Board reviews facilities, transfer‑station repairs and CIP; finance shows $4.8M discretionary fund balance

Facilities and maintenance staff told the board the facilities budget shows a nominal decrease driven by reassigning line items to other departments but that the county faces rising contractor and repair costs, aging roof membranes and increasing alarm/monitoring obligations as new buildings come online. Facilities asked for a seasonal part‑time mowing allocation ($7,200) to reduce overtime for working managers and to allow them to focus on repairs and contracts.

Transfer‑station staff reported disposal and transportation contract cost pressures (with built‑in CPI adjustments and fuel/disposal variables) and recommended revising fee schedules that have fallen behind market—particularly tire and appliance fees—so the transfer station does not continue to be subsidized by the general fund. Staff said current billed disposal revenue for commercial and special items is roughly $285,000 annually while disposal costs are considerably higher.

On capital and CIP, staff reviewed debt‑financed items (ambulance purchase already under contract; EMS‑station roof replacement; transfer‑station push‑wall repairs) and non‑debt capital requests. Total FY27 debt‑financed county items described were approximately $860,000; non‑debt capital requests across departments totaled roughly $823,646 (presented for planning and prioritization).

Finance staff presented FY25 audited results: revenues finished about $662,000 higher than budget and expenditures ran about $784,000 lower than budget, contributing roughly $1.4 million to fund balance and leaving a total general‑fund balance of approximately $25.5 million. After accounting for policy reserves (rainy‑day and asset‑maintenance), staff reported roughly $4.83 million of unassigned, non‑restricted fund balance available for board discretion. Staff recommended using a portion of that unassigned balance to fund an urgent FY27 school HVAC need (two unit replacements estimated at ~$650,000) due to lead‑time and summer‑window constraints.

Supervisors asked about contractor lead times and whether a mobile trailer could temporary house transfer‑station administration while repairs proceed; staff said they are exploring mobile trailer options and vendor availability and will return with cost and schedule estimates. The board did not take a final appropriation vote during the session but discussed possible use of unassigned fund balance to cover urgent school facility needs.