Dane County Executive Melissa Agard on Wednesday announced that at the Oct. 23 Dane County Board Meeting she will lay out her plan to implement a hiring freeze, citing both the disruption in Washington and Dane County’s own significant budget challenges.
Dane County entered the 2026 budget process facing a $31 million structural deficit due to rising costs and stagnant revenues, and the current federal shutdown further complicates planning for essential county services.
The hiring freeze will apply to all non-essential vacancies, with exemptions for positions critical to public safety and frontline service delivery.
