Our major challenge is to assure that we grow in the right ways. A random sample of Dane County residents surveyed by telephone the weeks of November 10 and November 17, 1996 reaffirmed basic countywide land use goals. For example, 92% of residents surveyed want to preserve our farms and our rural areas; citizens favor compact, well-planned communities that offer a range of job, housing and transportation choices.

It will take an investment of time and energy by all of us to meet that challenge. The County Executive, in partnership with the County Board, is actively soliciting the participation of Dane County residents through a series of workshops. The first one was held on November 3, 1997 and examined the current status of Dane County and where our growth may be taking us. Over 300 persons from all around Dane County participated in the first informational session. The second workshop was held on December 3, 1997; an estimated 250 persons participated in a variety of workshops that developed ideas and recommendations for techniques for preserving agricultural lands, open space and environmental resources. The participation was varied and enthusiastic and representative of all parts of the county.

The third workshop will be held at the Dane County Expo Center on January 10, 1998, at 9:00 am, and will focus on "Growing Smart: Techniques for Achieving Economical, Sound Development." The fourth and final workshop will be held at the Expo Center on February 10,1998, "Making Great Communities Better: Techniques to Strengthen and Preserve Dane County Communities." I hope that residents of the Tenney- Lapham neighborhood will take the opportunity to participate in these workshops and share their views, their knowledge and their advocacy for thoughtful, planned development of the Dane County community.

After all of the workshops are completed and a summary of the ideas generated in the workshops and other comments are compiled and reviewed, a final follow-up session will be held in early spring. County Executive Kathleen Falk will then present proposals so we can best preserve Dane County's quality of life into the next century. Everyone should be a part of this process, it is vitally important for all of us.

There are also land use decisions closer to home, in which I plan to participate. The Reynold's Property Committee will meet on December 17, 1997; during this meeting there will be a public hearing on the potential use of the Reynold's Property. There will also be two meetings in January, on the 14th and the 28th. I hope that those of you who are interested in the ultimate use of this site will make it to those meetings. If not, I hope you will share your recommendations or concerns with me so I can take them to the committee. You can call me at 255-8913.

Often the issues before the County Board do not appear to directly affect the folks in the Tenney-Lapham neighborhood, but they do. Land use, health and human services, and justice issues affect us all. My efforts over the next year, in addition to land use, will focus on continued support for the Living Wage Initiative, the strengthening of the Joining Forces for Families program and the implementation of the Balance Approach in dealing with juvenile justice issues.

Decreasing state and federal revenues are increasing the pressure on the Board to make hard decisions about what activities are funded. We are making an effort to coordinate county funded services with those funded by the city and the United Way and hope to come to consensus on the evaluation process for those programs that receive funding from multiple sources. This should help us determine whether our funds are expended in the most effective and efficient way possible. We need your help; we need to know what services are important to you. I am the Chairperson for the Health and Human Needs Committee, we meet almost every Monday at 5:30pm in Room 2D of the City/County Building. There is a public comment period at the beginning of the meeting and we would love to see you there and hear your comments and concerns.

Judy Wilcox