Members of the finance committee asked county staff Tuesday to prepare two new recurring products: a three‑year rolling budget projection and a longer‑term capital improvement budget. The committee also requested a department‑by‑department inventory of the county’s checking accounts and certificates of deposit, with bank name, account purpose and masked account identifiers.

Committee members said the documents will help the committee identify large expenditures and revenue trends, evaluate debt and prepare for contract renewals. Several members urged at least monthly or quarterly reporting of account balances and CD holdings; others said an annual inventory would suffice if it lists department, bank and account purpose and masks account numbers using the last three or four digits.

Speakers referenced the Rita Crundwell embezzlement case as a reason to keep a full inventory and to track unusual account activity. Staff told the committee the auditor can provide account detail during audit work and that the committee’s request is feasible: staff will provide a list of accounts by department and the purpose of each account, with masked account numbers where appropriate.

Committee members flagged incoming deposits tied to solar‑farm permits. Staff said the county expects refundable deposits (an example amount discussed was $250 per permit) to cover inspection and permitting fees and asked that the committee track those funds by project account so permit revenue and related expenses are not commingled.

The committee also discussed certificates of deposit and investment returns. As clarifying detail, staff reported a recently matured $500,000 CD was rolled over at 3.75 percent for one month; the treasurer earlier reported rolling other instruments at different rates. The committee asked staff to report CD rates and maturities as part of the inventory.

Votes at a glance
- Claims: The committee approved the claims listing. Roll call recorded yes votes from Geiser, Scott, Frode and Watts; the motion carried.

Next steps include: staff compiling a departmentized list of bank accounts and CDs (mask last 3–4 digits), producing a three‑year rolling budget projection, and developing a longer‑term capital improvement list for committee review. Staff and department heads will provide the account inventory electronically for the committee’s next meeting.

No formal changes to policy were adopted at the meeting; the committee instructed staff to return the requested documents and to flag any accounts or balances of note.