Warren County support services committee approves staffing, budget moves and $60,000 AV upgrade

The Warren County Support Services Committee on Tuesday approved a package of personnel and budget actions, minor purchasing-policy edits and a $60,000 contract to overhaul the board-room audio-visual system.

Julie, a purchasing department representative, told the committee that the packet included "just two very minor changes to the purchasing policy" to expand exemptions for dental, medical and counseling services beyond the mental-health department and to update a committee-meeting reference in the legislative rule. The committee voted to approve the amendments.

The committee also approved staffing and budget adjustments requested by the county clerk to re-fund a principal legal recording clerk and defund a legal clerk following an internal promotion; staff estimated the prorated cost to the current budget year at about $50,000 and said next year’s increase would likely be about $20,000. The motion to transfer funds and effect the staffing change was carried.

County Administrator requested a salary correction for the risk and safety officer after a payroll entry error reduced pay when the position was treated as 30 hours instead of the intended 40 hours at the approved salary level. "It is very critical, particularly at this time, that we retain this person," the county administrator said; the committee approved the adjustment and the related fund transfers.

The committee recognized insurance recovery revenue related to the replacement of a Department of Social Services vehicle and voted to move that item forward.

On technology, staff recommended accepting a proposal from Call One to replace table microphones with overhead microphones and to sync the board-room audio and video systems. The vendor’s proposal was for $60,000 to be paid from the computer reserve; staff said Call One offered remote monitoring and a user interface for dais control. Committee members asked whether the vendor was the lowest bidder and whether prior expenditures would be recovered; staff said Call One submitted the lowest viable bid and that older purchased microphones would remain county property but that the new system should resolve longstanding YouTube/audience audio problems.

Other budget items approved included moving excess general-liability funding into an insurance reserve (the amount identified in committee materials was $80,653.71) to create a dedicated pool for settling claims going forward, and the committee voted to accept donated law-office furniture for the county attorney’s office under the statutory process.

The meeting ended after a brief public comment and a community announcement. Several motions carried with the committee responding "Aye"; the transcript records the votes as called but does not list individual roll-call tallies in the committee record.

What happens next: items moved to the floor will proceed to the full Board of Supervisors for consideration on the dates and processes required by county procedure.