At their Sept. 28 regular meeting, the Greene County board of supervisors discussed how to fill the position of county recorder when it becomes vacant with the Oct. 31 retirement of long-time recorder Marcia Tasler.
Tasler’s term expires Dec. 31, 2022. The board could either appoint a person to fill the position until then or hold a special election now. Tasler previously recommended her deputy recorder, Deb McDonald, be appointed to fill the position until the election in 2022.
After discussion, the supervisors agreed to avoid the cost of a special election by filling the position with an appointment. County attorney Thomas Laehn was asked to provide a resolution to that effect.
Laehn described the timeline necessary to meet Iowa Code for an appointment. He said a November 1 appointment would be possible.
Per the Code of Iowa, the notice of intent to appoint must include the information that voters can request a special election to fill the vacancy. A petition must be filed with the county auditor within 14 days of the notice.
At a previous meeting, the board discussed combining the recorder position with that of county auditor. No action was taken on that idea at this meeting.
“We pride ourselves in Greene County on service,” said board chair John Muir.
Sheriff Jack Williams talked with the board about providing law enforcement services for the city of Jefferson per a 28E agreement. See the related post on GreeneCountyNewsOnline.
Williams also discussed the need for an additional vehicle for the sheriff’s office. The purchase was not in the current year budget, which started July 1. Williams proposed using a current high-mileage vehicle for transports and purchasing a Chevy pick-up truck for deputy use.
Supervisor Dawn Rudolph said, “Budget-wise is my question. We don’t want to spend money if we don’t have it.”
After exploring funding, financing through the dealer, and trading in a Tahoe next spring, auditor Jane Heun told the board, “The budget will accommodate it now.”
The board agreed to pursue the purchase of the vehicle for the sheriff’s department.
In other business, tax abatements were unanimously approved for 105 N. Chestnut St (formerly Air Temp) 100 E. State St (Angie’s Tea Garden). The city now owns both buildings; both are being renovated and restored for future use.
The abatement is $3352 for 105 N. Chestnut St and $1,574 for 100 E. State St.
“The goal is to (eventually) get these buildings back on the tax rolls,” Rudolph said.
Jefferson city administrator Mike Palmer told the board the city intends to purchase lights from Home State Bank to put in trees during the winter holiday season. He asked if the board wants to display the lights on the courthouse trees and also to share updating of the sound system around the downtown square. No action was taken on the offers.
Upon recommendation of drainage clerk Michelle Fields, the board unanimously approved the adjustment of the assessment rate for DD191, located between Scranton and Jefferson, to 90.3 percent to raise $313.000.
The board unanimously approved a Class C Beer Permit for Paton Pit Stop, LLC.
