Also discuss if receiving county funds requires an entity to hold open meetings
~by Janice Harbaugh for GreeneCountyNewsOnline
At their meeting on Feb. 26, the Greene County board of supervisors discussed whether the public should continue to be given electronic access to public board meetings through the Zoom internet service.
Electronic attendance at board meetings through Zoom began during the pandemic. It has been popular with the public and, at times, there have been 30-50 people attending board meetings through Zoom for controversial issues. Board members occasionally use it for attending board meetings remotely, and county employees often sign on.
The Zoom service requires attendees to sign into meetings and be accepted by the host, the person running the electronic connection. The Zoom program also has a Chat feature which allows attendees to text questions to the board as well as be recognized and actually speak to the group in the boardroom.
“It’s a good tool,” chair John Muir said, “but it takes some monitoring time. I like the transparency.”
Muir also said there are advantages to people attending the board meetings in person and “interacting” with the board.
Supervisor Dawn Rudolph said, “Zoom should be just a listening device and the board should not pay attention to comments submitted through Zoom during a meeting.”
Chris Henning, rural Cooper and a frequent Zoom attendee, suggested the deputy auditor monitor and operate Zoom instead of supervisor Pete Bardole who has been doing it.
The board discussed possibilities and generally were not in favor of a paid county employee taking on the responsibility.
“We can allow Zoom but not pay someone to monitor (comments or questions from the Zoom audience,)” she said.
County attorney Thomas Laehn told the board they will need a formal policy concerning the use of Zoom, whether supervisors are allowed to attend meetings remotely, where people are allowed to sit in the boardroom during meetings, and how people are allowed to interact during meetings.
In a related topic, the board asked Laehn about open meetings and when they are required.
“Any governmental entity is required to have open meetings,” Laehn answered.
Supervisor Dan Benitz asked, “Does that include organizations funded by us?”
Laehn told the board non-profits are not subject to the open meeting requirement, even if they receive funds from the county.
“However,” Laehn said, “their books and records have to be available (to the board) and you can add strings to the funding you give them through the 28E agreements.”
“Do we have the right to ask them for open meetings (using the 28E agreement)?” Benitz asked. “I’m talking about GCDC (Greene County Development Corporation.)”
Laehn said the board could propose an amendment to the 28E agreement (requiring the non-profit to allow open meetings) or terminate the 28E agreement with 30-day notice.
“Also, the 28E agreements only promise to give $1 in funding per year,” Laehn said, indicating the board could link county funding above $1 to a non-profit’s cooperation in allowing board members to attend meetings of the non-profit.
In other business, the board again discussed public confusion over the upcoming Mar. 5 vote on a change in the use of LOSST (Local Option Sales and Services Tax) funds.
Supervisor Rudolph said the wording on the ballot is very confusing and engineer Wade Weiss said he has visited with people who have “varying opinions” on the issue.
County engineer Wade Weiss again said the use of LOSST funding is crucial to paying for secondary roads projects.
The board again discussed ways to get information to the public through a coalition of the news media in the county.
The board unanimously approved an addendum to the current contract between the Greene County board of supervisors and Boone/Greene County Probation. The addendum reduces the quarterly payments to Boone/Greene County Probation and extends the contract to five quarters, so it is synchronized with the county’s budget calendar. Each quarterly payment will be $10,583.09.
Weiss and veteran affairs coordinator Mike Bierl spoke to the board about signage honoring Lance Corporal Benjamin Carman to be placed on memorial highway IA4 from US 30 to IA 141 and signage to be placed on the memorial bridge over the North Raccoon River on US 30 west of Jefferson in honor of Captain Matthew Nielsen.
The board discussed who should pay for the signage and told Weiss and Bierl they would find the answer.
The board unanimously approved a Special Class C Retail Native Wine License for Deals Orchard from Dec. 5, 2023, to Dec. 4, 2024.
During a budget work session for FY2025, the board reduced funding to GCDC from a requested $50,000 to $45,000 and reduced funding to the Children’s Center from a requested $7,500 to $6,000. Jefferson congregate meals was reduced from a requested $15,000 to $14,000. The Bell Tower Festival was reduced from a requested $3,000 to $2,500. Jefferson Matters was reduced from a requested $7,000 to $6,000.
The Conservation department had requested a transfer of funds from general basic to conservation reserve of $130,000. The board reduced that amount to $100,000.
The sheriff’s office had requested two new jailer positions and a dispatcher position to staff the new jail. The board reduced the jailer positions to one jailer to save an estimated $51,000.
