County IT director outlines consolidation of software budgets and equipment replacements

Wally Tibold, director of Information Systems for the Board of County Commissioners, presented the MIS department’s FY27 budget and described a consolidation of software and communications line items under MIS that will raise operating expenditures while reducing duplicative departmental purchases. Tibold said the largest capital ask is a replacement uninterruptible power supply (UPS) for the county admin data center and noted an anticipated equipment-replacement cycle driven by devices purchased during the COVID period.

"The operating expenditures has increased significantly from '26 to '27, and the vast majority of that reason is there's been a shift of responsibilities for the software," Tibold said, citing migration of Microsoft 365 and other licenses into the MIS budget. He said the capital ask of roughly $226,000 would primarily fund a UPS in the admin data center and replacement of core distribution switches that are no longer supported.

Tibold described an expected jump in replacement needs this fiscal year because the county is moving to replace desktops and laptops bought during the pandemic: "In '26, we replaced a total of 262... This year, due to the COVID replacement devices, we're actually moving our desktops... and laptops to jump almost 200." Commission staff clarified that some software previously budgeted in departmental budgets has been consolidated into MIS and that utilities and public works software remain in their respective budgets.

No staffing increases were requested. Commissioners asked about the timing and whether operating levels would return to prior levels after the one-time replacement cycle; Tibold said the device replacement wave will likely taper but not fully return to prior levels because device counts rise with added staff and new device types (phones, iPads). The presentation will be used in preparing the county’s overall FY27 budget.