MADISON — Dane County Board of Supervisors are proposing a hiring freeze on 20 sheriff's deputy positions to save roughly $2.3 million as they work to close a $31 million budget gap.

The Personnel and Finance Committee unanimously recommended the proposal ahead of formal budget deliberations scheduled for Wednesday. The freeze would affect vacant positions as opposed to a previous proposal that would have cut 28 vacant positions.

Sheriff Kalvin Barrett strongly opposes the measure. "We need staffing. We need support," Barrett said.

According to county supervisor Yogesh Chawla, the sheriff didn't submit a plan for a 4% budget reduction, like was asked of every department.

When asked, Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said DCSO only asks for what they need. “There's no other place to take 4% from.

See Full Page