Fitchburg staff to ask Dane County for clearer grant accounting as budget pressures loom

Staff told the commission they are preparing a detailed budget request to Dayne County that breaks down the real costs of case management and nutrition services — salaries, benefits, facility costs and program-space overhead — because the county has historically distributed a set pool of funding through a formula rather than on actual expenses.

Jill said the county allocates about $1 million across focal points using a weighting formula (diversity, age, food-share recipiency, rural/urban measures) and that this year the city will submit program-specific cost data so the county better understands local expenditures. She said staff anticipate county-level pressure on funds and recommended pausing the city’s 2027 grant round to review grant criteria and sustainability.

In outreach reporting, staff said the senior-center pancake breakfast drew more than 660 attendees and the friends group provided roughly $620 in direct support for supplies and gifts; members also previewed June events including a Juneteenth program on June 17 featuring Dr. Charles Taylor, a gospel performance and community artists, and a municipal Juneteenth flag-raising planned for June 15 at noon.

Next steps: staff will finalize and submit the county budget request and will return with updated proposals on the grant program and outreach promotion.