Grand Forks County commissioners on Aug. 5 advanced a set of preliminary budget actions and approved a county technology upgrade, responding to a complex mix of one‑time state funds, capital requests and operating pressures.

Key budget decisions and staff reports:
- Cash carryforward and levy cap: Finance staff reported that using $567,007.26 of carryforward would bring the county to the state 3% levy cap; an additional $97,006.53 would bring the general fund to a zero‑mill increase. Commissioners discussed the implications for reserves and long‑term planning and included those options as part of the preliminary package.
- One‑time state funding: The board voted to earmark the first $500,000 of a one‑time state highway/flex distribution for the airport intersection project and to direct remaining one‑time funds toward Legal Drain Number 4 if the drain project is approved. Commissioners also authorized staff to pursue flex‑fund grant applications for multiple township and county road projects and agreed that staff can help townships access a consultant to prepare applications if needed.
- Tyler (payroll/HR) system: The board approved moving forward with a Tyler Technologies cloud upgrade that adds timekeeping and HR modules. Staff recommended the purchase to avoid sunset of current systems, improve timekeeping efficiency and mitigate risk; the estimated one‑time implementation cost was capped at $165,000 from cash carryforward with recurring annual fees rising to approximately $131,679.

Other budget items mentioned in discussion included capital improvement requests ($1.5 million budgeted, with $886,000 requested this cycle), anticipated increases in insurance and COLA assumptions, and ongoing discussion about financing the sheriff’s office construction alternates.

Why it matters: The actions set short‑term parameters for the county’s FY2026 budget cycle, allocate one‑time state funds to specific infrastructure priorities and greenlight a technology upgrade intended to modernize payroll and HR functions.

Next steps: Staff will finalize budget materials for the next meeting, execute the Tyler contract subject to standard procurement and implementation steps, and proceed with flex‑fund grant applications and coordination with townships and municipalities.