The Greene County supervisors heard information on a variety of topics at their Feb. 9 before starting the new business on the agenda.
Greene County Development Corporation director Greg Piklapp updated the board on the status of Bauer Built in Paton. The business was purchased in 2025 by Kloeckner Metals Corporation, part of Kloeckner and Co. Worthington Steel, headquartered in Columbus, OH, is in the process of acquiring Kloeckner Metals, which would make Worthington Steel the second largest steel service center company in North America.
According to Piklapp, production at the plant has remained the same as when Bauer Built owned it even through the acquisitions.
County attorney Thomas Laehn updated the supervisors on a proposed settlement between the Environmental Protection Agency and Electrolux Home Products Inc regarding possible environmental damage at the site of the former Electrolux plant on E. Central Ave in Jefferson. The property has been unavailable for redevelopment because of those concerns.
Under the proposed settlement, Electrolux would be required to conduct an investigation into possible soil and groundwater contamination, develop a corrective measures study, and implement corrective measures.
County engineer Wade Weiss shared with the board an award he accepted on behalf of the secondary roads department at a meeting of the Iowa Concrete Paving Association. The award – Iowa’s Best County PCC Paving Project for 2025, was given for the paving done on County Roads E-18, P-36, and P-29 in the northeast portion of the county.
Jefferson city administrator Scott Peterson reported that the airport jet fueling project will begin this spring with completion during the summer. He said a grant application has been submitted through Region XII Council of Governments for funding of a shared use trail on W. Central Ave and then north to Greene County High School. If the grant is awarded construction on the sidewalk will begin in 2027.
Laehn presented his budget request for Fiscal Year 2027 (July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027). He anticipates $42,000 in revenues, the same as the current year. The expense side of the budget is decreased from the current year, from $547,984 to $503,296. The bulk of the decrease comes from the staff going from four fulltime employees to three fulltime employees.
County sheriff Jack Williams presented his revenue and expenses for FY27. Revenues will increase due to an increase in the cost of contract law enforcement paid by the incorporated towns in the county (excluding Jefferson). Increases in expenses are due to wage increases ranging from 2.7 to 3.25 percent for jailers and dispatchers, and 4.25 percent for deputies.
He also noted that when the new jail opens the county will no longer serve inmates three hot meals a day (all purchased at a cost from Greene County Medical Center) to two cold meals (prepared onsite by jailers) and one hot meal from the medical center. He anticipates a savings of approximately $89,000 with the change in meals.
The supervisors approved a resolution soliciting a proposal from the Schoolboy Soldiers of Rippey memorial committee for a memorial honoring the schoolboy soldiers of Rippey. The memorial will honor the 34 young men and boys from Rippey who fought in the Union Army during the Civil War. The resolution notes that “Greene County gratefully remembers and honors the schoolboy soldiers of Rippey, Iowa, and their teachers, whose patriotism, valor, and service have inspired and will continue to inspire generations of Greene Countians.”
The supervisors approved another resolution amending the 28E agreement with the City of Jefferson for recycling services, changing the termination date from Feb. 13, 2026, to March 31, 2026. The Jefferson city council will consider a similar resolution at its Feb. 10 meeting. The supervisors approved a series of documents needed for a Community Development Block Grant for the Paton-Churdan Early Learning Center. Region XII Council of Governments is preparing the grant application.
