FARMINGTON – County Commissioners approved using a combination of tax increment financing and criminal forfeiture money to meet the technological demands of the county Tuesday morning. They also approved two marketing projects in the Unorganized Territory through the TIF program.
The commissioners approved the use of both funds after receiving a report from IT system administrator Jim Desjardins, who was hired last month to oversee the county’s technology needs. Desjardins reported that the server the county was using would not be sufficient to bring Somerset County-hosted computer programs to Franklin County. Additionally, Desjardins said, he had been unable to locate licenses for some programs used within the county.
If the county needed to acquire those licenses and purchase an in-house server, it would cost approximately $29,000, Desjardins told commissioners. He noted that Somerset IT was working to locate licensing documentation, and that would save some money if the county didn’t have to purchase those licenses locally.
He also suggested considering utilizing off-site servers, which would add monthly costs but would insulate the county from periodic upgrade costs.
Commissioners approved tapping TIF funds to cover half the cost of the technological improvements. The existing 2008 TIF agreement was developed between the state, county and project developer TransCanada. As part of that agreement, 75 percent of tax revenues from the Kibby Wind Project were captured, with 60 percent of that amount returned to the company. The other 40 percent, or an estimated $4 million over a 20-year period, was taken by the county for investment in the Unorganized Territory.
TIF funds set aside for emergency communications improvements could be used to cover 50 percent of the cost of the new equipment, County Clerk Julie Magoon told commissioners. The other 50 percent would be covered out the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office’s criminal forfeiture account.
According to county officials, the county has $27,000 set aside in TIF funds earmarked for emergency communications planning, even after the completion of a county-wide communications report, and another $116,000 set aside for emergency communications improvements. The FCSO has $79,000 left in its criminal forfeiture account.
Commissioners said that they would defer to Desjardins’ expertise in what equipment to purchase to allow the county to access Somerset for its dispatch and law enforcement data needs.
The commissioners also approved two U.T. project for TIF funding, at the recommendation of the TIF committee. A committee of U.T. residents meet with Alison Hagerstrom, executive director of the Greater Franklin County Development Corp., and County Clerk Julie Magoon and review applications and scholarships before making recommendations to the commissioners.
The two projects totaled $55,000; $30,000 to the Flagstaff Area Business Association and $25,000 to the Franklin County Network of Networks. Both investments will support marketing projects, with the Network of Networks money used to leverage other, matching funds.
