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EMA director proposes shifting tower expenses into dedicated tower fund to trim county contribution
Summary
Emergency Management recommended using the tower fund to cover tower maintenance and access controls, reducing EMA’s general fund request; board asked for fund balance details and approved scheduling of budget amendment hearings.
Emergency Management coordinator Zach Rasmussen presented the department’s recommended 2027 budget and a proposal to move tower‑related operating costs into the county’s separate tower fund at the Jan. 27 meeting.
Rasmussen said he trimmed several EMA line items and "came down to $5,062,50" (transcript value) after considering transfers and reserves, and proposed that ongoing tower maintenance and security (access control and camera installations) be paid from the tower fund rather than EMA’s tax‑supported budget. He told the board the tower fund currently brings in about "$70 to $75,000 a year" from lease revenue and could absorb items such as on‑site maintenance and access controls; that move would lower EMA’s budget request to roughly $4.48 million in one scenario presented to the board.
The board asked for follow‑up details — projected tower fund balances, the one‑time microwave link and technical service purchases that affect the 2027 budget and the expected recurring cost profile. Supervisors also discussed using the tower fund to add access control at six tower sites and whether EMA would make up any difference in operating costs. Staff said they would return with detailed fund balances and proposed transfers before the public budget amendment hearing scheduled for Feb. 24.
