~by Janice Harbaugh for GreeneCountyNewsOnline
At their meeting on July 26, the Greene County supervisors unanimously agreed to adopt a 28E agreement with the city of Jefferson for joint operation and maintenance of the Greene County Law Enforcement Center.
The board authorized the county auditor to file the 28E agreement with the Iowa secretary of state and record it with the Greene County recorder “upon its execution by Greene County and the City of Jefferson.”
The final agreement approved by the board clarifies the obligations for maintenance of the grounds and buildings, according to county attorney Thomas Laehn.
“The agreement is in everyone’s interest,” Laehn said. “It lowers the cost for the county as well as the city of Jefferson since the two agencies work so closely together.”
According to Laehn, the county will pay 60 percent of the operation cost.
Chair John Muir asked how the jail operates.
“We will negotiate a separate agreement,” Laehn said. Laehn mentioned the Joint Entity Board would be involved.
The previous agreement between the county and the city written in 1972 remains in effect for the LEC on S. Chestnut St until officially terminated. This would logically be when operations move from that address to the new LEC west of the municipal cemetery.
In a related matter, sheriff Jack Williams told the board the Iowa State Interoperability Communications System (ISICS) requires a 200-foot tower and antenna for the communications system to work properly with state law enforcement radio.
Williams estimated the cost for a new tower and antenna to be $1.9 million. He said it might be possible to use the existing structure to lower costs.
Laehn reported district court judge Gina Badding will be filling an upcoming vacancy in the Iowa Court of Appeals when a current judge retires. This creates an opening in Greene County’s Judicial District 2B.
Rick Hunsaker, representing Region XII Council of Governments, explained county match funding for revolving loan funds at COG and the housing trust fund operated by COG. There are six member counties in Region XII: Audubon, Carroll, Crawford, Greene, Guthrie, and Sac.
Hunsaker said Greene County has contributed $100,333 in local matching funds to the revolving loan fund program since 1995 and this has resulted in $1.5 million in loans to businesses in the county.
Hunsaker is asking each of the six member counties to now consider committing $50,000 in FY2023, or $25,000 in FY2023 and FY2024, in order to access $1.5 million in economic adjustment assistance from the Economic Development Administration (EDA).
The board took no action on the request.
Hunsaker also discussed the Housing Trust Fund operated by COG with the board.
He said the six member counties of Region XII currently contribute $5,000 each to access $240,000 from the state.
Hunsaker asked each county to increase their matches to $10,000 in FY2023, which would increase state funding to $300,000 per county.
The board took no action on the request.
“We’ve always benefitted from the relationship (with Region XII COG),” said Muir. “If we move forward, we’ll have an answer in a couple of weeks.”
In other business, the board unanimously approved the hiring of Sydney Schiltz as an RN on an as-needed basis for Greene County Ambulance at $20 per hour.
The board also unanimously approved an updated employee handbook for the county and the FY2021 report from Iowa Department of Public Health/Greene County Substance Abuse Prevention Grant.
During open forum, Nancy Hanaman from rural Rippey invited the board to Rippey’s 150 + 1 Sesquicentennnial celebration on Saturday, July 31. Hanaman spoke of a parade at 10 am; a production of Bigfoot Monologues, a one-act play written by a Greene County playwright and presented by Greene County actors ; a reunion baseball game; fireworks; and many more events and activities.
Supervisor Pete Bardole said the board is looking into attending and possibly participating in the parade.
