Dane County Proposes $15 Living Wage Floor for Public Workers and Contractors

Dane County Board members introduced an amendment Thursday to raise the county's living wage from $11.66 per hour to $15 by 2023, with annual inflation adjustments thereafter, according to madison.com. The proposal would cover county employees and government contractors.

The proposed wage schedule would jump to $12.50 per hour in 2022, then increase by 50 cents annually until reaching $15. After January 1, 2023, the wage would permanently track the Consumer Price Index, protecting workers from inflation erosion.

Board Chairwoman Sharon Corrigan said the county aims to pay wages capable of supporting a family. "We have said we believe we should be paying wages that could support a family," Corrigan told reporters Thursday.

Budget Window Opens After Epic TIF Closure

The timing follows Verona's decision to close a tax increment financing district encompassing most of Epic Systems Corporation's campus. An analysis from Dane County's financial consultant Ehlers Inc. estimated the closure would generate approximately $2.95 million in one-time surplus funds and return nearly $300 million in assessed property value to the tax rolls.

County Executive Joe Parisi framed the wage increase as a local government responsibility after federal and state inaction. "Since both the state and federal government have failed to do the right thing on this issue, it is now up to us on the local level," Parisi said in a Thursday statement.

Current Ordinance From 2000

Dane County's existing living wage ordinance took effect in 2000, setting the hourly wage at 100 percent of the poverty level divided by 2,080 working hours in a year, based on a 40-hour work week. That formula currently produces an $11.66 hourly wage.

The 2000 ordinance applies both to direct county employees and to workers employed by contractors performing government-funded work, extending wage floor protections beyond the county payroll. Wage benchmarking strategies have become tools for organizers documenting pay disparities before formal campaigns.

Incremental Path to Inflation Protection

The gradual phase-in spreads budget impact across multiple fiscal years. Under the proposed schedule:

• 2022: $12.50 per hour

• 2023 (through December 31): $13.00 per hour

• January 1, 2023 onward: $15.00 per hour, adjusted annually for inflation

The Consumer Price Index tie-in marks a significant policy shift from the static poverty-level formula. Inflation adjustments would prevent the real value of the wage floor from declining over time, a problem that has eroded minimum wage purchasing power in jurisdictions without automatic increases.

No cost estimate for the proposal appeared in Thursday's materials. The amendment requires County Board approval before implementation.

The Takeaway

Dane County's living wage proposal demonstrates how local governments are stepping into wage policy gaps left by state and federal legislatures. The $15 floor with permanent inflation indexing would establish one of the stronger municipal wage standards in the Midwest, covering both direct public employees and the contracted workforce that performs government-funded services.

The Epic Systems TIF closure creates a revenue opportunity that officials are directing toward labor costs rather than tax relief or infrastructure. That budgeting choice reflects political pressure on local governments to address wage stagnation through the limited tools available at the county level. Whether the gradual phase-in survives board negotiations will test how broadly support extends beyond the proposal's sponsors.