Story County reviews FY26 facilities budget, flags keyless-entry update, HVAC purchases and parking-lot work

Story County supervisors and facilities staff met Feb. 5 for a work session on the proposed Fiscal Year 2026 facilities budget, focusing on several capital projects and recurring operating-cost increases.

The meeting foregrounded several near-term capital and maintenance items: a required keyless-entry firmware and hardware update that facilities staff said must be completed before December, a plan to buy the remaining heat pumps for county buildings sooner than previously scheduled, replacement of a failing domestic water backflow preventer at the Administration Building, ongoing generator testing and fuel costs, and a multi-part parking‑lot replacement at the Justice Center that staff estimated would exceed $200,000 if done in one phase.

Why it matters: the items carry one-time capital costs and recurring increases that affect operating budgets across county properties. Staff said some work could…