We teach, learn, lead and serve, connecting people with the University of Wisconsin, and engaging with them in transforming lives and communities.

Welcome

Welcome to the Dane County Extension Community Development Program Website! This is your site for information about community development initiatives, natural resources programming, and economic development activities sponsored by Dane County Extension or by our partner organizations and institutions. The tab links above represent our major programming areas, and include: Natural resource education Community development […]

Election Inspector Basics Training Webinar

Watch a Zoom Recording Webinar that gives an in-depth overview on how to train election workers in Wisconsin. The requirements to become a poll worker as well as an election inspector are given, followed by the roles and responsibilities of each position.

Voter Registration Assistance

Watch the Zoom Recording Webinar Voter Registration Assistance and learn the basics of registering to vote in Wisconsin

Upcoming Local Government Programs September-October 2020

Information about UW-Madison Division of Extension’s Local Government Education and its programming may be found at localgovernment.extension.wisc.edu.

Edible Startup Summit 2020 is scheduled for Monday, November 9, 2020 to Tuesday, November 10, 2020

The Edible Startup Summit is a training program for food business start-ups and entrepreneurs. Participate in two days of virtual sessions with talks by business experts, interactive workshops, flash workshops, and consulting sessions. This Summit provides food business entrepreneurs with the information, connections, and resources needed to launch and sustain a food business.

Coronavirus and Small Business Resources

The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted regular business functioning; no amount of planning could have prepared you for this situation.

See our Small business resources page for information on a wide range of resources, including federal, state, and local loan/grant programs.

Responding to COVID-19: Resources for Non-profit Organizations

Non-profit organizations are known to be responsive to community needs; for their own sustainability they also need to adapt to a rapidly changing operational environment. We’ve put together some resources for non-profit organizations to respond to the coronavirus crisis. Time Sensitive Information: The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) [the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) […]

New Videos on Parliamentary Procedure

Elected officials, appointed member of a local government unit, and facilitators of formal bodies that operate under Robert’s Rules of Order will find it essential to understand the nuances of parliamentary procedure. UW-Extension’s Local Government Center recently produced a series of brief videos that offer guidance on four critical and sometimes confusing topics related to parliamentary procedure including: Calling the Question […]

Dane County Public Issues: Affordable Housing

In Dane County a primary factor lending toward intractable poverty is the shortage of affordable housing units and the high cost of rental units. A significant portion of household income is allocated towards housing. The definition of housing affordability is based on the percent of household income spent on housing. Housing expenditures upwards of 30% […]

Wisconsin One Stop Business Portal

An article in BizTimes, Milwaukee Business News, titled: New web tool streamlines business startup process, highlights a new State of Wisconsin initiative to create an entrepreneurs startup portal. The portal consolidates resources and paperwork for starting a business in one central hub. From the “Wisconsin One Stop Business Portal Website“: “This new system will assist you […]