This year’s county budget has a lot of people upset. Taxes are going up while pay for county employees and funding for social services is going down. What else can you expect given the grim condition of our state and national economy? By and large, those directly burnt by the cuts are taking the sour news pretty well. The vast majority of county employees are stoically swallowing the second pay cut in six months, and while home owners aren’t taking the property tax hike quite as well, things could be worse. After all, an additional $40 for a quarter million dollar home really isn’t that big of a deal.
It isn’t like this year’s budget cuts should be news to anyone; still, budget season wouldn’t be complete without someone left bawling in the corner. For those paying attention to the goings-on of county politics lately, the chief whiner in this year’s budget negotiations shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Only the most arrogant and self-entitled of departments would buck the trend of dutiful acquiescence to this latest round of pay cuts. Look no further than the Sheriff’s Department for the most vociferous moans of displeasure this holiday season. Apparently drunk off the attention given to law enforcement by timid politicians hesitant to come across as anything less than “tough on crime,” the Sheriff’s Department cannot seem to grasp why they must weather the same pay cuts as everyone else on the county payroll.
It is too bad there aren’t more politicians at the county level willing to speak truth to power and put the Sheriff’s Department in its place. Then again, the local law enforcement establishment is not something to cross lightly — as was exemplified in last spring’s City Council races when the police union endorsed Bridget Maniaci and painted her opponent, Brenda Konkel as soft on crime at best and as a criminal sympathizer at worst.
In any case, the Dane County Sheriff’s Office apparently expects special treatment apart from the rest of county employees. It is almost entertaining to hear Vice President of the Dane County Deputy Sheriff’s Association Jim Brigham attempt to couch the department’s complaints in the grander scheme of things. “This really isn’t about a pay cut; this is more about changing what government does,” he said. It’s not particularly clear what he would like to see county government do in the future besides give the Sheriff’s Department more money. Oh, but wait a second, they are getting more money, to the tune of $3.4 million in next year’s budget. That is a pretty huge chunk of change in economic hard times. And what do you think the Sheriff’s Department will be buying with all that increased funding? More equipment, body armor and squad cars, all bound to go to good use I’m sure.
Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t consider Madison a dangerous city or Dane County particularly perilous, certainly not enough to warrant new deputies, body armor and equipment at such frequent intervals. Then again, there is mounting evidence that the Sheriff’s Department has an unhealthy penchant for avarice. Their very noticeable presence, in opposition, at the recent RTA vote lead some observers to assume Sheriff’s Department members simply don’t want funds to be awarded to anything else until they were quite satisfied with their share of the pie.
It would be nice to see the Sheriff’s Department show some humbleness and recognize that they won’t be the only ones feeling the squeeze next year. I can only hope patience for their displeasure and whining will dry up shortly. No one likes pay cuts, but considering the circumstances, they are getting millions in additional funding next year and no positions are being cut — one would almost expect them to be happy. Certainly AFSCME showed some wisdom in negotiations opting to take a 3 percent pay cut instead of losing jobs for some of their members. It is unsettling we can’t expect the same quality of judgment from the Sheriff’s Department.
Sam Stevenson ([email protected]) is a graduate student in public health.
