Council debates $4 million go bond and timetable for vehicle‑excise surtax hearing

Council members spent a prolonged portion of the meeting debating a proposed $4,000,000 'go bond' that would fund capital projects identified by the commissioners, including road and bridge work, sheriff vehicles and certain IT upgrades. The chair said the commissioners plan to pursue $4,000,000 and would return half of that as reimbursements to county departments; council members repeatedly asked for a project list before adopting an ordinance.

A council member asked for a concrete list of capital projects and insisted the projects be clearly stated before bond adoption: "I would like to have a list of the actual capital projects," the council member said, urging staff to prepare details for review and to circulate them before any ordinance is approved. Others pressed about tax consequences and whether existing public‑safety or road taxes should be offset to keep the net tax impact neutral for residents.

On a related ordinance, the council discussed a proposed county vehicle excise surtax (ordinance 2025‑12) but tabled action on that measure to allow required advertising and to schedule a public hearing followed by a joint meeting so a second vote could be taken if necessary. Staff noted state deadlines for budget forms (form 3) require the council to place the item on the agenda this month if they want it considered for the 2026 budget.

Next steps: staff will assemble and circulate a list of proposed capital projects, and council and commissioners will place the go‑bond agreement and the vehicle excise surtax on upcoming agendas for a public hearing and subsequent vote in order to meet state filing deadlines.