~by Janice Harbaugh for GreeneCountyNewsOnline
The Greene County board of supervisors met Jan. 9 and 12 as they continued to hear budget requests and updates for Fiscal Year ’24 (begins July 1, 2024).
On Jan. 9, assistant county attorney Laura Snider reported a trial date has been set back which allows county attorney Thomas Laehn to resume work on a buildings and grounds policy for the courthouse.
Snider also said she will attend the new animal shelter board meetings representing the county.
Board chair John Muir reported touring the new animal shelter and called it “very nice.”
Patti Treibel-Leeds, representing Central Iowa Community Services, reported ground has been broken near Cambridge for Ember Recovery Campus, a treatment center for Iowa youth.
“We also have a drop-in center in Boone for adults over the age of 18,” Treibel-Leeds said. “Transportation is available.”
Treibel-Leeds said a mental health diagnosis is needed to participate in that wellness center.
Mike Palmer, city of Jefferson administrator, told the board the new animal shelter is open due to “an army of volunteers” who moved animals and equipment from the old shelter on Saturday.
A new board will be formed to oversee the shelter, Palmer said.
Palmer also reported on the demolition of a house on Wilson Street near HyVee and plans for more property clearing in that area to enable new housing to be built.
“Projects were funded by a citizen,” he said. “It wouldn’t have happened without that.”
Palmer reported the city has received a letter from the Iowa Department of Transportation approving funding for $1.5 M for the bridge on Jackson Hill, on S. Grimmell Rd. He estimated work being done in 2024 or 2025.
Palmer also spoke of work possibly starting in 2024 on the Snake Creek bridge close to P-46.
Joan St. Clair of Heritage Insurance reported insurance estimates for IMWCA workers comp, ICAP package total, and Nationwide bond to the board for their FY24 budget.
St. Clair said Greene County experienced “the best experience modification drop” in its history and explained it was based on less usage of benefits over the past year.
She said Greene County will be paying 69 percent of what would be expected for the types of work covered by the insurance.
The ICAP package however will have an increase in rate of 15 to 20 percent per line of coverage, according to St. Clair.
St. Clair estimated ICAP property, liability, auto physical damage, and administrative fees would be $288,000. The Nationwide bond estimate remains at $2,500.
Chuck Wenthold, environmental department, presented FY24 budget figures for environmental health.
Wenthold estimated salary increases at 5 percent with expenditures remaining at FY23 levels, estimated at around $70,000.
He estimated revenues at $52,000, if a grant from Grants to Counties is received of $40,000.
The FY24 budget report from the sheriff’s office was tabled because sheriff Jack Williams was called away for an emergency. The presentation was rescheduled to the Jan. 12 meeting.
No action on budget items was taken by the board.
The board accepted the recorder’s quarterly report of rees for October, November, and December 2022 as well as the auditor’s quarterly passport report.
The auditor’s office reported, “People are traveling again.”
Supervisor Dan Benitz inquired about specific bills for payment before the board voted to pay bills.
At the Jan. 12 meeting, supervisor Pete Bardole reported on Greene County Development Corporation meetings he had attended as representative of the board of supervisors.
Bardole said, “GCDC voted to finish several of Carlos’ projects,” and that Carlos will work with GCDC for another “month or so.”
“Carlos’ projects” refers to consultant Carlos Arguello’s leadership in the Nueva Vida en Greene County project to attract new employees to Greene County to meet employers’ needs. GCDC recently did not receive a grant needed to completely move forward with Nueva Vida.
Supervisors Dawn Rudolph and Dan Benitz reported attending a meeting of the entity board where a FY2024 budget for the law enforcement center was approved.
Engineer Wade Weiss reported on maintenance of the Mahanay bell tower, explaining the bells are hard to maintain because of lightning and the bells’ location on the outside of the tower. Weiss noted some bells in the past had to be taken down by crane to service them.
Weiss said he had received notice from Verdin in Ohio, the company that does annual maintenance of the bells, proposing a “priority reserve list.” This would mean the bells could receive maintenance when a Verdin technician is in the area, instead of a technician being called to come from Ohio. Weiss said he will talk with Tim Verdin about the plan and then report to the supervisors.
In response to a question from supervisor Muir about whether electric vehicles are “running on the highway for free,” Weiss discussed road use taxes and said electric vehicles are taxed on vehicle registration for use on the roads.
In other business, sheriff Williams reviewed the proposed FY2024 budgets for the sheriff’s office and the LEC.
Room and board has decreased by $4,000 and runs $48 per day, he told the board.
Williams said his office is serving fewer papers, decreasing that cost from $48,000 to $42,000. He said meals cost $6.25 each, three times a day per prisoner.
Williams described purchase of vehicles and raises of 4-5 percent for employees with a 13.5 percent increase for sheriff, with a comparable raise for the chief deputy, as his salary is computed as a percentage of the sheriff’s salary.
Williams estimated expenditures at $1,861,000, an increase of $63,000 over the past year. He estimated revenues at $254,000.
Addressing the entity board’s proposed budget for the LEC, Williams noted expenditures are estimated at $159,000, down from the $167,500 in the FY2023 budget.
According to auditor Jane Heun, 40 percent of the LEC’s actual expenditures are reimbursed quarterly to the county by the city of Jefferson through a 28E agreement.
Recorder Deb McDonald reported revenues are estimated at $92,500 for FY2024 and expenditures estimated at $173,000, up from $161,000 in FY2023.
McDonald said the increase is due to wages, benefits, and equipment.
The Human Services budget for FY2024 was given to the supervisors. Revenues are estimated at $9,000 and expenditures at $3,664, with the main expenditure listed as a $1,964 payment to Carroll County for cost share expenses.
Mike Bierl, veteran services and general assistance officer, reported on both budgets for FY2024.
Bierl estimated the veterans budget at $59,200, an increase of $2,000, and the general assistance budget at $21,800, the same as FY2023.
Bierl said every county receives $10,000 from the state of Iowa for veteran outreach activities. He said his office has used the money for bus trips, movies, meals at the Greene County Fair, and other activities for 30 vets and their spouses.
Muir told Bierl, “We approve of the way you handle responsibilities.”
“Veterans are getting services they need,” added Rudolph.
No action was taken by the board on any budget item.
