The Dane County Board unanimously approved 2021 operating and capital budgets last night and rejected four amendments, according to a report from the Wisconsin State Journal. The budget prioritizes affordable housing, mental health, and homelessness in the county. The amendments rejected at the meeting would have cut from the Dane County Sheriff’s Office, suspended use of tear gas, and put more money toward addressing mental health emergencies with alternative options to law enforcement.
The budgets include $9 million for ensuring homeless people in the county can continue living in hotel rooms through June, $11 million for affordable housing projects, and funding for the development of a mental health crisis center and a Center for Black Excellence and Culture.
