Sedgwick County staff on Sept. 3 asked the Board of County Commissioners to authorize budget authority to encumber roughly $3.5 million for an upgrade to the county’s Momentum tax system.

Lindsey, a county staff member, said the county initially allocated $745,000 in the 2025 base budget for a Momentum upgrade but a subsequent gap analysis identified additional necessary work that expanded the total project estimate to about $3,500,000. ‘‘This is definitely a necessary project,’’ Lindsey said.

Staff described the requested action as step one of two: move budget authority now so the county can encumber the full project cost and then, at year-end, present a transfer to move cash out of the general fund into the technology and equipment fund for payment. The project is planned as a 21‑month effort; staff said they cannot spend the full amount in 2025 and need the encumbrance to protect the full scope.

The item was listed as a budget transfer from rainy-day reserves to a technology reserve (TRB) within IT. Staff said the request is largely housekeeping to align budget authority with the gap-analysis results and to avoid capacity issues that previously delayed postings in the system.

Next steps: the transfer will appear on the upcoming agenda; staff will return with year-end paperwork to move cash into the technology fund and continue project procurement.