Brent Christianson, Financial Management Administration, briefed the commission on a business operations (shared-services) agreement that merges prior agreements for Fire Districts 1 and 2 into a single county-supported set of services.

Christianson said the county would provide financial and record-keeping functions — accounting, procurement, payables, payroll processing and fixed-asset tracking — and that workers’ compensation coverage would be placed under the county umbrella. "So 67,000 will be the premium savings for workers' comp," Christianson said, projecting immediate annual savings for consolidated Fire District 1 when the county billing begins in January.

He said the agreement includes an estimated $175,000 in shared-services costs for 2026 (plus a built-in 5% automatic renewal increase) and that the district is due to recoup over $50,000 from its current carrier for benefit-payment errors discovered in recent years. Christianson also said consolidated Fire District 1 would remain a separate legal entity and therefore would continue to require a separate audit even though its financial operations would be administered through the county.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about separate audits, savings assumptions and billing mechanics. Several commissioners praised county finance staff for identifying recoveries and delivering efficiencies. Chair Kelly and staff indicated the item will be placed on the action/consent agenda for formal consideration in the next meeting cycle.