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Visiting city official gives updated dispatch budget figures; county explores cost options
Summary
A city official from Macaukona presented forward-looking dispatch costs and said the city plans to add a leadership position ahead of a 2027 retirement; supervisors discussed differences between audited prior-year numbers and the new $606,000 projection and the need for architect estimates on relocation costs.
A visiting city official identified in the meeting as Josh Bolt (City of Macaukona) told Jackson County supervisors on Jan. 13 that his city is submitting updated dispatch cost figures to the county auditor for the upcoming budget process and expects to advertise a leadership position to replace a retiree scheduled to leave on March 1, 2027.
Bolt said the $606,000 number presented to the board is forward-looking — based on planned personnel and anticipated costs for the next fiscal year — and therefore differs from the prior-year audited figure used in the earlier intergovernmental agreement. Board members asked whether the new figure represented an ongoing guaranteed payment; Bolt and staff said the number reflects budget planning and will be reconciled after fiscal-year close and audit.
Supervisors asked for clarification about whether architect estimates requested by the intergovernmental group would cover only equipment moves or also building renovations. Meeting participants said renovations could be significant, and discussion included high-level, order-of-magnitude concerns (speakers referenced potential combined renovation and relocation costs in the hundreds of thousands to around $1,000,000 as part of planning scenarios).
Bolt told the board he would forward the updated figures to the county auditor and the municipalities so the numbers can be incorporated into the county budget process. County staff and supervisors agreed that additional cost estimates and an architect review would be useful before any relocation or construction commitments.
