Accept resignation of veterans affairs director Bierl
Greene County veterans affairs/general assistance director Mike Bierl has made a positive impression on the county supervisors in the five years he has served in the post.
The county supervisors at their Oct. 7 meeting accepted his resignation for the purpose of retirement effective Jan. 8. “He’ll leave big shoes to fill,” board chair John Muir said.
“He’s been so good in that position,” supervisor Pete Bardole said.
County attorney Thomas Laehn said Bierl has been “a dedicated public servant.”
The board of supervisors will post the job opening and hold interviews for the position.
Laehn reported to the board he has been asked to attend a meeting of county attorneys and legislators in Des Moines later this week regarding Summit Carbon Solutions’ two proposed pipeline projects. He noted that Greene County was one of the first counties to file an objection to the Phase 2 project with the Iowa Utilities Commission and that other counties have asked him for advice on the process.
There will be expert discussion of litigation by counties opposing Phase 1 of the pipeline, Laehn said. “Until you tell me otherwise, we are not planning to do down that path.”
“We’re not anti-progress, but I think when that eminent domain policy came through, we felt we had to object,” Muir said.
“That’s the objection that has the largest consensus,” Laehn replied. “There’s a lot of reasons people could be opposed to this pipeline, but the argument that people are rallying around is the eminent domain issue.”
Laehn predicted there will be discussion of eminent domain during the 2025 legislative session. He said the legislature will not be able to stop what has already happened with Phase 1, but that the legislature could block Phase 2 with legislation. “We’ll see what they do. The ball’s in their court,” he said.
He also told the supervisors of a trial Nov. 4-5 in front of the state Property Assessment Appeal Board over the value of the Wild Rose Casino property. “There’s a lot of money at stake with that,” he said, and he thanked office manager Jeri Angell and IT specialist Michelle Fields for their help in submitting almost 2,000 pages of documentation in the case.
A district court judge will hear the case and make a decision.
Laehn also said he received one application for the position of assistant county attorney.
The board held a public hearing on the authorization of a loan agreement and the issuance of $24,750,000 in general obligation urban renewal capital loan notes. Hearing and receiving no comments, the board closed the public hearing and approved the necessary resolution.
The loan funds will be used to pay for roads projects in the urban renewal district, a rather spider-shaped area that links each of the Mid-American wind turbines in the Hardin and Junction Townships. The bonds will be repaid with revenue from the tax increment financing (TIF) imposed in on the turbines.
The board approved sending requests for proposals to four firms to provide mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) commission services during construction of the new jail. The company selected will have a representative onsite inspecting work as it is completed and when the project is completed.
The four firms, all suggested by BBS Architects|Engineers, are Cornerstone Commissioning, Systems Works, KFI Engineers and Optimized Systems.
The board heard and accepted quarterly reports of fees from county recorder Deb McDonald and county treasurer Katlynn Mechaelsen.
Mechaelsen said she and her staff work to educate taxpayers about their tax statements. She said many people don’t understand the bottom portion of their tax bill, and are surprised how much they need to pay.
She pointed out that 40 percent of the property taxes collected are for school districts, and that the county gets less than 10 percent of the property taxes levied. The taxes due in September reflected increases in taxable valuations, and that, along with the levy voters approved for construction of the new jail, added to the total due.
Mechaelsen also makes sure people know about any tax credits available to them. “In the end, we work for the people,” she said.
The board met in closed session to review a report of the courthouse security committee on the status of implementing approved courthouse security measures and to consider adoption of additional security recommendations.
