Commissioners approve $750,000 opt‑out resolution as budget authority while discussing reserves and timelines

The Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to approve Resolution 2025‑20 establishing an opt‑out levy authority of $750,000 for the 2026 budget. Commissioners approved the measure after staff and commissioners discussed county cash reserves, the timing of a courtroom renovation RFP and statutory deadlines that affect when an opt‑out can appear on a ballot or be referred by petition.

A motion to approve “Resolution 2025‑20 for $750,000” passed on a roll call vote. Commissioners recorded ayes from Gilbertson, Teasey, Brady, Brayler and Mokler; the clerk announced the motion passed and asked commissioners to sign the resolution. The commission noted that adopting an opt‑out establishes budget authority only; if later the commission or staff determine they do not need the full amount, they can choose not to include the entire opt‑out amount in the final levy. Commissioners also noted that if the public petitions to refer the opt‑out to a vote, that would trigger a special‑election cost and could affect timing for project decisions.

Staff discussed the county’s cash balance and reserve targets in the context of the opt‑out. On the departmental spreadsheets and cash balance estimates, staff said the county was roughly $410,000 short of meeting a 15% reserve target under the presented numbers. Staff estimated that reaching a 15% target would require roughly $1.6–1.8 million in on‑hand balances after accounting for built‑in statutory cushions; the meeting also referenced a statutory “lehi 5%” cushion figure (about $600,000) included in the provisional budget spreadsheet. Officials urged caution because final project costs for the courtroom remodel were unknown and could be higher than a conceptual $600,000 estimate.

Before the opt‑out vote, the commission briefly entered executive session to discuss contractual and legal matters under the executive‑session citation referenced on the record as “1‑25‑2 subsection 3.” The commission returned to open session and then approved the opt‑out resolution.

Ending: Commissioners signed the opt‑out resolution and directed staff to continue refining budget numbers, to monitor RFP scoring on July 28 and to provide final budget figures in time for the statutory budget adoption schedule; they reiterated the opt‑out is a budget authority and can be reduced or removed later if project bids come in lower or if the commission chooses not to use full authority.