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Last Updated: Dec 12, 2008 - 4:54:39 PM |
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Iowa County Supervisor Linda Yoder (Mitch Traphagen Photo)
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MARENGO - On Friday, November 7, 2008, the Iowa County Board of Supervisors met with Ray Garringer, Linda Yoder, Bill Keegan and Charles Montross present. Board Chair, Ric Gerard was absent.
A motion was made by Montross and seconded by Yoder to remove the appointments to the Compensation Board (a four year appointment) from the tabled items. All voted yes and the motion carried. A motion was made by Keegan and seconded by Montross to appoint Laverne Weisskopf to serve on the Compensation Board. All voted yes and the motion carried. A motion was made by Montross and seconded by Yoder to appoint Ric Gerard to serve on the Compensation Board. All voted yes and the motion carried.
Garringer said some board members had again mentioned the possible need to change the way issues are brought to them and are put on the agenda. Yoder pointed out that some boards have people (who wish to bring an issue to the board) notify the auditor a week ahead of time, giving any information on the issue at that time and the board is then able to study it and take action on it the following week. County Auditor Linda Griggs commented, “I like the suggestion to read it one week and to take action the next week because we don’t mail out (informational) packets to everyone ahead of time.”
Yoder pointed out, “If we have any questions about hotel motel tax, for instance, we could then call the auditor ahead of time and get these figures, and any other information that we need, a week ahead of time. This way we’ll have more information on the subject, which I think is only fair to the people we are dealing with, to us and to the tax payers.” Yoder later added that one of the issues dealt with when she was running for office was better communication. Garringer suggested that the board discuss these ideas with Paul Greufe, (human resources consultant) as he has had some experience as a County Administrator. Other board members present agreed that they would like to follow up on this.
Griggs informed the board that several departments would soon be needing direction to prepare their budget for the board’s review. Several members commented on the tight nature of the money situation this year.
Board members discussed and explained to those present that rural areas would be getting less funding in the upcoming months and years due to lower revenues. “We, the rural counties, are in the minority in representation and the urban area legislatures feel that they need a bigger piece of the pie,” said Yoder. “Two people from Johnson County have told me that ‘they’ are going to cut rural county funding. One of them has told me every time I’ve talked to him, that we should start closing those roads and that people can drive a different way and don’t need to drive straight through.”
Jin Yeene Neumann, County Engineer, informed the board that all road department sheds are full of salt and that they cannot take anymore salt unless it’s mixed. Yoder and Garringer thanked Neumann for staying on top of the situation. The general consensus of those present was that Neumann had acquired as much salt as possible at a very reasonable price while other counties and cities that may not have looked soon enough are now having a hard time filling their projected needs.
Neumann updated the board on progress regarding projects in the Amana area pointing out that concrete could still be poured as long as it is thirty-four degrees and rising. Neumann said the department is also looking at letting the I Avenue bridge during the second week of December. She mentioned the DOT has nothing to do with it as it is a local project and FEMA is allowing them to do a local letting.
Neumann informed the board that the department now has a new representative from FEMA to work with and she has already met with him. “They owe us a little over $200,000 from December of 2007 and he (the new representative) said that we should see that money within sixty days,” Neumann said. She and several board members speculated that this may be due to the fact that we’re now in a new fiscal year.
A motion was made by Yoder and seconded by Keegan to send a letter of support for the City of Marengo’s grant for housing rehabilitation. All voted yes and the motion carried.
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Skies: CloudyTemperature: 20F -7CDewpoint: 15F -9CRelative Humidity: 81%Wind: CALM at m - 0kBarometric Pressure: 29.72SUpdated: 08:10:28 AM