DANE COUNTY BOARD TO CONSIDER BORROWING PACKAGE

January 18, 2018
Sharon Corrigan, County Board Chair 608.333.2285
County Board

Bike trails, affordable housing, public safety top agenda

 

Convening for the first time in 2018, tonight the full Dane County Board will consider some $175 million in bonding for projects ranging from a repaving of the Capital City bike trail to the consolidation of the county jail system.

 

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in Room 201 of the City-County Building.

 

Projects up for funding were included in the capital budget approved in November but the Board must still sign off on the borrowing to make them happen. Other items in the bonding package include money to remove phosphorous-laden sludge from creeks flowing into the Yahara Chain of Lakes, investments in affordable housing and steps to address cyber security.

 

“The variety of initiatives we are supporting points to the wide scope of county government, from protecting the environment and expanding recreational opportunities to addressing public safety in a responsible manner,” said Board Chair Sharon Corrigan.

 

The largest item up for funding is the $76 million overhaul of the county jail system. That long-discussed project includes closing two aging jail facilities and renovation of the downtown Public Safety Building while reducing the total number of inmate beds by nearly 100. It also includes separate facilities for those with special needs or suffering from mental illness.

 

“This is a reasoned and cost-effective approach to updating our jail system that will save money over the long term as  we continue to pursue more effective diversion strategies that enable us to shrink our jail population,” said Corrigan.

 

Other major projects up for bonding approval Thursday include:

  • A $25 million upgrade to the Dane County Regional Airport.

  • $8.5 million for the county landfill to create a pipeline to ship compressed natural gas statewide for use as motor fuel.

  • $4.5 million to remove so-called “legacy sediment” from creeks and streams in an effort to keep phosphorus out of the lakes.

  • $3 million for the county’s Affordable Housing Development Fund.

  • $2 million for the Conservation Fund for purchase and protection of environmentally-significant lands.

  • $750,000 for the county’s Lake Preservation & Renewal Fund.

  • $400,000 for improvements to the county’s cyber security systems.

  • $340,000 to resurface 8 miles of the Capital City bike trail from Rimrock Road to Verona Road.

  • $750,000 for development of the North Mendota Bike/Ped Trail.

  • $1.2 million for replacement of the lower restrooms at the county-operated Vilas Park Zoo.