Committee flags $500,000 recurring IT maintenance cost; staff to clarify funding source

The Elko County Budget Committee questioned a $500,000 recurring cost that appeared in the proposed FY27 general-fund budget for software maintenance and licensing and asked staff to clarify whether those ongoing costs should be borne by departmental technology funds or the general fund.

Committee members said they remembered the initial purchase and installation being approved earlier and asked whether annual maintenance and licensing fees had been intended to remain within departmental tech funds. Chair asked staff to review the relevant minutes and budgets to confirm where annual licensing and maintenance costs had been recorded. Janet Dearborn said she likely did not have $500,000 in her department's tech fund and that the assessor's tech fund typically covers technology purchases but not ongoing countywide maintenance; she committed to supply the specific statutes at the next meeting. "There is a statute...that the county has to provide us the tools to do our job, which we feel this is part of the tools," she said.

Robert from the IT department estimated annual ongoing costs of about $225,000 plus incidentals and said the $500,000 figure was a padded estimate that also included maintenance for the Central Square finance system covering finance, the treasurer's office and community development. The committee remanded the item to the full County Commission for review with detailed numbers and asked staff to verify whether the assessor tech fund or the general fund should carry the maintenance obligation.