In November of 1999, County Executive Jane Van De Hey said: "Winnebago County Board supervisors and administrators have developed a habit of leaning on the county general fund and writing checks the 8.5 million pot can no longer afford to pay out." She also stated: "The point we were trying to make is to continue to take money out of the reserves rather than the budget process isn't prudent financially. You should be able to anticipate your needs better than that." In her 2005 budget she advocates drawing 1.5 million from the general fund. She also advocates using reserves from other funds, bringing the total reserves to be spent in 2005 alone to 2.4 million. Now in January of 2005, when asked by the Northwestern if she approves of dipping into the reserves, she states: "I don't believe anyone in the history of the county has dipped into reserves to balance the budget.
If the County continues to allow its spending to grow faster than its revenue grows, a calamity will eventually follow. The county will find itself in the same type of structural deficit that plagues the State of Wisconsin. Jane does not provide any leadership on financial matters and does not seem to have even a basic understanding of her own budget. The County's traditionally strong finances will not be able to sustain this type of mismanagement for long.