MONROE — The Green County Board of Supervisors paved the way for financing three major projects totaling up to about $14.8 million in costs at its meeting Tuesday.
On a vote of 26-0, the board passed four consecutive resolutions that give the county the ability to resell bonds it had used in previous projects, and issue others. The financial work paved the way to install central air conditioning at Pleasant View Nursing Home, upgrade municipal radio networks throughout the county from analog to digital and make upgrades to the county courthouse including adding a sprinkler fire-suppression system and a new roof.
Green County Corporation Council Brian Bucholtz reminded the board that the resolutions it approved were just one part of the step for all of the potential projects.
“This is just approving the funding the for the projects — not the projects themselves,” Bucholtz said.
Green County Finance Director Julie Sachs explained each of the four resolutions to the board with input from finance committee director Jerry Guth and board chairman Art Carter.
Sachs said refinancing bonds and preparing for borrowing now should save the county about $95,000 in issuance costs.
“Hopefully we’ll have a good rating so a lot of people will want to buy our bonds,” Sachs said. “Doing this now made a lot of sense because we had all of these projects.”
Installing a chiller at Pleasant View would allow the county to remove approximately 100 individual air conditioning units at the facility and install central air conditioning.
“This is a project we’d really like to get done and we have firm figures for it,” Carter said.
The radio project was discussed by the board and many of its committees over the last month. Sheriff Jeff Skatrud said he’s reached out to several different departments that use the radios, but doesn’t have the exact cost the project will be to the county. The county is in the process of gathering information regarding which municipalities already have radios in place that will mesh with a new digital base station and towers.
The projects improving the courthouse, including adding a sprinkler system and adding a new roof, have been topics under discussion for years.
Supervisor Joe Snow said he supported all of the projects and was particularly interested in protecting the courthouse from fire for the long-term. He said he’s “hoped and prayed” for the sprinkler system because the older construction of the courthouse could make it susceptible to a fire that would be difficult to extinguish.
Supervisor Russ Torkelson asked how much of its credit limit that Green County has used. Sachs said the county pays a little more than $2 million annually in principle and interest payments, but the county is approximately at only 20 percent of its borrowing capacity.
Final decisions on the Pleasant View chiller project and the radio project may need to be ready to come back before the board in early September. Decisions on work needed to be done at the county courthouse could be put off until 2020.
Sachs said although the county is prepared to refund and issue bonds up to $14.8 million, that does not mean it will use that entire amount. The projects being considered by the county may cost less than the total amount provided for in the resolutions. The county can prepare the bonds in a way to borrow and spend less money depending on its needs.