Playing catch up on years of recession austerity, Whitman County commissioners on Wednesday outlined more than $950,000 in one-time spending for a proposed 2019 budget that would implement a mapping system, replace security cameras and update the county’s aging website.
Commissioner Michael Largent said the slow economic recovery and challenges with accurately tracking the county’s finances had kept spending conservative.
“Frankly, we’ve operated scared for a lot of years,” he said. “This year is kind of a watershed year in my view. We’re picking up some of the pent-up demand.”
Commissioner Art Swannack said the county has put off some spending as long as they reasonably can, including about $500,000 to establish a Geographic Information System that would map parcels, taxing areas and election districts.
“We’ve got several significant expenses … that have to be done,” he said. “A lot of them are one-time.”
Funding for the GIS and other projects would primarily come out of a projected $6 million general fund cash reserve as well as dedicated capital improvement project funds. County administrative director Gary Petrovich said expected increases in sales tax and property tax revenue projections would also help the county balance out its general operating budget of about $16.6 million.
Additional Gazette coverage here. Compare the county’s adopted 2018 budget here.
“If we use a million dollars of cash this year,” Swannack asked, “are we going to be anywhere near to causing ourselves a problem for longterm operations?”
“Not for 2019,” Petrovich responded.
The GIS system makes up the largest proposed expense with approximately $500,000 in start-up costs and a longterm operational estimate of at least $150,000 a year. Public Works Director Mark Storey said initial development would take most of next year with the system going live in 2020.
“Right now we’re pulling out a crystal ball and trying to forecast something that we’ve never done before,” he said, “but I think these are reasonable numbers.”
Storey expected the project to eventually involve one to three dedicated staffers. Commissioners looked to move forward on that project through a sub-fund under the county’s IT department. They are scheduled to consider two resolutions launching those efforts Monday.
Officials noted the GIS system will make many county functions easier and more accurate. The system will not be survey quality accurate, but should be within 10 to 20 feet of property lines, roads and other relevant boundaries.
“The lines themselves will be our best guess of where they are,” Storey said.
Another significant project would be $115,000 toward a new security system and replacement cameras for the courthouse and jail. County IT Director Chris Nelson said the system would integrate surveillance between both buildings and make the system more reliable.
“The camera system is old and barely functioning,” she said. “We’re barely able to keep their computers running for their door locks.”
Officials said the security system most recently received an upgrade in 2009.
Commissioners also proposed several other technological upgrades. They wanted to spend $65,000 on a new case management software system for the prosecutor’s office, which Nelson described as “very, very, very, very old.” And the county’s IT department would spend another $65,000 on a time capture system to track employee work hours. About $32,000 would go toward updating the wireless system.
One of the more outwardly apparent upgrades would be $25,000 to redesign the county’s website. Commissioners noted longstanding frustrations with the accessibility and aesthetics of the website.
“The public is frustrated as hell,” Storey added. “I hear it all the time.”
Commissioners hoped to tap capital improvement project funding to pay for another $150,000 in structural repairs, including $75,000 to assess and repair the Public Services Building, $40,000 for walkway repairs to the county campus and $25,000 to take out the damaged Colfax rail bridge. About $10,000 would go to replace carpeting at the Health Building in Pullman.
“I think you picked off quite a few things,” Petrovich said as the commissioners neared the end of their funding session.
Other changes to the operational budget would include a potential 3.5 percent raise for non-represented employees, increased medical contributions and a $29,500 reduction of the Sheriff’s Office proposed budget. Sheriff Brett Myers said in an email that money came from “across the board” cuts to overtime, fuel, training and supplies.
Commissioners expressed some unease at significantly spending down reserves, but Largent argued, “there comes a point in time that (the money) doesn’t do us any good sitting in the bank when we have got unmet needs.”
“Spending this level of cash always makes me tweak a little,” Largent admitted.
“I’m not sure it’s a good thing for a commissioner to be tweaking,” Swannack added with a laugh.
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