Sean Schneider, Winneshiek County’s emergency management coordinator, presented the county’s emergency-management budget and warned the 911 operations fund faces a multi-year shortfall unless surcharge or revenue changes occur.

What he said: Schneider told the supervisors he expects to return roughly $850,000 to the county from early payoff of a power project, but he also outlined persistent operating pressures in 911: "there's gonna be about 546,000 and change in total expenses versus the revenue of about 351,302... a 195,000 in the hole," he said, and added that an anticipated $70,000 radio upgrade every five years further strains the fund.

Why it matters: Schneider said the composition of 911 funding has shifted as landline revenue declines and wireless surcharge money is routed through a state-level pool, reducing county receipts. He described previous legislative efforts to increase the per-line surcharge and said future changes are being discussed but are uncertain.

Board response and options: Supervisors and staff discussed possible approaches, including revising the surcharge matrix, building a capital improvement plan for 911, leveraging carryover balances and identifying other funding mechanisms. Schneider said he will continue to confer with county staff and the 911 board and return with potential solutions during the budget cycle.

Caveats: Figures were presented by Schneider as projections for planning; no new county action or appropriation was approved during the meeting.