Dade County moves to reallocate SPLOST funds; approves IT server purchase and updates project estimates

Commissioners reviewed and placed on the consent agenda a resolution to reallocate 2021 SPLOST budgeted projects to reflect higher-than-expected SPLOST receipts and changing project needs.

Staff said the county now expects roughly $5.35 million more in SPLOST proceeds than initial estimates used when the referendum passed. Among the recommended adjustments were an increase in the broad “county projects” line item (to cover a $500,000 match for a forestry land grant and other needs), a projected jump in the Elections Building estimate from $400,000 to $2,000,000 (staff said value engineering could lower that to about $1.7 million), higher road-paving and public-works equipment line items, an increase for technology infrastructure, and reductions in parks & recreation and senior-center allocations (the latter largely covered instead by ARPA funding).

Separately, county IT staff presented a procurement request to replace older servers that support public-safety systems, financial systems, the tax commission database and other county applications. Staff described four existing servers that require replacement and proposed acquiring three new servers sized to provide redundancy and continuity of operations; staff said the county’s long-standing IT contractors (Lightfoot/Mark Networks) will assist with transition and post-installation support. The three-server estimate discussed in the workshop totaled about $59,004.18–$59,906.25 per unit in the presented materials (staff estimated a total allocation consistent with the technology increase in the SPLOST reallocation).

Commissioners discussed funding lines and departmental allocations, and staff said the city of Trenton would also receive its contractual share of additional SPLOST receipts. The reallocation resolution and the server purchase were included in the consent agenda and were approved in the evening roll-call vote.