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Black Hawk County supervisors adopt package of cuts and shifts to close most of $273K FY27 budget gap
Summary
Supervisors voted to move several capital costs into reserves, suspend one full-time position for a year while adding a smaller part‑time role, and approve other small savings that together close about $267,265 of a roughly $273,322 shortfall; the board left a small remaining gap for staff to finalize before Tuesday’s meeting.
The Black Hawk County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday approved a series of budget adjustments intended to close most of a roughly $273,322 shortfall in the proposed FY27 general fund.Holding a work session on Feb. 25, the board voted to shift certain capital costs into reserves, suspend filling one full‑time attorney position for one year while funding a .36 FTE part‑time replacement, trim selected departmental items and accept other revenue adjustments. Finance staff said the actions amount to about $267,265 in cumulative change, leaving a remaining shortfall of roughly $6,000 to be reconciled before final certification.
The board’s actions included a motion to treat SEIS and similar capital items the same way as other capital spending — taking them from reserves where appropriate rather than the operating budget. The motion was seconded and passed on a roll call in which the named supervisors voted in favor.
Mike Henderson, director of Black Hawk County Conservation, urged the board to accept a conservative $45,000 timber/log-revenue assumption based on stand-mapping work, saying the department deliberately used a cautious number while they verify board-foot estimates. "We put $45,000 in there because we felt like using our stand mapping," Henderson said, describing the estimate as a staged, inventory-backed figure pending a tighter measurement.
Board members discussed tradeoffs that included courthouse security funding. Several members questioned whether funding a deputy dedicated to courthouse security should come from a fine-collection fund associated with the county attorney’s office or be a county obligation. Members noted that fine-collection funds for some offices generate about $70,000 annually and that using those funds could cover a portion of security costs while the county covers the remainder.
Other approved adjustments included small increases to projected log revenue, reductions to duplicate printing budgets, a six‑year rotation to delay some desktop replacements (budgeted to save about $30,000), and selective reductions to turnover and vacancy assumptions. Finance staff said the approved package reduces the shortfall to a low thousands figure; staff will finalize worksheets for the board’s next meeting.
What happens next: Finance staff will update the packet with the roll-ups and the remaining gap for Tuesday’s meeting. Board members asked staff to show the final numbers and to include the implications for levy rates and reserves.
