Committee approves IT and sheriff capital budgets, green-lights highway road work and defers vehicle-leasing decisions

ASHLAND, Wis. — The Finance and Economic Development Committee approved a set of capital budget requests and directed staff to revisit vehicle-purchase versus leasing options for highway equipment. The committee approved the county IT replacement budget for 2026, including an approximately $192,000 replacement cycle for end-of-life hardware. The sheriff’s department capital requests — which included vehicle leases, equipment for jail improvements and new bulletproof vests — were also approved for the 2026 plan after committee discussion. On highway capital, the committee approved the roads program for 2026 while postponing approval of the highway equipment (vehicles) budget pending further review of leasing versus purchasing options. Committee members noted a large federal/state grant (discussed as a roughly $2.1–$2.3 million flat federal grant for a specific project) that funds a major piece of next year’s road program; the county’s requested debt levy for road construction remains consistent with prior years at about $1.2 million. Several highway-related items drew substantive discussion: plow-truck replacement cycles, in-house truck building as a potential cost-saver once the county mechanic is on staff, and the timing of short-term borrowing used to fund capital spending in November–December and retire the notes in February. Highway staff and consultants explained a typical fleet-replacement rotation and said that new trucks often begin service on state highways (which reimburse the county) before rotating to county roads. The committee asked staff to provide a vehicle-purchasing policy comparison and leasing cost estimates so members can decide whether to lease or buy certain highway and supervisor vehicles. Public works staff told the committee that local truck-building capability could reduce per-truck costs once the county’s shop is set up for tier-1 service and diagnostic access.