Dane County Executive Joe Parisi released the 2012 preliminary county budget Friday, which aims to make conservation and some social programs a priority while dealing with the deep cuts affecting governments at all levels in the state.

The total budget is $490.7 million, a $9.2 million decrease over last year.

The budget is not without “extremely painful layoffs,” but it “maintains the core values that make Dane County a place of opportunity,” Parisi said at a Friday press conference.

“It is without hyperbole that I have referred to this as the most difficult budget in Dane County’s history,” Parisi said. “While this budget is not without extremely painful layoffs and other cuts, I believe it maintains the core values that make Dane County a place of opportunity for all of our residents.”

A statement from the county executive’s office said Parisi and his budget team faced tough challenges, including an $8 million deficit and $4.6 million in cuts from the state.

Despite these challenges, the budget “contains the lowest level of capital expenditures since 1999,” Parisi said – a 41 percent decrease from a year ago.

County employees made sacrifices for the budget in the form of voluntary leave, accumulating to $680,000 in savings throughout the year, according to the statement.

The next step for the budget will be the Dane County Board, where it will be reviewed and approved.

“The County Executive has the power to approve, veto, or partially veto the spending plan that is returned to him,” the statement said.

Each committee will look at the budget, Analise Eicher, District 5 supervisor, said. Amendments will come out of committee meetings over the next month, she added.

The board will make the final approval in mid-November, said District 19 Supervisor Bill Clausius.

An emphasis is put on new partnerships and commitment to human services and public safety, Parisi said.

Parks employees and the Highway Department are teaming up to improve snow removal efforts, ensuring safe roads for residents, the statement said.

The budget restores nearly $1.9 million in cuts to the services for “children, seniors, mentally and developmentally disabled youth and adults, and families struggling to make ends meet,” making them a top priority, the statement said.

The Dane County Veterans Service Office will receive aid in order to better work with men and women who served in the military, Parisi said.

The capital budget also includes investment in reducing phosphorus pollution that harms the lakes of Madison, the statement said.

Green solutions and road reconstruction are two other important aspects of the budget, Parisi added at the conference.

These investments, however, come with a cost. The budget “proposes an increase of $26.29 in the taxes on the average Madison home; that translates to a 3.99 percent increase on this December’s property tax bill,” the statement said.

Eicher said she was happy to see funding restored to youth centers, but is concerned with the potential layoffs.

The state budget cuts are “devastating to local government,” she said.

However, there is a group of supervisors that are very willing to work together to make the budget the best it can be, she said.

Clausius said he is pleased to hear about the reduction of capital budget spending.

The conservation fund is a concern, he said. Now is not the time to be buying vacant land, he added.