Hall County Board of Commissioners meeting — County staff told the board that an annual invoice for GIS mapping imagery, just over $17,000, must be paid and that the county has two reasonable options for covering the cost.

The issue matters to taxpayers because it concerns how recurring fees for public mapping services are allocated between dedicated funds and broader IT licensing budgets.

A staff member said the register of deeds fund had been collecting fees intended for GIS services but that the register of deeds account "is getting low" and the county needs the funds for upcoming expenses. The staff member told the board the total expense is "just over $17,000" and that it is an annual fee tied to a contract for GIS mapping imagery. "I think you could choose to pay, could adjust the budget for the GIS and pay for the full amount out of there, or you could adjust the IT budget, which most of our licensing contracts are paid from and pay for it out of that," the staff member said.

The staff member noted the invoice was dated in June and warned the board to consider whether all licensing agreements are being paid from the same account. No motion or vote about which fund to use appears in the provided excerpts.

Next steps discussed were for the board to direct staff which fund to use or to make a budget adjustment; the transcript excerpts do not show a recorded decision.