Jennifer Ashley, Boone County assessor, told the county council that she will reject the current vendor bids because the RFP specifications are inadequate and that she will either ask commissioners to extend the current vendor contract for one year or seek council funding to hire staff in-house. "At the next commissioner's meeting, I will be rejecting all bids due to the RFP specifications being inadequate," Ashley said.

The exchange grew into the meetings longest item. Ashley said the current vendor contract (referred to in discussion as GUTS) amounted to about $959,600 annually and that Nexus submitted a markedly lower proposal at roughly $280,000 per year. She framed the comparison in staffing terms: the vendor proposals and the assessors staffing plans differ sharply (she said Nexus proposed four people while the incumbent contract supports roughly 13 dedicated staff for Boone County), and the composition of work varies between vendors and county offices.

Council members pressed for specifics. Councilman Williams repeatedly asked how the assessor could suddenly find it feasible to hire in-house after earlier saying it was nearly impossible; Williams said the county could "save $2,700,000" over four years if it changed vendors and asked whether that figure was reliable. Ashley responded that while bringing positions in-house remains more expensive once benefits are included, the county could consider a one-year extension of the current contract while the assessor and county attorneys draft a clearer RFP after the short 2026 legislative session.

Several council members and an attorney on the dais emphasized limits of the councils authority. County legal counsel said the contracting authority rests with the commissioners and that the councils role is to fund salary or contract line items, not to execute contracts. "You are the body that goes to the funding," counsel said; "the commissioners are the executive body" with contracting authority, and staff promised to provide a statutory memo to clarify roles.

Council members also asked for apples-to-apples comparisons: if Nexuss lower price reflects a narrower scope, the auditor and treasurer should show what work each vendor would absorb and how many non-billable hours are currently performed under the incumbent contract. Several elected officials asked staff to return in January with a more detailed cost-and-staffing comparison and any legal guidance necessary for the council to act on salary appropriations if asked.

Next steps: Ashley said she will press commissioners to either extend the incumbent contract for one year while a new RFP is drafted, or if the extension is denied she will ask the council in January to reappropriate contract funds to payroll to hire needed positions. Legal counsel committed to preparing a memo on statutory contracting authority and options the council has within its budgetary role.