💸 Dane County’s budget woes are getting bigger

💸 Dane County Facing $31M Deficit Next Year

• Hundreds of full-time employees could be laid off as Dane County government faces a deficit of $31.8 million next year, Controller Charles Hicklin wrote in a memo to county leaders.
• Hicklin says the surplus revenue that the county has used to fill in annual deficits in previous years will likely be severely diminished next year, and there are few other options to close the gap. He said it could force the county to cut 241 full-time equivalent employees, close to 10% of its total workforce. And things won’t get any better in future years as health care costs continue to rise.
• Meanwhile, Dane County Executive Melissa Agard has directed agencies to overhaul how it handles contracts with outside vendors. The county has over 800 such contracts totalling $272 million in expenditures. Nonprofits who contract with the county have said they want greater transparency in the process. [Madison 365]

📍Will Blooming Grove Residents Join Madison or McFarland?

• Blooming Grove, a town of about 1,800 residents spread across several disconnected properties at the southeastern edge of Madison, is expected to dissolve next year and become absorbed into the city.
• But as Madison and McFarland officials hash out where to draw their mutual border, the subdivision of April Hills in Blooming Grove doesn’t want to join the city. Residents of April Hills, which contains about 350 people, have cited concerns about higher taxes in Madison, being closer to McFarland emergency services, and in general feeling more of an attachment to McFarland.
• If the April Hills subdivision asks to be annexed by McFarland as expected, it will be up to the village board whether to accept or reject their petition. [Cap Times]

💉 Wisconsin Joins Lawsuit Against CDC Vaccine Schedule

• Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul is joining AGs from 14 other states in a lawsuit against the Centers for Disease Control over reducing its list of recommended childhood vaccines, including giving all children flu, COVID-19, and RSV vaccines.
• In January, the CDC marked several vaccines as only recommended only for “high risk” children, and the Trump administration said the less “crowded” schedule would put the United States in line with other countries. But the lawsuit says the original schedule has been critical for public health, and the changes have provoked confusion and uncertainty for parents.
• The CDC is continuing to recommend that all children be vaccinated against measles. But the recent resurgence of the disease, along with continuing misinformation about vaccines, has longtime public radio host and podcaster Dr. Zorba Paster worried. [WMTV, CDC, 🎧 City Cast Madison]