Kossuth County budget workshop spotlights IT pay gap, equipment timing and dispatch cost sharing with Algona

Kossuth County staff and elected officials used a budget workshop to discuss pay for the county IT director, timing for planned computer and storage purchases, contingency funding for vendor fees, and how the county and the City of Algona will split ambulance and dispatch costs as they update an informal agreement.

Derek, an IT staff presenter, said he used Bureau of Labor Statistics payroll data for Northwest Iowa to benchmark IT-management pay and that the county’s IT director “should probably be somewhere in the 128 range,” noting that nearby Fairmont, Minnesota (Martin County) shows a higher top end at about 130,000 in the county’s comparison data. He added that the BLS figures he cited are two years old and that health‑insurance changes last year “didn't help.”

The pay discussion matters because county leaders said they are balancing market pressures against available fund balances. One county official said the board is temporarily modeling a 4% across‑the‑board increase for budgeting purposes while staff collect more detailed market and benefits information. Derek said a market‑based increase for the IT director would translate to “a little bit over 6%, a little bit less than 7%,” if the county were to align that position to the 128 figure.

On specific budget line items, Derek said he increased the “solutions” line (account 435‑5221) by $14,000 to provide a conservative buffer for expected increases from vendor contracts referenced as “Solutions/Harris.” He warned the county could become negative in that line if vendor increases exceed the buffer. Derek also asked that the county move the health‑insurance line to $75,000 to reflect three family plans on the rolls.

IT capital needs and timing were discussed. Derek said planned SAN (storage area network) and computer replacements will be split over two fiscal years, with one purchase expected in June and the other in July, and that staff are waiting on a secondary quote before finalizing the purchase plan.

Payroll details were discussed briefly: the names Scott and Christina were confirmed as county employees, and a payroll amount of “59” was cited for both; the transcript does not specify the unit for that figure. Board members said there was some overlap in staffing and training during a recent transition.

Public‑safety funding and an intergovernmental agreement were a second focus. Officials described the county’s Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) or dispatch center arrangement with the City of Algona as a long‑standing split model. A county participant said there are 111 PSAPs in Iowa and that Kossuth County is one of the counties with a split PSAP (city plus county). The city has requested changes to the percentages each entity pays; officials said the city’s share was described in the workshop as 13% and was stated as 59,500. County staff said that city portion would be funded from the EMS levy.

County staff noted they are operating with no formal legal agreement in place with the city for the dispatch center and discussed using an intergovernmental contract mechanism referenced in the meeting as “20 AD” to formalize responsibilities and cost allocation. Participants said negotiations are expected to take time but that there will be movement toward a formal agreement.

No formal decisions or votes were recorded during this portion of the workshop; the group recessed for lunch and planned to return for a discussion of secondary roads at 1:15 p.m.