Don Postler, Dane County Supervisor

10/13/2026

This week committee budget meetings continue! Join us as we debate and develop the 2027 Dane County Budget.

💰This Week💰
🗓️ Tuesday, 10/13
5:30PM: Public Protection & Judiciary
6:30PM: Zoning & Land Regulation
🗓️ Wednesday, 10/14
5:30PM: Health & Human Needs
🗓️ Thursday, 10/15
5:30PM: Executive Committee

📍 Unless otherwise noted in the agenda, all meetings and hearings will take place at the City-County Building and will be streamed online via Zoom.

🗣️ Want to testify? Register before the meeting or hearing begins by following the instructions in the posted agenda: https://dane.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx

ℹ️ View the full review schedule: board.danecounty.gov/budget

To request interpretation, translation, or a disability-related accommodation for any meeting or hearing, please contact the Dane County Board Office at [email protected] or (608) 266-5758.

10/11/2026

WAUNAKEE, Wis. (WKOW) — A family-run dairy farm north of Waunakee has grown from a dozen cows to 1,500 over four generations.

10/02/2026

Mark your calendars, it is budget review season! Yesterday County Executive Melissa Agard released her 2027 budget proposal and it will be working through the committees in the coming weeks. Join us and share your thoughts as we deliberate the 2027 Dane County budget! 🗓️🖊️💰

10/01/2026

September was Hunger Action Month. Last night I attended a presentation on creating food security in our community. A panel of experts shared hunger statistics and spoke to the rise in food insecurity, how the food system works, how it has changed in recent years, and how our community can work together to ensure everyone has access to enough nutritious food to survive and thrive.

Thank you to WayForward Resources and the Middleton Public Library for hosting this informative session!

If you are experiencing food insecurity you can call 211 Wisconsin (simply dial 211 or call 877-947-2211) for food resource referrals.

You can also find a food pantry near you at the link below! ⬇️

🔗 https://www.secondharvestsw.org/find-food-near-you/

09/25/2026

On Wednesday evening the Dane County Parks Commission held our meeting at Indian Lake County Park! Commissioners learned the history of the park and received a presentation highlighting recent trail construction, which was completed largely through volunteer work under the coordination of the Ice Age Trail Alliance.

At 791 acres, Indian Lake is one of Dane County’s largest parks. Trails provide access around the entire lake and offer hiking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and foraging. One winding trail leads to a historic chapel built in 1857, located on a hilltop with a breathtaking view of the lake and surrounding valley. A section of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail also winds through the park. The park includes a sledding hill with access to a log cabin warming house. A reservable timber frame shelter was built using trees that were sustainably harvested from county properties. Official youth groups can reserve the group camp for outings. A 38-acre unfenced off-leash dog park is located next to the small boat launch on the west side of the lake and can be accessed from the parking lot at the west entrance.

Dane County Parks are Always in Season, and autumn is a wonderful time to get out and explore!
🌳🥾🐕🛶⛪️🌅🍂🍁

09/23/2026

💧 Happy Stormwater Week! 💧

September 19th-27th is Wisconsin Stormwater Week! Dane County and the Madison Area Municipal Stormwater Partnership (MAMSWaP) are selling 50-gallon rain barrels* for $82 (typically retails for ~$130), with a limit of four per household. This sale is open to all Dane County residents. You may be eligible for a $30 reimbursement if you live in a MAMSWaP community. Pick up available in Middleton, Deforest, or Stoughton.

Learn more and order your rain barrel at the link below:

🔗 https://ripple-effects.com/RainBarrels

09/18/2026

Farmworkers are essential to Dane County’s agricultural economy and to the farms, food systems, and communities that depend on their labor. They are also parents, partners, neighbors, and long-term community members raising families and building lives in Dane County. 🌾🌽🐄👨‍🌾🏡

Yet the workers who sustain this industry often face significant barriers to finding safe, stable, and affordable housing. Housing challenges do not exist in isolation. Employer-controlled housing, low and variable wages, limited transportation, immigration-related fear, zoning and land-use barriers, a shortage of family-sized homes, and uneven access to tenant protections can reinforce one another—limiting where workers can live, their ability to raise concerns about unsafe conditions, and their freedom to change jobs without risking their housing.

The Dane County Board of Supervisors initiated this Farmworker Housing Study to better understand current conditions and to identify pathways for planning and implementation. This project was carried out through a collaboration among nINA Collective, UW–Madison School for Workers, and Sift Consulting. Last night the Health & Human Needs and Zoning & Land Regulation committees held a joint meeting to receive the final report and recommendations. Click the link below to view the final report!

🔗 https://dane.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15846326&GUID=BFD75EAC-961B-4E07-A690-05E498112F1C

09/17/2026

The Dane County Land & Water Resources Department is providing 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘀 from our gravel bed tree nursery to local schools, municipalities or community organizations. They are intended for planting in areas across Dane County where they are most needed.

The application window is short—applications are due by 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟱, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲. If you are interested, please complete the quick online application. Forestry staff will follow up in mid to late October if trees matching your project needs are available. Available species are listed on the first page of the application. The trees available are bareroot, 1–1.5 inch caliper trees.

Apply at: https://forms.danecounty.gov/Forms/free-trees-application

09/14/2026

2027 department budget hearings coming up this week! 💰

📣 Help shape YOUR county budget.

Over the next two months, the Dane County Board will review and adopt the county's 2027 budget, and there are several points along the way where YOU can weigh in.

The county budget funds many of the program and services that residents rely on every day: human services and public health, parks and land conservation, 911 communications and the Sheriff's Office, and the assets that drive our local economy, including the Dane County Regional Airport, the Alliant Energy Center, and the Henry Vilas Zoo.

🗓️ Sept. 9, 15 & 16: Department budget request hearings, 5:30 p.m.
🗓️ By Oct. 1: County Executive releases their proposed budget
🗓️ Oct. 6–29: Standing committee budget meetings (times vary)
🗓️ Oct. 19: Public hearing on the Executive's proposed budget, 7 p.m.
🗓️ Nov. 2: Public hearing on Personnel & Finance committee's final budget recommendations, 6 p.m.
🗓️ Nov. 4–5: Budget deliberations (no public testimony is taken), 6 p.m.

📍 Unless otherwise noted in the agenda, all meetings and hearings will take place at the City-County Building and will be streamed online via Zoom.

🗣️ Want to testify? Register before the meeting or hearing begins by following the instructions in the posted agenda: https://dane.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx

ℹ️ View the full review schedule: board.danecounty.gov/budget

To request interpretation, translation, or a disability-related accommodation for any meeting or hearing, please contact the Dane County Board Office at [email protected] or (608) 266-5758.

09/12/2026

Wisconsin Leopold Conservation Award Finalists Selected