Board approves $25,000 LOST award to Siouxland Initiative and de-authorizes vacant maintenance position

At a regular meeting, the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors approved two budget actions for FY27: a $25,000 local-option sales tax (LOST) award to the Siouxland Initiative and a $78,866 budget reduction to de-authorize a frozen sixth maintenance position in Building Services.

Budget Director Ryan Arneson introduced the late $25,000 request from the Siouxland Initiative, which the board had funded in prior years for professional-development workshops and community programming. Supervisor Beninger moved to approve the LOST award; Supervisor Nelson seconded the motion. Board members said the program provides workshops countywide and that staff could request better documentation in future award cycles. The motion passed 5-0.

During the miscellaneous budget review, supervisors discussed a maintenance position that was created in October 2024 then frozen during a tight budget year. Building staff reported one long‑vacant maintenance slot and recruitment challenges due to locally low comparable wages. Supervisor Nelson moved a budget reduction equal to one full‑time maintenance position ($78,866) to de-authorize the position for FY27, with Supervisor Beninger seconding. Supervisors said they plan to revisit wages for the five existing maintenance positions and coordinate with AFSCME. The motion passed 5-0; the formal de‑authorization paperwork will appear on a future agenda.

Both actions were approved by unanimous vote and will be implemented through standard administrative steps: the LOST award will be funded out of available LOST allocations and the building‑services budget will reflect the $78,866 reduction until formal de‑authorization is processed.

The board also discussed the possibility of reallocating underspent CIP money if a demolition project comes in under budget, but did not take action on reallocation at this meeting.