geier, listed as secretary for Dane County employee group Local 65, told supervisors “this contract started as a nearly $850,000 5 year deal,” and urged the county to use the amendment approved in committee to ensure board oversight of any extension.

At the Public Works and Transportation Committee, an amended sub (sub 1) was adopted that limits the initial term to Dec. 31, 2025; Supervisor David Boettcher is recorded in committee discussion as proposing an amendment that requires board approval for additional years. Nathan Smith, a Local 65 executive board member and airport skilled laborer, said the amended sub “provides the time necessary to discuss with airport management and our departmental labor relations committee how to return this work to county workers.” AFSCME Local 65 treasurer Travis Thomas likewise voiced support for the amended sub in order to preserve oversight and to allow labor-management discussions.

Supporters of insourcing argued the county has both the equipment and staff to perform grounds duties and highlighted operational advantages of county employees who are familiar with site-specific needs. Employee speakers pointed to several grounds tasks that they said could be handled in house — for example spreading mulch annually and weed-spraying on shift schedules — and proposed a staffing approach that could include a permanent groundskeeper plus seasonal or LTE support.

Committee minutes and subsequent remarks note a history of repeated committee consideration: an original five-year resolution failed PWT on an earlier vote; later versions with shorter terms or board-approval triggers were advanced. At the county board meeting, the Public Works and Transportation Committee recommendation to approve sub 1 as amended was placed before the board and approved by voice vote.

The measure does not specify a contract award beyond 2025; the approved approach requires that any renewal or additional years come back to the board for explicit approval, giving the county board and labor groups additional oversight.

Votes and next steps: the board approved the committee-recommended, amended sub 1; labor relations meetings between airport management and employee representatives were cited repeatedly by speakers as the anticipated forum to develop a plan for returning grounds work to county employees over the coming months.