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Madison County supervisors hold public hearing on proposed fiscal 2026 budget amid warnings on service cuts and IT outsourcing
Summary
At a public hearing, Madison County residents urged caution about cuts to public health, raised privacy and transparency concerns over a proposed IT outsourcing plan, and questioned levy-chart accuracy; the board said it slightly lowered the proposed levy but budgeted nearly $100,000 for a potential forensic audit of the treasurer's office. No final budget vote occurred at the hearing.
MADISON COUNTY — The Madison County Board of Supervisors held a public hearing on the proposed fiscal 2026 budget where residents raised concerns about service cuts, transparency and a plan to outsource the county IT department.
The board chair opened the hearing by explaining the mailed notice residents received, which shows current and effective property tax rates and the proposed levy. The chair said the board told the state on March 5 its maximum levy and then decided not to collect more taxes than last year; the board nonetheless chose to lower the levy slightly and set aside funds “for a potential forensic audit of the treasurer’s office,” an amount the chair described as nearly $100,000.
Public commenters focused on the service implications of cutting department budgets and on a proposed outsourcing of county IT services. “I would urge the board of supervisors to simply table the idea of outsourcing the IT department until more research and a cost‑benefit analysis has been done,” said Vicky Brenner of Winterset, who argued the county IT director handles records access, VPN and meeting recordings and that a vendor identified as Solutions has been reported to have problems. Brenner referenced comments she said were made by Supervisor Stansell about the vendor’s ongoing issues and asked the board to postpone any outsourcing decision.
Steve Neal of Jackson Township told supervisors cuts already proposed will have “long term negative effect on Madison County,” saying several departments removed vehicle requests and that the public health budget was cut by about $250,000 with an additional $40,000 reduction requested. “The cuts you're making will drastically affect services here in Madison County,” Neal said.
Other residents challenged the county’s mailed charts and reporting. Chris Jordan of Peru questioned why part of West Des Moines was omitted from the chart and why the Orient Massiford School District appears despite reports the district voted to dissolve; the chair said the county’s information comes from documents submitted to the state Department of Management and noted the county’s record shows the district’s official end date as 07/01/2026.
Mary Catherine Bitterlo, a registered nurse with decades of local health experience, said assessed property values are rising rapidly and that the levy must fall to hold taxes steady while acknowledging the difficulty of balancing services with changing valuations.
Procedural motions during the meeting included a motion to receive and file the public comments and a motion to adjourn the hearing; both were approved by voice vote. The board did not take a final vote on the full budget at the public hearing. The chair reminded residents that the hearing allowed up to 10 minutes per speaker and said the meeting would stop a few minutes before 7 p.m. to accommodate a Board of Adjustment meeting.
What happens next: The board has already reported a maximum levy to the state and proposed a modest reduction in the levy for fiscal 2026; the county’s budget process will continue according to statutory timelines and administrative procedures. Residents were directed to city councils or schools for questions about municipal levies or school‑district decisions that originate at those local bodies.
