~by Janice Harbaugh for GreeneCountyNewsOnline
At their regular meeting on September 8, the Greene County supervisors heard options from county attorney Thomas Laehn for filling the position of county recorder when current recorder Marcia Tasler retires at the end of October.
Laehn said the board could fill the position by appointment or call for a special election. Laehn also discussed the possibility of asking the electorate whether the recorder position could, at some point in the future, be combined with the position of county auditor.
Laehn updated the board on moving the Prolaw software used in his office to the Cloud, a move first presented and approved by the board several months ago as something other counties were doing to preserve records and access to them.
Laehn estimated the cost to do this at $27,500. With grant funding and other assistance, Laehn estimated the county’s cost would be $10,500. The transfer of records to the Cloud could take place early in 2021.
Engineer Wade Weiss reported an employee tested positive for COVID-19. Weiss said the appropriate response and mitigation procedures are being followed to protect all involved.
Weiss also reported on repair to replace coils in five of the Mahanay Memorial Carillon Tower bells that were recently struck by lightning. The estimate included $3,680 for a crane and $5,830 for coils and labor, if necessary.
The board agreed an electrician should check the circuitry and they discussed the vulnerability to weather and lightning of the smaller bells hanging on the outside of the scaffold.
Dennis Morlan, emergency management director, described updates and changes made to Greene County’s Comprehensive Emergency Plan and Emergency Support Functions. Morlan said the annual adoption of the plan keeps the county eligible for FEMA funding.
The board unanimously adopted the documents.
Treasurer Katlynn Mechaelsen spoke to the board about hiring a part-time person to do driving tests while a current part-time employee does the related paperwork.
The board unanimously approved hiring (John) Mark Sawhill as part-time driving examiner at $19 per hour effective Oct. 1.
Auditor Jane Heun spoke to the board about the Secretary of State Vote Safe Iowa Initiative grant. Heun said Greene County is eligible for $14,800 to be used to prevent, prepare, and respond to coronavirus issues for the Nov. 3 general election.
The money can be used for a variety of things including personal protection equipment, protecting poll workers, cleaning costs, and paying for suitable private polling places to allow for social distancing.
Heun said she would like to purchase an automatic letter opener and some personal protective equipment. She estimated the county would need about $5,000 of the possible $14,800.
Heun said the grant request is due by the end of the week.
The board unanimously approved the Vote Safe Iowa Initiative grant agreement with the Iowa Secretary of State. The board also told Heun to purchase whatever she believes is needed for safety of the public and poll workers.
