Finance/Administration Committee 2027 Budget Hearings, October 26, 2026

Kenosha County Finance/Administration Committee 2027 Budget Hearings, October 26, 2026: The committee reviewed and approved the budgets presented for County Board, County Executive, the Library System, Treasurer, Register of Deeds, Joint Services, District Attorney, Purchasing, Finance, nondepartmental accounts, debt service, Human Resources, and county insurance programs. Procurement and operating cost issues included Joint Services’ technology costs, with servers rising from about $19,000–$20,000 to more than $60,000 each, and library costs for a new shared catalog license, Google accounts, and delivery services. The County Executive discussed a radio-tower study and a planned tower project estimated at just over $2 million, with the project budgeted under Public Works. Purchasing reported a $6,500 contract with Horton for risk-management services. The committee also received, but did not act on, a proposed update to the county’s surplus-property disposal ordinance; the proposal would allow multiple disposal methods and clarify approval authority, including requiring County Executive approval for transfers to other governments or nonprofits.

For employee health coverage, the county’s consultant described an RFP process for pharmacy-benefit services: after reviewing proposals and pricing using members’ prescription data, the county selected MedImpact to replace Rightway, with the agreement still being finalized and implementation planned for January 1, 2027. Other budget items included a proposed 4% health-plan cost increase, higher cyber-liability coverage of $3 million, and $400,000 reserved toward a wage-compression initiative. The Treasurer reported about $140,000 in additional expected revenue related to a data-center agricultural-use conversion; separate utility-aid revenue discussed for a proposed power project remains uncertain and is not expected until the facility is operational. Budgets were approved by motions and votes; no contract award vote was taken during the meeting.