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Commission Minutes—July 26, 2022 5600 deficit spending and the Board needs to find places to cut the budget. Mr. Wilson said $10,000 would be sufficient for advertising positions and would not allow for a full ad campaign. MOTION, passed Mr. Peterson moved and Mrs. Scherling seconded to amend the Administration 2023 preliminary budget account 4015402 from $65,000 to $10,000 for 2023. On roll call vote, the motion carried unanimously. Mr. Wilson said the 2023 budget includes a request to add vision insurance as an option for County staff. He said in recent years, many comments on exit interviews have been that the County should offer vision insurance. He said he and staff have worked with the County's health and dental insurance provider, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota (BCBS) to discuss vision insurance options. He said a plan would be set up similar to the dental plan where the County will pay a flat rate and the employee will pay the remaining amount. He said the 2023 budget includes $50,000 to pay the County's portion of the plan. Mr. Peterson said the County has discussed adding vision insurance in the past and has never offered a plan because the plan did not have enough benefit to employees to make it worthwhile. Mr. Wilson said the proposed plan looked promising and BCBS is working with the Finance Office on setting the rate. He said the plan being considered has basic coverage of things such as a yearly eye exam, eyeglasses, and contacts. Mr. Steen asked about the plan with Xcel Energy for powering County Buildings. He said it depends on the price of fuel oil and having to power generators. He asked if the cost to go onto another plan without curtailment is known. Mr. Wilson said he did not have the cost of another plan, however, he could work with Buildings and Grounds Supervisor, Gene Gartner to find out. Mr. Steen suggested calculating the cost difference of each plan. Mr. Peterson asked how long the contract with Xcel is for and if the plan can easily be changed. Mr. Wilson said it is a yearly contract and he will work with Mr. Gartner to seek answers to the discussed questions. 4. HISTORICAL SOCIETY Beth Jansen, Executive Director of the Cass County Historical Society (Bonanzaville) was present to review the 2023 Historical Society budget. The request is $390,000 up from $245,000 in 2022. Ms. Jansen said Bonanzaville has been improving in recent years and is still in need of many repairs. She said the funds from the County will be used to complete deferred maintenance. She said $150,000 of the request is being asked as a matching grant for which she said she already has interested private parties to match the funding. Ms. Jansen said Bonanzaville has increased activities and events to bring in additional revenue and 2022 attendance is up 33%. Mrs. Scherling said she appreciates Bonanzaville and sees their potential for events. She said County taxpayers should not be the primary funding source of Bonanzaville. Mr. Breitling noted the requested amount is over 50% of the request from 2019. Ms. Jansen said Bonanzaville has a smaller budget and larger events than any other historical place in the Fargo-Moorhead area. She said Bonanzaville appreciates its private partners and needs additional funding for repairs. She said Bonanzaville does not get State or Federal funding and has applied for grant funding the past few years and was not successful. Mr. Peterson said he likes the idea of matching funding, however, he believes the requested amount is high. He said he could support matching funds of $50,000. Mr. Steen said he does not want to take away funding and the County is deficit spending and needs to be conservative. MOTION, failed Mr. Peterson moved and Mrs. Scherling seconded to amend the Bonanzaville 2023 preliminary budget request to $130,000 and an additional $50,000 in matching grant funds. Discussion: Mr. Steen said he feels the presented amount is too low. On roll call vote, the motion failed with Mr. Peterson and Mrs. Scherling voting "yes", and Mr. Breitling, Mr. Kapitan, and Mr. Steen voting "no".