10/15/2026 Finance & Human Resources Committee Meeting - Department Budget Review 3 of 3

Racine County Finance and Human Resources Committee budget review, October 15, 2026 (third day of 2027 department budget deliberations). The committee reviewed Organizational Development, IT, Finance, Facilities Management, and Public Works budgets; no 2027 budget awards or spending motions were approved during these presentations. The minutes from October 14 were approved by voice vote. Organizational Development described a position-neutral change replacing a marketing analyst with a strategic communications administrator, and reported grant-writing activity of roughly 20–40 applications annually, including work connected to a $5 million HERSA award for renovation of the Human Services Building. IT outlined cost controls and planned purchases or upgrades, including a phone-system replacement, additional backup-system drives, annual PC refreshes, printer replacement, and ADA-compliance software. The department also reported receiving a $100,000 cybersecurity grant and discussed evaluating AI tools with safeguards for county data. A service-desk software upgrade quote of $17,000 for 20 hours of outside assistance was considered too costly.

Facilities Management presented capital needs including replacement of four leaking, end-of-life courthouse boilers serving the courthouse, Law Enforcement Center, and jail; continued LED lighting work; roof, HVAC, electrical, fire-panel, flooring, and generator maintenance projects. Public Works described a proposed capital-heavy budget, including parks and facilities improvements, equipment requests, and road work. A Highway C project was estimated at about $3 million; the state/municipal agreement still needs to come to the committee for approval. A Riverbend contract allows up to $15,000 for capital improvements, and Noble Brothers was identified as the planned concession operator at Quarry Lake Park. Supervisors discussed equipment and building priorities, staffing vacancies, and potential future revenue from services to municipalities. Finance noted that its purchasing agent position is vacant, leaving staff to cover purchasing duties. The committee’s review was deliberative; the county board’s public hearing and first reading were scheduled for October 22.