Board considers funding requests, receives reports

By Mary Zielinski
Posted 2/1/23

Following a “successful year” in 2022 that also saw the launching of a major building project, PAWS & More, the county’s animal humane service, Tuesday proposed a three-year 28E …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

Board considers funding requests, receives reports

Posted

Following a “successful year” in 2022 that also saw the launching of a major building project, PAWS & More, the county’s animal humane service, Tuesday proposed a three-year 28E Agreement with a fixed $34,000 annual allocation from Washington County to PAWS.   The move, as noted by PAWS officials, would stabilize funding for both entities and is less than the $34,914 allocated in 2019 and $34,400 in 2021.  It is the same as last year’s funding.  While the agreement would be the first with the county, PAWS has others with county municipalities.

The agreement would provide the county with quarterly reports on the PAWS operations, an annual invoice in July of each year, and a fiscal report each November.  The agreement would become effective July 1, 2023 and continue to 11:59 p.m. June 30, 2026.

During the discussion, the Washington County Board of Supervisors learned that PAWS also assisted Henry County with a situation involving 60 cats following the owner’s hospitalization; found permanent homes for many animals in the county; received a $20,000 grant to aid with building design for its new shelter facility; and weathered a “significant shortfall” in 2020 due to closing forced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Supervisors, while not objecting to the plan, suggested a possible five-year agreement, and officials said they could return next week with a revised proposal.  Action was tabled.

An equally positive report came from Ryan Schlabaugh about the Kalona-based English River Watershed Management Authority (ERWMA), now in its 10th year of operation.  He noted that ERWMA is requesting a $10,000 allocation, the same as in previous years, to assist with part-time staffing and volunteers who assist with projects, including collecting water samples for testing.  

From its establishment in 2013, ERWMA has worked with the Iowa Flood Center in Iowa City on projects, mostly the recent $4.3 million FEMA funded flood mitigation effort that involved 32 landowners; built 354 structures to aid in mitigation efforts; and treated water runoff for 1,783 acres along the watershed in Iowa and Poweshiek counties and a small part of Johnson County.  It administered the grant funds.   It also now has a 28E agreement with 16 different entities along the more than 600-mile watershed.   

In this past decade, ERMWA has gone from one from of six in Iowa to one of 14, serving as a model for others, explained Schlabaugh.   Indications are the $10,000 will be in the 2023-24 budget.

In other business, the board:

•Received a concise annual report from the Washington County Emergency Medical Service Advisory Council, stressing that the increasing problem for such services in the nation, state, and county is staffing recruitment and maintaining staff, which also includes volunteers.   It concluded that, “Given the current climate,” its only recommendation at this time to the board is “…to take action to provide the Washington County Ambulance Service with the necessary leadership, structure and support to move forward and work in partnership with the various QRS agencies and the county EMS Association.”

•Acknowledged the auditor’s report that showed 1139 documents recorded in the last quarter, with “Nothing unusual” in operations.

•Approved Lydia Houston, communications, a pay raise from $21.50 to $25.03 hourly; Rachel Swaffer from $20.50 to $22.60 hourly; and Jamie Brame as full-time billing coder for the Ambulance Service to $30.49 hourly.

•Discussed meal reimbursements for county employees who have to travel on county business, and, following supervisor Jack Seward, Jr.’s suggestion to “take a week to review it” to find a reasonable fee, tabled action to next week.