~by Janica Harbaugh for GreeneCountyNewsOnline
The Greene County board of supervisors at the Nov. 27 meeting unanimously approved two resolutions addressing Local Option Sales and Services tax (LOSST) revenues in the unincorporated areas of the county. The issues had been introduced at the meeting on Nov. 20 but only partially discussed due to supervisor absences.
The first resolution calls for an election on the question of changing the use of LOSST revenues in unincorporated areas of the county. The supervisors set the special county election for Tuesday, Mar. 5, 2024 for “the registered voters of the unincorporated portion of Greene County, Iowa.”
The public measure to be voted on would authorize a change in the use of 1 percent LOSST tax in the unincorporated area of the County of Greene, effective July 1, 2024.
The current wording of the resolution now in effect states “revenues from the sales and services tax will be used 100 percent for rural property tax relief and any other lawful purpose of the County exclusively in the unincorporated areas of the County.”
The public measure to be voted on would allocate “0 percent for property tax relief” and “100 percent for any lawful purpose.”
The resolution outlines how the election is to be set up, published, and filed with the County Commissioner of Elections.
The second resolution authorizes “a new local sales and services tax be imposed on the unincorporated area of the County of Greene that will continue without repeal of the existing local sales and services tax at the rate of 1 percent to be effective July 1, 2024 until repealed.”
This public measure states revenue from the LOSST will be “0 percent for property tax relief” and “100 percent for any lawful purpose.”
This second resolution also identifies the procedures for setting up the election to be held on Mar. 5, 2024 and authorizes publication and filing with the County Commissioner of Elections.
The resolution notes the current resolution in effect for LOSST revenue expires June 30, 2027. The public measure to be voted on would, if approved by voters, eliminate an expiration date, according to discussion among the supervisors.
Though both resolutions were unanimously approved by the supervisors, there appeared to be confusion among them as to what exactly the resolutions meant and what the ultimate effect on the unincorporated areas of the county would be.
During the discussion, the group digressed into a need to consult with the state archaeologist about possible Native American burial sites at Seven Hills County Park and possible need of $3.2 M in funds for a communications tower planned there.
The resolutions calling for an election March 5, 2024 can be read in entirety in the auditor’s office or posted as part of the Nov. 27 minutes under the GreeneCountyNewsOnline Calendar/Agenda tab .
In other business, real estate coordinator Pam Olerich gave the Tax Increment Funding annual renewal report for FY2022-2023 ending June 30, 2023. She said the report is sent to the Iowa Department of Revenue and is a collection of financial data about the operation of the wind farms in the district.
Olerich said there was a balance of $956,515 after adding taxes collected to the TIF fund and subtracting fees due to Northland Securities. The board unanimously approved the report.
The board unanimously approved an engagement letter with Northland Securities authorizing them to act as securities underwriter for the issuance of general obligation bonds for the courthouse HVAC system.
Environmental health coordinator Chuck Wenthold told the board the Planning and Zoning Commission will meet Nov. 28 to recommend a zoning reclassification to the board of supervisors. The reclassification is for New Cooperative’s new site near Churdan.
Engineer Wade Weiss reported on weekend road plowing and treating of roads by the secondary roads department and maintenance projects on the shop. For Bell Tower maintenance, Weiss recommended replacing floor tiles on the observation deck with carpet squares.
“It’s a concrete floor,” he said, “and the structure moves.”
