Gov. Scott Walker’s new budget could mean a $6 million cut for Dane County services, County Executive Kathleen Falk announced Tuesday. 

In a memo Falk released Tuesday regarding the state budget, she said a preliminary estimate of the reduced revenue for Dane County proposed in the budget totals $492,000 for the remainder of 2011 and an additional $5.5 million in cuts throughout 2012 and 2013.

Falk said the county would receive an additional $4 million in cuts that would require the county to lay off 80 employees and reduce services to poor families and children.

Falk said the most unfair element of the budget for Dane County comes in the form of cuts for the Income Maintenance program, a “basic survival program” funded by state aid to the county to ensure residents who are eligible for Food Share, Medicaid or Badger Care receive aid. Walker’s budget calls for the state’s takeover of most of the program, including $1.8 million of the county’s $3.5 million contribution.

Falk said the company receiving the contract for the program already works with the state and has a bad record and “does not appear to deliver decent services.” She said the firm currently has 9,000 applications that have been unresolved for 400 days or more.

“I cannot stress too much the preliminary nature of this analysis; I am concerned the currently unanswered questions we have are going to resolve into significant problems for the county,” Falk said. “We also have to be realistic and recognize that many of these cuts will not be restored.”

In an effort to address the cuts, Falk said she would announce March 17 a spending freeze on hiring, traveling and training purchases via purchase order or as yet unapproved contracts.

Falk said when a new Dane County Executive takes office April 19, he or she can review the decisions Falk makes throughout the coming weeks and consider what additional actions are appropriate to aid the status of the county’s finances.

In an e-mail to The Badger Herald, Walker’s spokesperson Cullen Werwie said local governments that did not rush through contracts following Walker’s announcement of his budget repair bill that would end most collective bargaining rights were given more flexibility to handle reductions in aid. He said Dane County was one of the counties that pushed contract extensions.

“All [municipalities were] told the budget repair bill offers local governments $1.44 billion in savings,” Werwie said. “In addition, many unions have publicly stated that they would accept paying 5.8 percent toward their pension and 21 percent of their health care premiums. Ms. Falk should take those unions up on their offer.”

Falk’s spokesperson Joshua Wescott said Falk has had a successful 14-year track record of sitting down and respectfully bargaining with workers on agreements fair to both taxpayers and workers.

Wescott said Falk negotiated a 5 percent wage reduction for county employees in 2009 and a 3 percent reduction in 2010, saving taxpayers $3.6 million and $4.7 million respectively.

Wescott said in the most recent contracts, Falk negotiated higher contributions from employees for health insurance, creating an additional savings of $1 million per year.

“In three years time, by working together and negotiating with workers, instead of attacking them, the County Executive successfully bargained over $9 million in savings while treating snowplow drivers, 911 dispatchers, nurses and all county employees fairly,” Wescott said.