~by Janice Harbaugh for GreeneCountyNewsOnline
The Greene County board of supervisors met on Jan. 19, continuing to hear budget requests for FY2024 and updates on current issues.
County attorney Thomas Laehn reported the new community services program connected to Boone/Greene County Probation Services has its infrastructure in place.
He reported a recent meeting with Judge McCarville, Diane Hinderaker, and Kelly McCane, the community service coordinator in Greene County, was successful. Seventy potential partners among non-profits in the county were identified.
Any non-profit, government agency, or church can participate by providing work for probationers, Laehn said.
The community services program can be court-ordered in lieu of jail time for people who qualify. Laehn said it might be possible, also, for fines to be worked off through community service at minimum wage.
According to information provided, the non-profit partners will not pay fees or wages. They are only responsible for providing work hours for probationers. A volunteer supervisor will attend work sites with the probationer and certify the hours spent.
Laehn also told the board the County has been receiving bills from attorneys doing guardianship/conservatorship work with clients who cannot pay. Laehn said these bills range from $66 per hour to $240 per hour.
He suggested a standard rate would save the taxpayers money by identifying attorneys who would be willing to work for that rate. He said those attorneys would be on a list available to judges for guardianship and conservatorship cases.
In other business, Laehn said he has developed a draft 28E agreement template for use between the County and non-profits requesting funding from the County. Laehn said Iowa law requires the 28E.
“Non-profits will only have to approve the agreement once to establish a relationship (with the County,)” Laehn said. “We should include a termination provision, plus a (funding) of at least $1 per year (to maintain the relationship.)”
Board chair John Muir asked about form of budget requests and Laehn said requests for funding could be in person, by writing, or by Zoom.
Laehn also reported he will have a draft Courthouse Building and Grounds policy to present to the board at the meeting on Monday, Jan. 23.
Muir reported he and auditor Jane Heun attended a meeting with several members of the Bell Tower Foundation to discuss county funding of the Bell Tower. Muir said he and Heun encouraged the foundation to request Louis Dreyfus funds for a website update and TV promotion.
Engineer Wade Weiss reported the county is compliant with Iowa Department of Transportation Title VI Non-Discrimination practices approved by the supervisors at the previous board meeting. Supervisor Dawn Rudolph asked about the Annual All-Systems Overweight Permit for commercial and farm vehicles, and Weiss said he has been answering questions he is receiving about it. Weiss also reported road crews have switched from hauling gravel to plowing snow.
The board heard budget requests for FY2024 from the conservation department, county attorney’s office, ambulance department, auditor and elections department, drain clerk and data processing department, clerk of court, board of supervisors, general services, and medical examiner.
Tanner Scheuermann, conservation director, gave an extensive report to the board about revenues and expenditures in his department.
Scheuermann said camping receipts will probably go down from $202,000 in FY22 to an estimated $175,000. He said income from trail passes for the Raccoon River Valley Trail will probably stop at the end of 2023.
“Most trails don’t require permits,” he said, citing the High Trestle Trail which will eventually be connected to the RRVT. “Dallas County doesn’t require permits.”
Scheuermann noted the asphalt part of the RRVT “needs complete concrete replacement.” He said the conservation board would like to spend $30,000 to repair bridge approaches on the trail and other trail issues.
He also spoke of projects such as a replacement walk bridge at Squirrel Hollow and a Master Plan for facilities there, and spoke of possible hunting of mourning doves at Pound Pit.
Scheuermann said the conservation board would like to hire a fulltime naturalist eventually.
Scheuermann reports general fund expenditures budgeted for FY2024 are $466,000, an increase of 4 percent. This includes the purchase of a pickup truck. He estimated Conservation Reserve expenditures for FY2024 at $150,000.
Scheuermann said Grow Greene has agreed to fund $36,000 in 2023 to work on countywide signage, and REAP income is estimated at $10,000.
Scheuermann requested the board transfer $75,000 from the general fund to the Conservation Reserve fund in FY2024, an increase of $25,000 over past years.
County attorney Laehn reported general fund expenditures in his office are estimated for FY2024 at $392,300. This is an estimated $42,800 increase from the current year estimate of $349,500. Laehn said most non-wage items remain basically the same except for a requested new copier. Wages for the assistant county attorney increased when the board approved a change from part-time to fulltime.
Laehn also spoke of a new case management software system in his office as being especially effective and the office of the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation at Wild Rose Casino having an agent specializing in child pornography.
Michele Madsen presented the estimated budget for the ambulance department for FY2024. She estimated revenues at $250,000 and expenditures at $785,500. The expenditure estimate has increased from $701,300 in FY2023. Madsen said overtime wages of $58,000 are part of the increase.
Billie Jo Hoskins presented the FY2024 auditor and elections budget to the board. She said the budget reflects new equipment, wages, benefits, and election needs in the coming year for city, school, and special elections compared to a general election.
The budget estimate totals $377,800, an increase of $40,400 over FY2023 estimate of $337,400.
Michelle Fields estimated the drain clerk budget for FY2024 at $43,800, an increase of $2,400 due to wages and benefits.
She estimated the data processing budget expenditures at $210,900, an $11,000 increase over FY2023 due to software, infotech services, wages, and benefits.
Total estimated FY2024 expenditures for the two departments is $254,700.
Clerk of Court expenditures for FY2024 are estimated at $96,000, an increase of $8,000 from FY2023, due to the cost of guardianship and conservatorship services,
The board of supervisors budget is estimated at $244,300, an increase of $13,300 over FY2023, due to increases in proposed wage and benefits.
The general services budget is estimated at $297,100 for FY2024, an increase of $14,000 from FY2023, due to increased expenses of auditing services and custodial wages and benefits.
The medical examiner budget remains at an estimated $25,000 for FY2024.
