A review of Geneva County’s technology spending raises an important question for taxpayers:
How many different ways are individuals associated with the County’s IT provider being paid by the County?
Geneva County pays Foxhill Information Systems approximately $7,500 every month, or $90,000 per year, for professional IT services.
But the payments don’t stop with Foxhill.
County records also show recurring payments made directly to Dale Whittle, as well as separate payments to Coyote Network Solutions, which is associated with Josh Tindell.
Both Whittle and Tindell are associated with Foxhill’s operation and the IT services provided to Geneva County.
That creates a relationship taxpayers deserve to understand.
Foxhill Information Systems — $90,000 Per Year
Foxhill’s regular professional-services billing to Geneva County totals approximately $7,500 per month.
The monthly amount is divided among several County departments:
- County Commission — $1,000
- Road & Bridge — $1,000
- Probate — $1,500
- Revenue/Reappraisal — $1,500
- Sheriff’s Office — $1,500
- Virtualization Host, Servers & Active Directory Management — $1,000
That’s $90,000 every year before considering other technology purchases and services.
But other payments associated with the same IT relationship appear elsewhere in County records.
Dale Whittle — Separate Website Payments
County records show Dale Whittle separately billing Geneva County approximately $350 per month for website maintenance.
That’s another $4,200 per year.
At least one invoice specifically directs the County to:
“Make all checks payable to Dale Whittle.”
In other words, this isn’t simply another line item appearing on Foxhill’s regular $7,500 monthly invoice. The records show a separate recurring payment directly to Whittle.
That raises a straightforward question:
If Dale Whittle is already involved in providing the County’s IT services through Foxhill, why is website maintenance being billed separately to the County?
There may be a perfectly reasonable explanation.
But taxpayers should be able to see it.
What services does Foxhill’s $90,000 annual payment cover?
Is website management specifically excluded?
Who established the additional $350 monthly price?
And where is the agreement defining the distinction between Foxhill’s services and Whittle’s separately billed services?
Coyote Network Solutions — Additional Technology Billing
Then there is Coyote Network Solutions, associated with Josh Tindell.
County records reviewed show Coyote Network Solutions separately billing Geneva County for technology-related services and equipment.
One invoice dated January 5, 2026 charges the County:
$4,000 for annual ADTRAN network-switch maintenance.
Another invoice dated October 1, 2025 charges:
$1,500 for an ADTRAN 1550P PoE switch for the Courthouse.
Again, purchasing hardware separately from an IT support agreement isn’t unusual.
But the relationship matters.
If the people providing Geneva County’s regular IT services through Foxhill are also associated with separate businesses selling additional technology products or services to the County, taxpayers should know exactly how those arrangements work.
Follow the Relationship
Viewed separately, each payment might appear straightforward.
Viewed together, they deserve closer examination:
Foxhill Information Systems
Approximately $90,000/year for professional IT services.
Dale Whittle
Approximately $4,200/year separately for website maintenance.
Coyote Network Solutions / Josh Tindell
Separate invoices including $4,000 for annual network-switch maintenance and $1,500 for network equipment.
The issue isn’t that a vendor can never charge separately for something outside its normal scope.
The issue is determining where one scope ends and another begins.
When the same individuals providing IT services to the County are also associated with other entities separately billing the County for technology-related work, there should be clear documentation establishing exactly what taxpayers are purchasing from each one.
Where Is the Line?
This is precisely where a detailed written IT contract becomes important.
What does Foxhill’s $90,000 annual fee include?
What doesn’t it include?
Does it include network-switch management?
Does it include website services?
Does it include hardware installation?
Does it include maintaining equipment sold to the County?
Who determines when something falls outside Foxhill’s regular services and becomes separately billable through Dale Whittle or Coyote Network Solutions?
And when additional products or services are needed, are other vendors given an opportunity to quote them?
These aren’t allegations.
They’re questions raised by the County’s own spending records.
Taxpayers Should Be Able to Follow the Money
There may be legitimate business reasons for each of these arrangements.
If there are, explaining them should be simple.
Geneva County should be able to clearly show taxpayers:
What Foxhill receives $90,000 per year to provide.
Why Dale Whittle receives an additional recurring payment outside of Foxhill.
What Coyote Network Solutions provides separately.
How Josh Tindell and Coyote Network Solutions relate to Foxhill’s provision of County IT services.
Who approves each additional expenditure.
And how the County determines that those additional prices represent a good value for taxpayers.
The concern isn’t simply the amount of any single invoice.
It’s the overall relationship.
When a County has a primary IT provider, while individuals associated with that provider or their other businesses also receive additional payments for technology-related services, transparency becomes especially important.
There should be clearly defined scopes, clearly documented relationships and a clear explanation for every additional charge.
Taxpayers shouldn’t have to piece that relationship together invoice by invoice.
Geneva County should show taxpayers exactly who it is paying, what each entity is being paid for, and where the County’s $90,000-a-year IT service ends and the additional billing begins.