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Finance committee reallocates $525,000 in sales-tax projections to fund county jail HVAC replacement
Summary
Committee members approved a $525,000 increase in sales-tax allocation to the capital improvement program to fund a high-priority jail air-handler and chiller replacement, citing end-of-life risk and operational impacts on inmate housing.
The Marathon County Finance & Property Committee unanimously approved a motion on Oct. 7 to increase the sales-tax allocation to the capital improvement program by $525,000 to fund a top-priority jail HVAC replacement project.
Deputy Administrator Holman and facilities staff told the committee the air-handler and chiller serving a jail housing unit are at or near end of life and that replacement has operational implications if the system fails. "If it were to fail, then you may have to move people around," Holman said, describing the project as the committee's highest facilities priority.
Committee members discussed the trade-offs of using more aggressive sales-tax revenue projections versus a conservative budgeting approach. Finance director Sam explained the county currently budgets sales tax conservatively (the proposed 2026 projection used by administration was $16.3 million) but noted external forecasters have predicted higher receipts. Sam also highlighted strong investment returns this year from the Local Government Investment Pool and other instruments, which have improved overall balances.
Chair Gibbs moved to increase sales-tax revenue assumptions and the 2026 CIP expenditure by $525,000 to cover the jail HVAC project; Supervisor Lemmer seconded. The motion carried on a unanimous voice vote.
Administration and finance staff noted the county can pursue different funding strategies but warned that signing contracts early on capital projects risks exposure if revenue falls short of projections. The committee directed staff to proceed with the jail HVAC as a higher-priority CIP item under the revised sales-tax allocation.
