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Clients And Staff Of County-funded Agencies To Be Well-represented At Tonight's Board Hearing.
Wisconsin State Journal :: FRONT :: A1
Thursday, October 23, 2003
Lesley Rogers Barrett County reporter
Four years after a car crash changed her life, Katie McCarthy has a reason to get up in the morning.The polite 23-year-old, who uses a wheelchair and is unable to move her left side, said she owes it to the Madison Area Rehabilitation Center.
"Before, I always slept. I did nothing," Katie said. "I stayed in bed."
Now she's busy, spending her days at MARC East, in classes, playing games on the computer or singing karaoke to her favorite band, the Backstreet Boys.
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"It's good to get up in the morning and come to MARC East," Katie said. "I have lots of friends here. So many I can't count."
Like many local services for the disabled, MARC gets most of its funding from the Dane County Department of Human Services. And, like many such programs, MARC is bracing for a 5 percent budget cut in 2004.
But the Developmental Disabilities Coalition, a group of providers in Dane County, is pushing for an increase in county revenues to help avert cuts. Top county officials said Wednesday that they are open to the coalition's proposal for a "wheel tax" that would add $20 to the vehicle registration fee.
"We've had to get more active this year," said Jen Squire, chair of the coalition.
Clients and staff plan to turn out in large numbers -- all wearing red shirts -- at a County Board budget hearing tonight. They, along with many other county-funded agencies, hope to convince the County Board to give them more money.
"About 90 percent of our budget is staff salary," said Debi Webb, director of MARC East. "The cuts would have to come from staff. And that means a higher staff-to-client ratio. And that affects (client) safety."
The cuts might mean less one-on-one staff time for people like Katie, and it could mean a longer waiting list for those with developmental disabilities, Webb said.
Property taxes are already going up higher than usual under County Executive Kathleen Falk's recommend $399.9 million budget for 2004, which includes a 4.85 percent property tax increase. If Falk were to continue the same level of services as this year and not cut positions, the county budget would need at least another $16 million.
The County Board will spend the next month debating the budget and should approve a final budget by Thanksgiving.
Under Falk's proposal, almost every county departments got cut this year to make up for the more than $7 million in funding cuts from the state. Most contract agencies were handed cuts between 2 to 5 percent.
County Board supervisors say they're sympathetic to the agencies seeking more money, but say that money is tight. Debates during the next month will likely focus on cutting services or raising taxes.
Katie's mother, Gwen DeLaOssa of Sun Prairie, is worried that cuts will hamper Katie's days at MARC East.
Without Katie attending MARC every day, DeLaOssa would have to quit her job as a customer representative at the state Department of Transportation to care for her. Then, she'd lose her medical insurance, which has covered much of Katie's medical needs since she flipped her car after losing control four years ago.
After trying a nursing home and then having Katie's aunt care for her temporarily, DeLaOssa said the one-on-one attention at MARC East has brought her daughter so much joy. And eventually, Katie hopes to gain job skills and work in the community.
"They need to look somewhere else to take their budget cuts," DeLaOssa said. "I'm really thankful for MARC East. I don't want that pulled away."
\ If you go
* What: Dane County Board public hearing on the proposed 2004 Dane County budget.
* When: 7 tonight.
* Where: Room 201 of the City-County Building, 210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
* More information: The County executive's proposed budget is online at www.co.dane.wi.us/.
\ Dane County budget: Sharing the pain
MARC East is one of many service providers fighting for more money in Dane County's proposed $399.9 million budget. Other highlights of the budget include:
* No cost-of-living increases to Human Services contract workers.
* Merging the Parks Department with the Planning and Development Department.
* Merging the Public Works Department with the Department of Highway and Transportation.
* A $46.4 million budget for the Sheriff's Office including shifting some jail inmates to state lockups and 20 new squad cars.
* $1.5 million to plan and design a combined facility for work- release inmates and inmate treatment for alcohol or drug abuse.
* Eliminating 40 vacant positions.
* Extending a hiring freeze, except for public safety.
