Kossuth County reviews budget priorities: insurance, deputies' pay, parking lot and wind‑tax receipts
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Summary
During a budget workshop the county auditor and department heads reviewed preliminary fund balances, health‑insurance increases, pay proposals for election workers and deputies, the courthouse parking‑lot idea, and projected wind‑farm TIF receipts of about $1,015,941 for fiscal 26/27.
Kossuth County supervisors spent a substantial portion of their meeting on budget‑workshop items, hearing line‑by‑line updates from the auditor and department heads and flagging several items for follow‑up.
The auditor told the board preliminary fund balances are in the public budget folder and warned the insurance numbers in the draft budget use current year figures that will be updated once new rates arrive. Supervisors were told initial insurance proposals showed an approximate 12% increase; staff will seek options including higher employee deductibles or a high‑deductible plan to limit employer cost.
Elections and personnel issues drew specific attention. The auditor said a special election for March 3 was possible (confirmation pending) and recommended raising precinct election worker pay from $12 to $13 per hour; the $28,600 election line includes that $13 rate. Department heads requested two clerks and mechanic positions in the engineer’s shop, and road staff noted open positions for a sweeper operator and mechanics.
Sheriff’s office figures also drew discussion. The sheriff’s representative said deputies have a negotiated 3% wage increase in the contract and that overtime and holiday pay raise the effective cost per deputy (overtime/holiday were estimated at roughly $10,000–$16,000 per deputy in aggregate). The board also discussed longevity pay questions and union contract interactions; staff will return next week with clarifications.
On capital projects, board members reviewed the courthouse parking‑lot repaving conversation (previously estimated broadly at $25,000–$50,000 for materials and partial county work), and staff pointed the board to a Buffalo Township Urban Renewal folder summarizing estimated TIF receipts tied to wind projects. The auditor noted estimated wind‑related TIF receipts for fiscal 26/27 total about $1,015,941 and that, if the county certifies no new debt, the reconciliation shows about $194,742 available above certified debt.
