Only those in unincorporated parts of the county will vote
~by Janice Harbaugh for GreeneCountyNewsOnline
The Greene County board of supervisors at their Feb. 20 meeting recognized confusion over the upcoming election Tuesday, Mar. 5, on the change in use for local option sales and services tax (LOSST) revenue collected in unincorporated areas of the county.
“There’s confusion over whether it’s a new tax,” supervisor Dawn Rudolph said, acting as chair in the absence of John Muir. “It’s the same tax, only the use of the money is expanded.”
Currently, money raised from LOSST can only be spent for tax relief, per the ballot language when it was first approved. If the change is passed by voters, the money can be spent on “any lawful purpose,” such as secondary roads. The board agreed being able to use LOSST funds for various projects means taxes don’t have to be raised to pay for those projects.
“It’s still tax relief,” Rudolph said. “We’re not taking away from anyone.”
Supervisor Dan Benitz said it is a confusing thing to explain to people.
Rudolph agreed the wording on the ballot is confusing and there are two parts to the issue. The second part is setting a time limit on the life of the change.
Auditor Billie Jo Hoskins explained the phrasing on the ballot is required by Iowa Code.
“If the change is passed by voters, it will go into effect on July 1, 2024. The sunset portion will go into effect when the current sunset expires in 2027,” Hoskins said.
If passed by voters, the change in sunset would eliminate any ending date when the current ending date is reached in 2027.
“If the issue fails, the current LOSST is still in effect in current form,” Hoskins said.
Board members mentioned a letter written by Mary Weaver and published in GreeneCountyNewsOnline that they felt explains the issues well. Hoskins said she had helped in Weaver’s research of the issue.
Engineer Wade Weiss encouraged the board to promote understanding of the issue.
“If this is not passed, it will have a devastating effect on secondary roads,” he said.
The board agreed the public needs more direct information from them about the issue and discussed ways to get information out before the election.
In other business, Rudolph told the board she had read a report from Greene County Development Corporation and quoted Ken Paxton, director, as stating county funding had been “approved at the level requested.”
“We have not approved anything for any department,” Rudolph said. “People shouldn’t assume what they’re getting.”
When asked when the budget will be completed, Hoskins estimated within a week or so.
“The earliest public hearing on the budget could be March 25,” she said, though no date has been set.
During the budget work session, the board discussed the hiring of a replacement for Maralie Ruth in the recorder’s office. Ruth is retiring in July.
Recorder Deb McDonald said she will appoint a deputy recorder and hoped the hiring process would be done by April so there would be some transition time for the new person. McDonald said the board should budget for two salaries for the position running from April to July.
The board again discussed the possibility of a naturalist position for Greene County conservation and money needed for the Greene County portion of the Raccoon River Valley bike trail.
“Conservation is trying for grants to finance improvements on the trail,” Hoskins said, suggesting the budget could be amended later if needed.
“This year has been more in-depth work on the budget,” Rudolph said. “It’s good,”
The board unanimously approved a Special Class C Retail Alcohol License for Cloud Wine, LLC to cover the Country Blessing Spring Open House April 10 through April 14.
The board also unanimously approved renewal rates for Delta Vision and Delta Dental insurance for county employees to cover July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025.
At the next meeting Thursday, Feb 22, the board will hear a presentation by Joan St. Clair from Heritage Insurance about the county’s FY2025 renewal rates for Iowa Communities Assurance Pool (ICAP)and Iowa Municipalities Worker’s Compensation Association (IMWCA.)
