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Finance committee approves sole-source contract with Dane County Humane Society for remainder of 2026
Summary
The finance committee approved a one-time, sole-source extension that will let the public health department continue its contract with the Dane County Humane Society through 2026, with staff saying the remainder of the year will be covered by the department's fund balance.
The City of Madison Finance Committee voted unanimously March 16 to authorize a sole-source contract allowing the public health department to continue contracting with the Dane County Humane Society for animal-services work through the remainder of 2026.
Director Heinrich told the committee the city has worked with the Dane County Humane Society "for as long as I've been with public health" and that the agreement is intended to ensure the city meets state statutes and local ordinances for sheltering and caring for animals. Heinrich said the department has "about 500 and some in our base budget" and will need to draw on the public health fund balance to cover the remainder of 2026; staff described that as a one-time funding source for this year.
Why it matters: the contract keeps a longstanding service relationship in place for animal care and sheltering, and staff framed the financing as a time-limited fix while the department and budget process review longer-term options in the 2027 budget cycle.
Committee action: Alder Figuro (Cole) said she would support the resolution for this year while noting that discussions about longer-term funding would continue as part of next year's budget work. The motion to approve was moved, seconded and recorded as a unanimous voice vote.
What's next: staff said this is a single-year funding approach for 2026 and that future budget cycles will revisit how animal-services contracting is funded.
