Boone County weighs higher fee, liability and contract term in Belvidere IT services IGA

Boone County officials discussed proposed changes July 17 to the intergovernmental agreement (IGA) that governs information technology services the county provides to the city of Belvidere, including a staff‑recommended flat annual fee of $120,000 and questions about liability and contract length.

County staff presented the proposed IGA amendment as a move away from paying for a percentage of an individual employee’s salary toward a single annual fee that captures salary and benefits plus behind‑the‑scenes services. "So that's how we came up with the 120,000," said Becky Stoneman, who introduced the proposal and asked the board for input before taking the figure to the city.

Lieutenant Kevin Smythe, who described several years of discussions with county IT leadership, said the change would bring the city’s payment closer to what the county already charges other entities. "This is really just bringing them in line with what we are charging other entities,"…