Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget And Staffing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Adams County planning staff present proposed 2026 budgets; committee hears staffing and revenue changes including countywide code enforcement expansion
Summary
Planning & Zoning staff presented proposed 2026 departmental budgets and a register-of-deeds budget update, highlighting higher permit revenue estimates, a rise in contractor inspection costs and a plan to convert a half-time code/animal-control position to full-time countywide code enforcement.
At the September meeting the Adams County Planning & Zoning Department presented its proposed 2026 departmental budget and the register-of-deeds presented a departmental budget update. Committee members did not take final action; staff said the department will meet with the county administrator later in the month to discuss changes before returning recommendations to the committee.
Planning staff said the biggest changes in the proposed budget were on the revenue side and tied to increased permitting activity. Staff told the committee they increased the projected building-permit revenue from $111,000 this year to $150,000 for 2026, reflecting higher permit counts so far this year. Zoning-permit revenues were also increased in the draft.
On the expense side, staff said contractor services — used for building inspections — rose by about $40,000 to correspond with higher inspection needs. Staff also described a personnel change: converting a half-time position to full-time. The chair and committee members questioned the size of the wage increase; staff explained that a top-line salary line appears to move “from $2.66 to $3.48” and that, when combined with the line currently showing the half-time position, the total effectively moves from about “$2.99 to $3.48.” The committee sought clarification on exact salary-line items and overall head count.
Committee members pressed staff on the role described in the budget: whether the change meant hiring an animal control officer. Planning staff clarified that the position is not an animal control officer; instead, the additional full-time capacity will expand code-enforcement duties countywide, including animal-control code enforcement tasks, while keeping 50% of the position’s focus on Quincy-specific work. The separate topic of a formal animal-control officer role will be discussed elsewhere later in the meeting or in separate negotiations.
The register of deeds reported only modest changes in its proposed budget (a small transfer-fee increase and reduced postage/copy expenses). The registrar also briefed the committee about the Wisconsin revenue-audit process and confirmed the office is not the subject of an audit.
Why it matters
The proposed budget changes would affect enforcement capacity, inspection availability and the department’s revenue outlook. Converting a half-time position to full-time and expanding countywide code-enforcement responsibilities could change how the county handles building-code and animal-control code complaints and enforcement.
What’s next
Staff will meet with the county administrator to refine the departmental requests and will report any changes back to the committee before final county-budget enactment.
