No comments were received when the Greene County board of supervisors held a public hearing during their Jan. 20 meeting to approve the proposed plans, specifications, form of contract and estimated total cost of the new jail. The plans and specs were provided by ISG, with an estimated cost of $9.6 million. The voters approved a bond of up to $10 million for the project.
Bids were to be opened Wednesday at 2 pm. A quorum of the board was not needed for the bid opening and no meeting was scheduled.
During the reports portion of the meeting, Chuck Wenthold reported that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), part of the US Department of Transportation, announced last week proposed rules regarding carbon dioxide pipelines like the ones proposed by Summit Carbon Solutions.
The new rules would require training for local first responders, purchase of equipment, and dispersion analysis. Some of his information was provided to him by Chris Henning, a proponent of the Summit Carbon Solutions project.
County attorney Thomas Laehn told the supervisors that a decision by the Iowa Court of Appeals in a Cedar Rapids case could have implications for how the supervisors handle closed sessions. Most elected boards routinely go into closed session to conduct employee evaluations; the supervisors did so just last week.
However, per the Court of Appeals decision, the requirement in the Open Meetings Law that closed session is to be used “when necessary to prevent needless and irreparable injury to that individual’s reputation and that individual requests a closed session” must be met.
“If you’re just going to give the person a glowing evaluation… then there’s no potential for irreparable injury to the person, so can’t actually be in closed session,” Laehn said.
He suggested the supervisors begin each evaluation in closed session, and at the outset determine if there may be likelihood of causing harm to the person’s reputation. If there is no likelihood, the board should return to open session.
Laehn also explained a $15,000 increase in juvenile court costs in an amendment in the current year budget. Auditor Billie Jo Hoskins said the county has already used almost all of the $40,000 budgeted for shelter care for juveniles.
He said many juvenile offenses were handled previously without going to court, but now, there are many more contested hearings in which parents
The number of juvenile court days has increased from one to two days per month. “Something has happened in our society. It’s not just Greene County,” he said.
Assistant county attorney Kaitlin Willms said she has never seen a juvenile offender to be found not guilty in juvenile court. She said parents are taking up court time so their claims can be heard, “and they’re not truthful claims ripe for challenge.”
She said many of the parents who challenge their children’s charges don’t want to acknowledge there’s a problem in their home.
