A County Board plan approved Thursday night will give the Dane County executive an 11.6% pay raise in 2025, the Wisconsin State Journal reports, from $146,692 this year to $163,674 next. The salary will then increase by 3% each year starting in April 2025 until reaching $178,851 in 2028.
The raise brings the position’s salary in line with pay boosts in recent years for all county employees. The county executive is the 68th-highest-paid official countywide, according to Sup. Yogesh Chawla, who represents east side Madison’s 6th District.
While the board’s voice vote favored the pay raise overall, three supervisors voted against it — Sups. Jeff Weigand, 20th District, Rick Rose, 16th District, and Michele Ritt, 18th District.
The decision on higher pay for the county executive comes ahead of the Nov. 5 election that will establish a permanent successor to Joe Parisi, who retired in May. The four candidates for the job include state Sen. Melissa Agard, former Dane County supervisor Dana Pellebon, Madison City Council member Regina Vidaver, and Dane County Office of Equity and Inclusion Director Wes Sparkman.
