~by Janice Harbaugh for GreeneCountyNewsOnline
The Greene County board of supervisors met Jan. 23 and 26 to continue discussion of previous issues including funding for emergency communications towers and equipment, 28E agreements with non-profits in the county, the proposed Courthouse Building and Grounds policy, and the county’s possible withdrawal from the Western Iowa Workforce consortium.
On Jan. 23, the board unanimously adopted two resolutions allowing the county to move forward to fund $3,020,000 for emergency communications through the issuance of general obligation capital loan notes.
Resolution 2023-04 appoints UMB Bank of West Des Moines to serve as paying agent, note registrar, and transfer agent. The resolution also authorizes the execution of the agreement.
The board then unanimously adopted Resolution 2023-05 authorizing a form of loan agreement and authorizing and providing for the issuance of $3,020,000 general obligation capital loan notes, series 2023A, and levying a tax to pay said notes; approval of the tax exemption certificate and continuing disclosure certificate.
This lengthy resolution includes definitions and procedures that must be followed. Both resolutions in their entirety can be found under GCNO agendas and minutes.
Also on Jan. 23, county attorney Thomas Laehn reviewed a template he designed as a 28E agreement between the county and non-profits that want to partner with the County by requesting money each year from the board of supervisors.
Laehn said the agreements are for one-year terms and automatically renew every year on July 1. Non-profits must grant the board access to their records to track how the county money is spent.
“Money not spent comes back to the county. The county auditor administers the 28E agreements,” Laehn said. He added that Elderbridge already has a 28E in place.
The board agreed to use the template.
Laehn discussed his “working draft” of the proposed Courthouse Building and Grounds Policy.
Laehn said he has refined the definition of pet to mean “dogs, cats or similar domesticated animals kept in the home.” He said the proposed policy requires pets be licensed, vaccinated, and on a leash. Pet owners are required to clean up after pets.
Laehn recommended signage about leashes and cleaning up after pets.
Board chair John Muir said, “Pet owners should be able to enjoy a greenspace, but we also have stewardship of the grounds to think about.”
“The (courthouse) grounds shouldn’t be the place for pets to go,” supervisor Pete Bardole said.
“The city (of Jefferson) should provide an area,” said supervisor Dawn Rudolph. “They should have a part in this since they encourage living (in apartments) above the square.”
Laehn said the policy allows only police dogs and service animals inside the Mahanay Memorial Carillon Tower.
There will be no reservation fees or deposits in general in the policy, Laehn said, but the county auditor or designee may charge a fee for reserving the observation deck in the tower.
“The designee is an agent of the county,” Laehn said, “not an agent of the Bell Tower Foundation.”
Laehn said reservations for other areas of the courthouse or grounds would be needed only if the areas would be used exclusively by the groups wanting the reservations. He recommended a form be used for reservations.
Laehn repeated previous statements about the Bell Tower Community Foundation needing to have a 28E agreement in place with the county before funding requests can be granted.
“A 28E agreement with the Foundation has to be wrapped into their budget request,” he said.
Laehn said many parts of the courthouse building and grounds policy are in place but haven’t been enforced.
In other business, Muir discussed the county possibly withdrawing from the Western Iowa Workforce Development group and dissolving the 28E agreement with them.
“There are lots of problems,” Muir said. “Membership is doing Greene County no good. There’s no benefit to anybody and there’s some liability. Guidance is not good. There’s no local voice (for us.)”
Muir said other counties are considering dropping their membership.
The board took no action but will discuss the issue again.
Also on Jan. 23, engineer Wade Weiss told the board he has been sworn in on the ISAC board of directors for the Engineer Affiliate.
Chuck Wenthold, environmental department, told the board he received a conditional use application from Alliant Energy for an upgrade to its site northeast of Grand Junction. Wenthold said he will schedule a board of adjustment meeting for that application.
Laehn said a grand jury will be impaneled “just in case” the need arises. He said grand juries can indict people if a county attorney is uncertain whether indictment should be pursued. The grand jury will be empaneled Jan. 30.
“Grand juries also can inspect jails to make sure people are not being held without reason, Laehn explained.
Laehn said Greene County plans to extradite a person currently being held in a Texas jail to bring the person back for trial.
“Our general policy is to extradite (when a defendant flees,”) he said. “We do weigh the cost against the alleged crime, however.”
The board also unanimously approved the signing of the Certification of Cost Allocation Plan for recovery of indirect costs in FY2024.
On Jan. 26, the board reviewed the final draft of the courthouse building and grounds policy and unanimously approved it after changing “city sidewalk” to “sidewalk” in the policy.
The new policy will take the place of the old policy approved in October, 2007.
Laehn said he will work with Michele Fields, county information technology, and Jane Heun, auditor, to design a reservation form to be used. Laehn will mail the new policy to all department heads.
Laehn also said he will draft a 28E agreement between the county and the Bell Tower Community Foundation for the board to consider.
The bell tower falls under the courthouse building and grounds policy, Laehn said.
In regard to an issue from Jan. 23, Laehn advised the board to wait until he can review the original agreements between counties and the Workforce Development region before making a decision about withdrawing from the group.
The board agreed to this, but Muir stated withdrawal remains likely.
In the matter of a trial held on Tuesday, Laehn reported assistant county attorney Laura Snider obtained a guilty verdict but the defendant fled the courthouse during the jury deliberation.
“We’ll find the person,” Laehn said.
Weiss presented the board with an extensive report on the proposed secondary roads budget for FY2024. Weiss estimated total expenditures for FY2024 at $7,173,606 and receipts estimated at $1,050,000.
Weiss spoke of 983 miles of paved and gravel roads in the county and about an underground storage tank at the Jefferson secondary road shop that needs monitoring.
“It’s been there 30 years,” Weiss said. “We need to get it cleaned up. It’s 15 feet deep and 30 feet wide.”
Figures and categories for the secondary roads FY2024 budget are available under GCNO agenda and minutes.
Weiss and supervisor Pete Bardole, board representative to the Bell Tower Foundation, reported on lighting for the Tower.
Weiss described the new lighting as “more vertical” up the outside of the Tower and it can be programmed to change automatically (in color and intensity) for a full year at a time.
“I reminded the Foundation of the lighting policy,” Bardole said. “and the Foundation will be making the tower coordinator the agent of the county auditor (for making reservations and accepting fees for use of the observation deck.)”
Muir and supervisors Rudolph and Dan Benitz briefly discussed staffing for the ambulance department and difficulties in finding qualified people part-time as well as employees driving in from a distance to answer ambulance calls.
Benitz suggested looking at the idea of using empty hospital rooms for ambulance employees on call.
