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Last Updated: Mar 31, 2009 - 2:29:20 PM |
Iowa County Supervisor Ric Gerard (Mitch Traphagen Photo)
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MARENGO - On December 19, 2008, the Iowa County Board of Supervisors met with Ric Gerard, as Board Chair, calling the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. Ray Garringer and Bill Keegan, along with Gerard, were present. Linda Yoder and Charlie Montross were absent.
Gerard, whose term is ending soon, discussed some concerns about the tough decisions that the board will be facing in the remaining fiscal year and the upcoming calendar year. He also stated, “I don’t feel that board salaries have kept up with the times.” Gerard pointed out that, in other counties with greater revenue streams, the supervisor’s job is not too bad when they have a full time budget director and staff. Iowa County does not.
Gerard stated that, although the job is perceived as only a four hour per week job, it is actually much more. All agreed that they cannot go to a gas station or the grocery store or a ball game without being approached about a county issue and also agreed that this is just part of the job. One board member sited a recent, profanity-laced telephone call he’d received at home on his answering machine and said he was just thankful that a young child in the home hadn’t retrieved the messages that day and that his wife had not appreciated it. He said another board member had received a similar call that day. He added that he did not forward the message to the other Supervisors due to the profane nature of the complaint.
Garringer addressed Gerard, thanking him for his years of service as a board member and, on behalf of the other members of the board, presented him with a card and small gift saying he appreciated all the work Gerard had done for the county in the ten years since he (Garringer) had been on the board. “I’ve learned a lot from you and when it comes to budget questions, I’ll call you.”
During open forum, others in the room also expressed appreciation to Gerard. A question was asked about whether the board was looking into having the city take over the Levy Supervision. Garringer pointed out that the county is still in a contract for the next year and a half so nothing would be looked at until after that time. Gerard noted that, had the current Levy Supervisor not been able to come agreement within the current contract, this may have been one alternative for the board to have looked at but that he believes issues have now been resolved to everyone’s satisfaction.
Sam Gipple, Transportation Director, met with the board to discuss an extension of a contract with Route Match Technology.
Before discussing this issue, Gipple inquired of Linda Griggs, County Auditor, as to whether he understood the Company Nurse program (which is soon to be implemented) correctly in that when an employee is injured they are to call in to report the injury. Griggs confirmed this, pointing out that “Company Nurse is the name of the company, but also stated, “It is a registered nurse (that they’ll be speaking with), so she can tell them how to treat it if it is something that just needs to be treated by the employee. Or she’ll tell them that they need to go to the emergency room or that they just need to go to the physician.”
Gipple then asked, “What happens if she says that the employee should treat it himself but the employee feels that he should go to the doctor and it’s deemed afterwards that, yes, he should have gone to the doctor?”
“The employee can call back,” Griggs replied. “If, for instance, you wait and then it gets worse, (when you call back) they’ll tell you to go.”
Gerard pointed out that something similar had happened with his wife. He said he did have to make the second call but that as long as it had been reported then it was ok for her to go.
Gipple asked, “But once you’d reported it then you didn’t need permission to go?”
“I had to make the second call but they do give permission, yes,” Gerard replied.
Gipple then asked, “But if you don’t get the okay and the employee goes in anyway, then who pays for it?”
“That’s a good question and something we should check into,” said Gerard. “That’s something that will need to be written in there. It’s going to be mandatory so we’ll need to find a way to make it work.”
Griggs stated, “But that doesn’t mean we can’t ask questions.” All agreed.
Garringer then stated, “Well, we wouldn’t want an employee sitting at home hurt because the nurse had instructed him to put ice on it and the employee had felt that that was all they could do and that they couldn’t go in.” Gipple asked and the board confirmed that Company Nurse is open twenty four hours a day.
Regarding Route Match, a motion was made by Garringer and seconded by Keegan to approve and to authorize the purchase of a six month extension of a support and maintenance contract at $1,663.08 with Route Match Technology and to authorize the Chair to sign the necessary documents. All voted yes and the motion carried.
A motion was made by Keegan and seconded by Garringer to approve a request to fill the deputy sheriff vacancy. All voted yes and the motion carried.
A motion was made by Keegan and seconded by Garringer to take the SAMSHA grant (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) issue off of tabled items. All voted yes and the motion carried.
A motion was made by Keegan and seconded by Garringer to approve and authorize the chair to sign a letter of support for the SAMSHA grant. All voted yes and the motion carried.
A motion was made by Garringer and seconded by Keegan to approve an audit proposal from Hunt Kain not to exceed $22,000 for Fiscal Year 09 and $23,000 for FY10. All voted yes and the motion carried.
A motion was made by Garringer and seconded by Keegan to designate Sam Gipple, Safety Director, to implement the Company Nurse Program for Worker’s Compensation. All voted yes and the motion carried.
JinYeene Neumann, County Engineer, met with the board to discuss updates and road department issues. A motion was made by Garringer and seconded by Keegan to approve and to authorize the Chair to sign the contract for L-S-2016-09, which is in regards to the I Avenue Bridge, to Iowa Bridge & Culvert, L.C. for $289,319.78. All voted yes and the motion carried.
A motion was made by Garringer and seconded by Keegan to provide in-kind services with the Natural Resource Conservation Service for Emergency Watershed Protection Program-Recovery to Honey Creek along 1655 M Avenue and Price Creek along U Avenue. All voted yes and the motion carried.
A motion was made by Keegan and seconded by Garringer to adjourn at 10:20 a.m. All voted yes and the motion carried.
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