Story County creates a new Range House budget as staff plan network, alarms and automation

Story County supervisors and facilities staff agreed at a Feb. 5 work session to create a standalone FY26 budget for the new Range House, reflecting its expected increase in usage, a planned network connection and building automation and alarm systems.

Facilities staff said the Range House will be added to the county’s building automation system (FinSTACK), include intrusion‑alarm monitoring tied to county systems, and be connected to the county network so staff can monitor temperatures and receive automated alerts. Joby Brogdon, facilities management director, said staff plan to tie the building’s alarms and its pressurized septic‑system float sensors into the same automation alerts the county uses for other properties.

Why it matters: the separate budget will capture one-time build-out costs and ongoing operating expenses for a facility that staff expect to use more frequently once networked and monitored.

Bro gdon estimated roughly $24,000 in one‑time hardware costs for initial cameras, automation hardware and alarm integration. He said some camera and monitoring fees will be borne by the Sheriff’s office build‑out when the system is added to the Sheriff’s milestone video system, which could reduce costs charged to the facilities budget. County staff said the internet connection for the Range House is expected to be provided through IT and accounted for in the IT budget rather than in facilities operating lines.

Staff also flagged operational items the new budget will track: custodial supplies, utilities (estimated using comparable properties), routine inspections, and a small contingency for warranty work in the first year. Because the Range House uses a pressurized septic system, Brogdon said staff will tie the septic float alarms into the building automation system so staff receive text messages before a problem escalates.

Discussion versus decision: the board signaled agreement to create a separate Range House budget and asked staff to return final line items once IT confirms networking costs and Sheriff’s office monitoring arrangements. No formal vote was recorded during the work session.