~by Janice Harbaugh for GreeneCountyNewsOnline
The Greene County board of supervisors at its April 25 meeting approved use of federal Covid-19 relief funds to update the HVAC and restrooms at the courthouse, a project that has been discussed for several years.
Supervisor Dawn Rudolph reported the committee working on uses for American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds met with Holly Elbert, engineer with BBS Architects/Engineer, which has done plans for the project. Elbert explained plans for the courthouse HVAC and restroom project that could qualify for ARPA funds.
In related actions, the board unanimously approved a resolution to approve disbursement of ARPA funds. The resolution is based on the U. S. Treasury’s ruling in May 2021 stating certain funds can be used to replace revenue lost to county governments as a result of the Covid pandemic.
The resolution states the amount of $1,726,390 is expected to be allocated to Greene County as lost revenue and this amount will be spent on government services.
The board then unanimously approved a resolution directing the county auditor to disburse ARPA funds for the courthouse HVAC and restroom renovations, when those projects are separately approved by the supervisors.
The board also put a fast finish to a discussion started several years ago about an ordinance that would set penalties for providing alcohol to persons under age 21. The board unanimously approved the second reading of the social hosting ordinance, waived the third reading, and then unanimously adopted the ordinance.
The ordinance was first proposed in August of 2019 but was not approved due to public comments and concerns over a period of months. This time around it was approved in only a few weeks with very little public comment.
The ordinance will be in effect from the date of its adoption and publication.
In other business, the board unanimously approved a purchase agreement with Henry M. Adkins and Son for the Unisyn Voting Solutions OpenElect Voting System.
Deputy auditor Billie Jo Hoskins said the total cost will be $75,992 and will include 10 OpenElect Freedom Vote Scan precinct scanners with ballot boxes, 9 OpenElect Freedom Vote Tablet ballot marking devices, an election management system laptop with report printer and implementation, and equipment and software training with election day support services.
Hoskins said delivery of the equipment could take one year. She said the county will not be billed until the actual delivery of the equipment.
John Torbert, executive director of the Iowa Drainage District Association, gave his annual report to the board. Torbert said the Iowa legislature has not given much attention to drainage in the current session.
Torbert said IDDA has a template of a resolution county boards can use “to protect drainage systems.”
“The resolution template spells out what pipelines can do,” he said. “The idea began with the Dakota pipeline to have crossing fees that would generate income whenever a pipeline crosses a drainage line.”
“You do have legal authority to protect the infrastructure,” he said.
Board chair John Muir told him the county had adopted an ordinance for windmills (in that situation).
“An agreement (with the pipeline) would be stronger than a resolution,” said auditor Jane Heun.
Torbert spoke of changes in wording across Presidential administrations as far as the Environmental Protection Agency’s responsibilities for Waters of the United States (WOTUS).
“Sometimes the agency is responsible only for navigable waters and sometimes it is responsible for any waters,” Torbert said.
Chuck Wenthold, environmental department, reported NEW Cooperative wants to add a fourth 30,000 gallon NH3 (anhydrous ammonia) tank at its site near Cooper. NEW will be asking the board for formal approval at the next meeting May 2.
The board unanimously approved an application from Lakeside National Golf Club LLC for a class B beer permit.
During open forum Maria Sacchetti, a journalist with the Washington Post, asked the supervisors if they would visit with her after the meeting.
In a later telephone interview with county auditor Heun, GCNO learned the reporter asked for general information about the county and the Diversity Project. Sacchetti collected information about the county’s voting in past Presidential elections.
According to Washington Post archives, Sacchetti covers immigration for that newspaper. She shared in a Pulitzer Prize for reporting on the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings while reporting for the Boston Globe.
