Dane County supervisors debate holding 20 deputy vacancies as compromise to preserve human services funding

Dane County supervisors on Tuesday spent hours weighing how to cover a multiyear budget shortfall, debating whether to permanently eliminate vacant deputy positions or to budget salary savings by keeping a subset of positions unfilled.

At the center of the debate is a trio of amendments from the Public Protection & Judiciary committee that would eliminate vacant deputy positions as offsets for restoring funding to human‑services and shelter contracts. Chair Miles and Supervisor Glaser proposed an alternative that would not defund positions but would require the sheriff to maintain 20 vacant deputy positions through 2026, producing roughly $2,380,000 in salary savings toward the county’s 4% target.

Supporters of the compromise framed it as a way to preserve critical shelter and…