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Linn County treasurer previews FY2026 budget, proposes switch to new appointment system tied to state fee changes
Summary
Treasurer Brent Olson presented a FY2026 appropriation request and recommended replacing the county's Qmatic queuing system with a web‑based appointment platform (No Wait Inside) to reduce costs and shorten lobby wait times. Officials said revenue increases from House File 674 should offset most budget impacts.
Brent Olson, Linn County treasurer, outlined staffing changes, software issues and a preliminary FY2026 budget that requests $4,470,195 in appropriations and projects $7,000,847 in revenues.
Olson and Finance Director Dawn Schindrich told supervisors the county expects a substantial revenue increase tied to House File 674, which modifies motor‑vehicle title and related fees and takes effect Jan. 1. Schindrich said the change will raise title issuance revenue by an estimated $730,000 based on roughly 58,000 titles per year and increase lean (lien?) perfection revenue by about $312,000, figures the treasurer’s office used in its revenue projection.
The treasurer’s office also described operational and customer‑service problems with the county’s existing Qmatic queuing system. Motor vehicle deputies said support for Qmatic has been limited since their regional representative assignment lapsed and that bringing Qmatic back to a fully supported, cloud‑based environment would require a large upfront migration fee and ongoing licensing costs.
"When our Qmatic systems have gone down, there isn't anyone Midwest. We don't have a Midwest rep that we can get somebody on‑site," deputy Lacey Hastings said, describing delays and a customer‑service queue that slowed problem resolution.
As an alternative, staff recommended No Wait Inside, a web‑based appointment system used by other Iowa counties. Hastings said the vendor offers 24/7 support, a lower upfront cost and the ability for county staff to make many backend changes directly. "They are willing to come on‑site and help us if we need it," she said, and the system can handle both appointments and walk‑ins via an iPad kiosk.
Treasurer staff proposed an initial focus on title transfers for appointments, leaving most renewal and tag transactions available as walk‑ins during an introductory period. Olson said the switch, combined with two staffing reclassifications and one additional universal clerk, would produce net savings when measured against the costs of updating and supporting Qmatic.
At the end of the presentation, the board voted to preliminarily approve the treasurer’s FY2026 appropriation and revenue projections. The treasurer’s office will return with final budget language and follow‑up on the vendor selection and implementation plan.
The board did not take a final contract award on the appointment system during the Dec. 18 meeting and deferred any procurement details and contract execution to future staff work and follow‑up meetings.
