County commissioners debated whether to keep $100,000 in a miscellaneous (non‑departmental) fund for unanticipated expenses or to direct more money into a capital improvement fund for deferred building maintenance, including roofs, air handlers and an elevator replacement.

Several commissioners said they were uncomfortable with a large, undefined miscellaneous line item because constituents reviewing the budget would ask what the money would cover. Other commissioners and staff argued the miscellaneous pot serves as an insurance policy that provides flexibility to address unexpected but necessary repairs during the year, such as failing air handlers that required mid‑year work in prior years.

Staff reported an estimated $330,000 cost for air‑handler projects that could be charged this fiscal year depending on the project start date. An elevator replacement or major upgrade was discussed with worst‑case estimates in the tens of thousands; one vendor estimate for a needed elevator upgrade was cited at about $79,000, while removing and replacing an asphalt roof on another building carried a vendor estimate of about $290,000.

Commissioners discussed classification differences between routine maintenance and capital improvements and suggested programming capital‑improvement dollars for roofs, domes, the courthouse elevator and a potential maintenance facility if county property sales trigger relocation needs. One commissioner proposed a half‑penny (property tax increment) equivalent as an example figure — staff estimated roughly $220,000 at that rate — to seed a capital improvement fund.

The court left $100,000 in the miscellaneous line for now with the condition that any expenditure from that fund come to the court for approval. Commissioners instructed staff to prioritize and provide more detailed cost estimates for the air handlers, elevator and roof projects and to propose capital improvement funding options ahead of final budget adoption.