~by Janice Harbaugh for GreeneCountyNewsOnline
The Greene County supervisors received information about hiring a construction manager for the new county jail at their Dec. 18 meeting.
Joey Wendinger, project manager with ISG, architects for the project, presented the board with a notice of intent to enter into a guaranteed maximum price contract for a construction manager at-risk (CmaR)for the new jail construction.
Wendinger, describing himself as an architect-engineer with ISG, explained there is a scoring procedure for hiring a construction manager. In response to questioning, he said “at-risk” means there’s a degree of uncertainty about construction schedules.
Wendinger said Feb. 12 will be the date for requesting construction proposals and a decision will be made by Mar. 25.
“We might pour the footings in 2024 but we don’t want winter construction costs so (construction won’t start until) spring 2025,” Wendinger said.
Real estate/tax coordinator Pam Olerich presented a table of assessed and taxable values of utility companies in Greene County for 2023. The board unanimously passed a resolution to approve these values and make them payable in FY2023-2024. This information can be found under Agendas and Minutes.
Engineer Wade Weiss reported safety meetings are scheduled for employees this week and he gave an overview of construction projects planned for the next few years.
Most of the meeting was spent hearing requests for the FY2025 budget from agencies and organizations providing services to Greene County.
Public Health director Becky Wolf told the board she will retire in December 2024 and plans will be made to help transition to a new director. Wolf praised the county board of health, mentioning supervisor Dawn Rudolph and Paton-Churdan principal Annie Smith, and thanked the supervisors for their support through the years.
Wolf asked for $300,000 in funding for FY2025 for public health programs including home visitation, dementia prevention, Healthy Rides transportation to medical appointments, vaccination services, and child and adolescent health services. Wolf said all programs have been well-attended and used.
“We are the only pediatric vaccination provider in the county,” Wolfe said. “Covid vaccines have been commercialized and now have to be purchased. The price has been jacked up.”
Wolf said public health wants to offer free Covid vaccinations to the uninsured and the underinsured.
“We have a record number of families enrolled in home visitation,” she said. “Twenty-five families use the service and 46 percent are Latino who also use translation services.”
Supervisor Dan Benitz asked whether there might be other funding for “help with the costs of medical offerings to Latinos.”
Due to increased costs, Wolf said Public Health has needed to add fees for the installation of the Lifeline service and for batteries, something users have not been charged for in the past.
“How has that been received?” chair John Muir asked.
“People understand,” Wolf replied.
The amount requested is the same as in the current year.
Librarians from communities in the county and members of the libraries’ boards of trustees attended the meeting and participated in describing the services libraries provide to the residents of the county.
Jane Millard, president of the Greene County Librarians, presented a request for a total of $84,425 for FY2025, which includes an 8 percent increase in the base funding from FY2024.
The group described many services to all age groups in the communities and in the unincorporated parts of the county. Millard said an increase in funding would help add services for teens, early learning, and senior interactions.
Representing RSVP 55+ (Retired Seniors Volunteer Program), director Michelle Hull and Greene County coordinator Sheilah Pound requested FY2025 funding of $3,000, an increase of $500 over FY2024.
Hull and Pound described programs of in-home visitation, peer assistance, assistance with grocery shopping and delivery of groceries, respite for adult care-givers, and a pen pal program between seniors and elementary children.
“We are always looking for volunteers,” Pound said.
Doug Hawn, representing the Greene County Fair, requested $24,000 for FY2025, the same amount as in FY2024. Hawn described renovation and improvement projects planned. No action was taken on the request.
Rich Hunsaker, representing Region XII Council of Governments, told the supervisors membership fees will increase from $0.94 to $0.95 per capita population in the county for a total of $8,332.45 and transit service fees will increase from $0.57 to $0.58 per capita for a total of $5,087.18.
Hunsaker said the local housing trust fund match requested is $10,000, the same as FY2024.
Scott Weber and Ken Paxton, representing Greene County Development Corporation, requested funding of $50,000 for FY2025, the same as in FY2024.
Weber and Paxton acknowledged “controversy with some proposed projects” and described plans for a Multi-cultural Family Resource Center “to help new and current residents to acclimate.” They also spoke of a successful Midwest Mission lease and that GCDC also receives funds from Grow Greene County.
The supervisors discussed the need for a 28E agreement with GCDC and county attorney Thomas Laehn gave the board a draft of the 28E agreement with GCDC, saying it was “standard language.”
Laehn noted state law requires the accounting records of non-profits having 28E agreements with the county to be available to the county.
“Our purpose isn’t to micromanage,” Muir said. “But we’re obliged to follow the taxpayer’s money.”
Supervisor Pete Bardole said, “We don’t want inappropriate use of funds.”
No action was taken on any of the funding requests, but the requests will be considered in the budget process.
The supervisors also discussed the reallocation of $10,000 given to GCDC for new construction in Scranton. The supervisors requested the money now be given to 25CHI for renovation of properties along the Highway 25 corridor, since new construction is too expensive to be practical.
Attorney Laehn said it is unclear whether the supervisors can require the $10,000 already given to GCDC to be redirected to 25CHI.
In the end, the board decided to request GCDC to redirect the money. The vote was unanimous with supervisor Rudolph abstaining.
Attorney Laehn said he thinks the 28E negotiations with GCDC “should quickly resolve.”
Iowa State University Extension director Lori Mannel reported to the board on growth in Extension programs over the past year, citing Clover Kids and leadership courses and giving board members calendars.
Muir said, “There was a time when we wondered if we had an Extension here.”
Mannel laughed, “Well, if you haven’t heard of us, you’re living under a rock.”
Sheriff Jack Williams asked the board about wage increases for non-elected employees for FY2025. The board agreed they could consider 2.5 to 3 percent increases but could not commit to any figures before the budget is constructed.
The board also noted that the compensation board will meet Thursday morning, Dec. 21, at 8:30.
