Observer Report: Rice County Commissioners, 3.4.25

Rice County Board of Commissioners      March 4, 2025 

Present: Malacha, Purfeerst, Peters, Underdahl, Hoisinger 

Property Tax and Elections: Denise Anderson 

Aumentum property tax system computer system. Six years ago, commissioners approved upgrading Aumentum to Platform. Ten counties utilize this software for tax system 

$48,672 for beta testing, enhancement, maintenance and support, and user group annual fees. 

$30,048 for managed service yearly 

Upgrading to the platform will happen in 2025 or 2026. 

Aumentum Hosted 

Opportunity to move to hosted as part of the upgrade; moving upgrade responsibility from Rice County IT to Aumentum Technology Staff 

3/10 are already hosted (Washington,Nicollet, Mower). Washington and Nicollet auditors and IT recommend 

If at least four additional counties go hosted, there are significant savings 

Three other counties are considering (Roseau, Clay, Clearwater) 

$12,500 discounted fee to convert. $60,000 recurring hosting fees beginning in 2026,$30,000 in 2025.  

Managed Services fees of $30,048 would go away for a net increase of $29,952 annually. 

The system would be hosted by Aumentum, guaranteeing business continuity and disaster recovery 

Rice County would stop hosting databases and systems on Rice County servers 

Reduction of two servers and reduced load on SQL server, reducing backup and server license costs for IT and avoiding unexpected costs of replacing on-site hardware.  

Fiscal Impact 
In 2025, the $29,952 will be covered by a reallocation of IT funds 

Direct savings of $600/annually in direct server management licensing. 

Rice County Sheriff Update: 

Move to new Public Safety Center is complete.  

Reviewed staff, patrol overview (90% deputies live in Rice County), typical calls, calls for service (15, 442 last year, down slightly from 2024, other than traffic stops, which increased), special assignment opportunities (training, drones, water patrol, etc), south metro SWAT (two deputies, one negotiator), quick response teams (on site at events, such as DJJD), community outreach (4H, school presentations, drivers ed, etc), investigations unit, other services (fingerprinting, gun permits, civil process papers), jail breakdown (staff) 

Adjourn 

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