County approves $57,600 purchase for priority-based budgeting software after debate

Dunn County supervisors voted to approve a one-time budget adjustment of $57,600 to purchase priority-based budgeting software from Tyler Technologies, a decision supporters said would produce a detailed inventory of county programs and costs for the 2026 budget cycle.

The purchase drew debate before a roll-call vote. Presenters described the tool as a program-level analysis system that maps county services, breaks costs into personnel and nonpersonnel components, scores services by impact and mandate level and offers comparative examples and options other places have used. The presenters said the company’s work can identify “high-cost, low-impact” programs and suggested the tool can help boards prioritize discretionary spending.

Opponents and some supervisors asked whether department heads had been fully consulted, whether other vendors were considered and about the risk of concentrating county program data with a single firm. County staff responded the product in question has been in the priority-based-budgeting market for years and was acquired recently by Tyler; presenters said there are few equivalent vendors at the government level and that the purchase was for a single-year, one-time cost. Several supervisors said they wanted department-head input during validation after the vendor populates the county’s program inventory.

The motion passed by roll call 19–5. The board’s action authorized a budget adjustment to pay a one-time vendor fee and to allow department heads to validate and correct program inventories after the vendor’s initial work.