~by Janice Harbaugh for GreeneCountyNewsOnline
The Greene County board of supervisors approved several transfers of funds during their regular meeting on April 5. These transfers from the Rural fund and Local Option Sales and Services Tax (LOSST) had been approved previously in the FY2021 budget and now are in effect through the passing of Resolution 2021-13.
The supervisors transferred money to the Secondary Roads department to be used for extensions of Highway 144: $603,732 from the Rural fund and $162,500 from LOSST funds from the current budget year. Additionally, $29, 650 was transferred for the cost of Highway 144 extensions as included in the budget amendment for FY2021.
The board also transferred $60,000 from the LOSST fund to the General fund in order to provide local match funds for the FEMA funded repair to the Raccoon River Valley bike trail bridge 2.5 miles south of Jefferson on the trail. The bridge was damaged by ice in 2019.
Before the vote on funds transfer, Dan Towers, county conservation, said FEMA will fund 85 percent of the repair cost. He said various organizations have been asked for support to raise the local match of 15 percent, or $90,000.
“Grow Greene did not approve funding for the trail bridge repair,” Towers said. “Community Foundation has indicated they would switch $30,000 to the RRVT.”
Towers wondered if $60,000 in LOSST money would be possible.
“You’ve looked at other avenues,” said chair John Muir. “The money part will work out. It’s time to get it (bridge repair) up and going.”
Towers also spoke of John Deere of Paton as being in support of a walking trail at Paton and repair to the Buttrick Creek bridge.
Engineer Wade Weiss spoke about long-term plans for repair of county bridges.
“We are minimally funded,” Weiss said, mentioning needs on roads County Road P-46; a long-standing $2.7 million project for bridge overlays on County Road E-57; the bridge over the Raccoon River on County Road P-14; the bridge east of Farlin; and Snake Creek.
Weiss also mentioned the Jackson Hill bridge on Grimmell Road south of Westwood Drive. “It’s technically in the city,” Weiss said.
“Benefits from it are worth us (the county) being involved,” said Muir.
Weiss told the board he will place the Iowa Department of Transportation secondary roads budget and the five-year construction program on the board’s agenda for the meeting on April 12.
Patti Treibel-Leed of Central Iowa Community Services mental health region introduced Linn Adams as the coordination officer who will provide coverage in Jefferson for the county.
“The plan you put together is working great,” said Muir.
The local service coordinator position officed in the courthouse was eliminated in February, but mental health services have continued through the agency in Boone County.
The board discussed asking information technologist Michelle Fields to find someone “in the courthouse” to operate an electronic remote-access system in order to continue public access to the supervisors’ meetings.
“We might do it differently (from current access through Zoom.)” Muir said. “We want to look at a system that will be long-lasting and have potential for development.”
“No video,” said supervisor Mick Burkett, humorously.
