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Kossuth County budget workshop focuses on IT pay, benefits and equipment purchases
Summary
At a Kossuth County budget workshop, county staff discussed IT director pay, health insurance, hardware purchases and a modest increase to a vendor line item while supervisors said they will hold general raises to 4% for budgeting purposes.
Kossuth County reopened a budget workshop and heard county staff discuss market data for IT wages, proposed staffing increases and near-term equipment purchases, while supervisors said they will plan budgets using a 4% across‑the‑board increase for now.
County staff said local Bureau of Labor Statistics job‑code data show IT management pay in the region has risen and that the county’s IT director salary is “falling a little bit behind.” Derek (county staff member) said the BLS data show 90th percentile, 75th percentile and mean wages and that, after comparing nearby jurisdictions, “I think we should probably be somewhere in the 128 range.”
The discussion matters because county officials said they must balance market competitiveness with fund balances and a consistent budgeting approach. A presiding official (not otherwise identified in the transcript) told staff, “for our budgeting purposes at the moment, we're going to stick consistently with that 4% and see where we're at.”
County staff described the wage request and how it would translate to percentage increases. Derek said targeting a $128,000 salary for the IT director would amount to “a little bit over 6%. A little bit less than 7%” for that position compared with its current salary. He also noted the BLS data he cited are two years old.
Staff and supervisors discussed benefits and other personnel costs. Derek said the county should move the health insurance line to $75,000 “because we do have 3 family plans.” He also identified two current employees by first name, saying “Scott and Christina” have the same current wage “59” in the transcript; the transcript does not specify units or whether that figure is $59,000.
On equipment, Derek said purchases of storage area network (SAN) hardware and other computer replacements will be split across two fiscal years. “One this fiscal year, one next fiscal year,” he said, adding the county is waiting on an alternate quote and expects one purchase in June and one in July.
Staff noted a modest, discretionary increase to a vendor line item. Derek said he increased the “solutions” line item (account 435‑5221) by $14,000 to cover anticipated vendor renewals and a potential “Solutions/Harris” increase, but he cautioned the size of any increase remains uncertain and the item “could be negative.”
Supervisors and staff said they want to compare compensation consistently across departments before making final adjustments. Derek and others repeatedly cautioned that market conditions for IT roles may warrant higher pay than a flat 4% increase, while supervisors emphasized maintaining fund balance and an administrable, uniform approach to the preliminary budget.
Less urgent budget items and routine details were discussed after the wage and equipment discussion. The workshop paused for lunch and scheduled a return to secondary roads business later in the afternoon.
Ending: The county did not take a formal vote on pay changes during the session; supervisors directed staff to continue refining the proposed budget using the 4% planning assumption while noting market data for some positions may require later adjustments.
