Dane County, Wisc., Addresses Digital Divide With Task Force
A unanimous vote from the Dane County Board has established a local broadband task force, which will, among other tasks, identify Internet gaps in the county and assist municipalities with state and federal grants.
April 23, 2021 •
Shutterstock (TNS) When Sup. Kate McGinnity was knocking on doors in rural southeastern Dane County for her campaign about a year and a half ago, she said the No. 1 issue she heard from about 2,000 residents was that they had trouble accessing the Internet. We have huge pockets where there is no Internet, McGinnity said of the county.
Extension specialistsâ workloads monitored
A newly signed law requires the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents and UW-Madison chancellor to develop policies to monitor and report on Extension and outreach workloads of specialists funded by the UW-Division of Extension. The measure pertains to Extension-funded faculty and staff who work in applied agriculture at UW-Platteville, UW-River Falls, UW-Stevens Point, or UW-Madisonâs College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.
âOur state specialists are doing amazing work on the ground and in their communities, helping farmers adapt and grow their businesses and supporting the agricultural industry that is the backbone of our state,â said Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers. âIâm glad to sign this bill so they can continue doing their good work and be recognized for going above and beyond for our farmers and our state.â
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By Madalyn O Neill
Feb 12, 2021 6:22 PM
MADISON, Wis. – While the City of Madison provides services residents need, Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said what the city needs are options.
That’s as the city faces tough budget cycles in the coming years, according to Rhodes-Conway.
“In part because of the coronavirus pandemic, in part because of the structural issue in how severely the state limits impact our budgets,” she said. “What we’ve seen is just a really precipitous decline in revenue.”
Rhodes-Conway said the city is cutting where it can.
It would allow counties and Wisconsin’s 26 cities and one village (Menomonee Falls) with more than 30,000 people to add a .5% sales tax. For counties, that’s on top of a .5% sales tax already available and in place in 68 out of 72 counties, according to Evers’ office.