Polk County presents third‑quarter FY2025 budget amendment after revenue uptick

Deb Anderson, county staff member, presented Polk County’s third‑quarter amendment for fiscal 2025, saying the county has seen higher-than-anticipated revenues and is adjusting appropriations to carry it through the rest of the fiscal year.

The amendment increases projected interest earnings by about $1,500,000 to an estimated $9,500,000 and raises service-of-civil-papers revenue by roughly $900,000 to about $4,000,000, Anderson said. Other revenue adjustments named in her presentation included roughly $400,000 from the City of Des Moines toward a life services center, about $100,000 in initial payments tied to disability access work, and reimbursements to the county for two ARPA-funded projects.

Anderson also identified non‑general‑fund revenues: a $750,000 Department of Justice grant for a resource center construction project and roughly $600,000 in donations to the Easter Lake North Shore construction through the Great Outdoors Foundation. She said the county will reduce timing on a planned bond issuance by about $10,500,000 and is trimming revenues and expenditures in behavioral health by about $8,500,000 as the county phases out direct administration of a mental‑health program.

On the expenditure side, Anderson listed an overall general‑fund increase of about $1,200,000 for personal services tied largely to accrued leave payouts and severance costs, and noted the jail budget needs additional personal‑services funding because a 24/7 operation incurs overtime when vacancies occur. She said IT subscription and maintenance expenses are up about $800,000, refugee resettlement funding approved by the board accounts for about $500,000, and jail food costs are trending about $400,000 higher.

Other adjustments included an expected $200,000 in conservation flood expenses (with possible future FEMA reimbursement), increased telephone costs, a $200,000 line for energy‑credit tax consulting in a non‑general fund, and a $100,000 security audit and audiovisual work for senior center upgrades. Anderson said the medical examiner requested about $135,000 for equipment including cots and cameras.

Anderson described several large “in and out” items that net to zero for the general fund: about $1.5 million in grant adjustments, $1.6 million for water quality work, and a $1.5 million Healthy Homes program. She said board funds previously budgeted for a bi‑directional amplifier (BDA) would be moved to the sheriff’s budget to incorporate the work into a Raycom contract.

On larger capital and pass‑through items, Anderson said the county expects to receive $243,000,000 in bond proceeds that will be passed to the airport and noted $2,000,000 flowing through for Central Iowa workforce development. She said secondary roads projects include city contributions for asphalt improvements and about $200,000 in energy‑efficiency rebates reinvested in county projects.

Anderson said the county authorized publication of a public hearing for this budget amendment yesterday; the auditor’s office will publish the notice and the hearing is set for May 20. After brief questions from supervisors, no additional changes were requested at the meeting and staff said they will incorporate any public input before final submission to the auditor’s office.

The presentation included several items county staff said would be trued up in subsequent budget cycles or by future reimbursements, and several line items were described as timing changes rather than permanent increases.