Madison County officials at a work session discussed how to spend a federal award of $273,189.58, settling on placeholder allocations and agreeing to draft an itemized resolution for the board to consider next Tuesday.

The amount — $273,189.58 — was announced early in the discussion by Unidentified Speaker 2: "And the number is $273,189.58." The group agreed to plan using the stated full amount as a working total while leaving room for adjustments once firm quotes arrive.

Officials proposed several major placeholders. Unidentified Speaker 3 summarized the working plan as roughly $60,000 for technology updates (including website work, software and cameras), about $50,000 for Monument Park repairs and arch work, $100,000 for a courthouse generator and about $150,000 for a combined health-and-safety capital improvements category. "Technology update 60,000. Courthouse generator was specific. It's 100. ... Health and safety capital improvements. 150," Unidentified Speaker 3 said while recapping the totals.

Monument Park repairs were discussed in some detail. Participants identified two line items: an arch removal/clean/fabricate line estimated at about $12,000 and broader monument work described in the tens of thousands. Unidentified Speaker 1 described vandalism at the monument and the urgency for repairs: "Now they're crawling over the fence and taking off chunks of the monument." The group agreed to include a monument-specific placeholder in their in-house tracking but fold those dollars into the broader capital-improvements entry submitted to the funder.

Participants debated camera procurement and sourcing. Unidentified Speaker 3 raised concerns about one vendor’s equipment, saying that particular device "would link to our network and be data back to Chinese," and noted a U.S.-made alternative was available. Cost estimates for camera systems varied in the discussion, with one participant describing bids in the "$40-something thousand" range. The group agreed to include cameras within the broader technology placeholder rather than as a separate, narrowly labeled line.

Speakers also discussed a courthouse generator as a safety priority because the courthouse serves as an emergency shelter during severe weather and is used in active-shooter protocols. Unidentified Speaker 1 urged prioritizing continuity and safety: the courthouse is used to shelter schoolchildren in storms, which factored into the recommendation for a generator.

On restrictions and risk, participants expressed uncertainty about funder rules. Unidentified Speaker 1 asked whether underspending or misclassification might require returning funds; the group did not resolve that question during the session. The meeting also discussed opioid-settlement funds and their allowable uses, with one participant saying fund rules had been described inconsistently as "can be nothing" or "only be your opioids," and noting the funds are federal and could carry conditions.

Next steps: the group agreed to draft an itemized resolution for the board to consider next Tuesday to "see if this passes muster" with the funder’s requirements, to obtain quotes (generator, courthouse work, technology/cameras) and to adjust placeholders once exact costs are known. Unidentified Speaker 3 directed procurement follow-ups and asked staff to return with estimates before final approval.

The work session concluded with participants agreeing to prepare the resolution and to revisit the allocations when formal quotes and clarifications on allowable uses are available.