PROCEEDINGS OF THE WASHINGTON COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2024
At 9:00 a.m. Chairperson Richard Young called to order in regular session a meeting of the Washington County Board of Supervisors which took place in the Washington County Courthouse. Items on the agenda included the following: Pledge of Allegiance; approval of agenda; public comment related to agenda items; discussion and action regarding request for space at Orchard Hill to be used as a garden; personnel change request – Environmental Health; personnel change request – Veteran Affairs; Washington County recycling update – Lynn Whaley, WEMIGA Waste Management; discussion and action regarding pledge for Washington County Road Safety Action Plan; discussion and action regarding approval of final Payment for FM-C0902(120)--55-92, Dogwood Avenue from the bridge abutment at 295th Street north approximately 0.6 miles; discussion and action regarding Outreach Director position; discussion and action regarding proposed Washington County Wind Ordinance 24-04; department head comment; adjourn. Supervisors Bob Yoder, Jack Seward, Marcus Fedler, and Stan Stoops were also present.
Other individuals in attendance included Kalen McCain with the SE Iowa Union and Lynn Whaley and Lorynn Moutrie with WEMIGA Waste Management along with Sheriff Jared Schneider, Deputy Sheriff Shawn Ellingson, Board of Supervisors Administrative Assistant Amber Williams, County Attorney Nathan Repp, Deputy Auditor Tammy Stewart, Veteran Services Officer Sue Rich, County Engineer Jacob Thorius, Director of Iowa State University Extension and Outreach of Washington County Andy Miller, and citizens Greg Koch and Kurt Hora. Various other individuals listened and/or watched remotely.
Fedler led the individuals assembled in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
All motions were passed unanimously unless noted otherwise.
On motion by Yoder, seconded by Fedler, the Board voted to approve the agenda as published.
During the public comment portion of the meeting citizen Greg Koch voiced his opposition to proposed Washington County Wind Ordinance 24-04 by stating his desire for a longer minimum setback distance than the .5-mile minimum setback called for in the draft ordinance . He also cited documented instances of wind turbine blades that disintegrated which in turn resulted in debris fields. Citizen Kurt Hora expressed agreement with Koch regarding the need for greater minimum setback distances.
The Board heard a presentation from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Director Andy Miller who spoke about a program that is new to Washington County that is known as Growing Together Iowa which is a donation garden project whose purpose is to increase access to fruits and vegetables, promote healthy food access, and provide nutrition and gardening education to individuals who are food insecure. The project is funded by the USDA SNAP-Ed program. While new to Washington County the Growing Together Iowa program has been in existence in Iowa for nearly 10 years. On motion by Stoops, seconded by Yoder, the Board voted to allow the Growing Together Iowa group to use space at Old Main for gardening purposes.
On motion by Seward, seconded by Fedler, the Board voted to acknowledge, and authorize the Chairperson to sign, a personnel change request from Environmental Health for full-time non-exempt Environmental Health Specialist Aimie Fries involving an increase in rate of pay to $21.50 per hour effective November 28, 2024. The increase is related to Fries’s satisfactory completion of training resulting in her becoming a Certified Pool Operator.
On motion by Fedler, seconded by Yoder, the Board voted to acknowledge, and authorize the Chairperson to sign, a personnel change request from Veteran Affairs for full-time non-exempt Veteran Affairs Director Carrie Rich involving an increase in pay rate to $26.00 per hour effective November 27, 2024. The increase is related to Rich’s satisfactory completion of National Association of Country Veterans Service Officers (NACVSO) accreditation training.
Lynn Whaley, of WEMIGA Waste Management (WEMIGA), presented a report detailing WEMIGA activities from January to November of the current calendar year. During that period of time WEMIGA processed 729.15 landfill tons, 18.04 tons of glass, 25.34 tons of paper, 21.8 tons of plastic, 90.99 tons of cardboard, 65.61 tons of tin and aluminum, 193.38 tons of recyclable material, 207 appliances, 152 televisions and other electronic devices, 130 tires, 294 batteries, and 166 gallons of used oil. The Board took no formal action. The complete report is available for review in the Auditor’s office.
On motion by Seward, seconded by Yoder, the Board voted to approve, and authorize the Chairperson to sign, a pledge related to support for strategies outlined in Iowa’s Five-Year Strategic Highway Safety Plan related to a goal of attaining zero fatalities on public roadways in Iowa.
On motion by Fedler, seconded by Stoops, the Board voted to approve the final payout for FM-C0902(120)--55-92, Dogwood Avenue from the bridge abutment at 295th Street north approximately 0.6 miles in the amount of $27,180.79.
The Board held a brief discussion but took no formal action regarding the position of Washington County Outreach Director which will become vacant at the end of the present calendar year.
The Board took up discussion regarding proposed Washington County Wind Ordinance 24-04. The proposed ordinance is similar, but not identical, to proposed Washington County Wind Ordinance 24-02 which was approved by the Board and received the necessary minimum number of readings but was never published in the County’s official public newspapers. Seward stated that he agreed with public comments made during a public hearing held on November 18, 2024, from attendees who maintained that the minimum setback distance of ½ mile for wind-powered generators from structures occupied by humans should be increased to the same one-mile requirement setback distance for state and federal parks. During discussion Fedler maintained that either approach would likely, for all practical purposes, effectively ban wind energy conversion systems in Washington County as turbines have not developed in any counties in Iowa with a half-mile or greater setback requirement, even when such restrictions may be waived for nearby property owners. However, the general consensus of the Board was that they wished to make their opposition to the technology abundantly clear, claiming the turbines exploited state subsidies, disrupted landscapes and posed an environmental hazard. Seward stated that it appeared that in general the majority of Washington County citizens are opposed to wind turbines being located in the county and in turn offered that establishing the setback to a one mile minimum will send a message that the people of Washington County are not in favor of having a wind farm. Seward also stated that while there are particular land owners that like the idea of a guaranteed income on a piece of their property the Board must consider the opinions of the general population. While the Board stopped short of completely outlawing wind turbines Seward said he didn’t feel it was appropriate to explicitly prevent a company from doing business if it followed local regulations and opined that the Board did not have the right to become involved with a private contract between a company and an individual. On motion by Seward, seconded by Yoder, the Board voted to hold a public hearing at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, December 9, 2024, at the Washington County Courthouse regarding proposed Washington County Wind Ordinance 24-04.
There was no department head comment.
At 9:42 a.m. on motion by Yoder, seconded by Seward, the Board voted to adjourn.
ATTEST:s/DANIEL L. WIDMER, County Auditor
4M PLUMBING & HEATING, Service 1,059.08
ACE ELECTRIC, Service 8,729.14
AERO RENTAL, Saw 291.50
ALLIANT, Utilities 5,193.01
AMERICAN CORRECTIONS SPECIALIST, Monitoring 299.50
AMERICAN HOME FINDING ASSO, Detention 699.75
ARNOLD MOTOR SUPPLY, Parts 1,006.24
AT & T, Service 2,232.09
AT&T, Service 91.27
AUTO ZONE, Parts 55.98
B & D AUTO GLASS, Parts 525.00
BAILEY OFFICE OUTFITTERS, Supplies 54.00
BAKER PAPER, Supplies 735.60
BOB BARKER CO, Uniforms 1,988.31
BOUND TREE, Supplies 911.33
BULLTOWN REPAIR, Servicc 85.48
CARA SORRELLS, Reimb 151.91
CARL A NELSON & CO, Service 25,133.55
CAROL DETWEILER, Service 527.61
CARRIE RICH, Reimb 166.16
CARRIER ACCESS IT, Service 244.00
CARSON PLUMBING & HEATING, Repair 611.50
CDW GOVERNMENT, Battery 52.10
CENTRAL IOWA DETENTION, Transport 531.00
CINTAS, Service 1,660.35
CITY OF WASHINGTON, Utilities 636.56
CITY OF WELLMAN, Utilities 109.10
CJ COOPER, Service 150.00
CLINTON CO SHERIFF, Service 51.44
CONTINUOUS TOUCH, Service 95.99
CUMMINS SALES & SERVICE, Service 2,323.72
CUSTOM IMPRESSIONS INC, Supplies 63.70
DASH MEDICAL GLOVES, Gloves 180.00
DELTA DENTAL OF IOWA, Claims 5,348.10
DEREK GREINER, Construction 5,924.00
DOUDS STONE LLC, Roadstone 44,242.14
EASTERN IA LIGHT & POWER, Utilities 762.73
ELLIOTT BULK SERVICES, LLC, Fuel 56,458.19
ELLIOTT OIL COMPANY, Fuel 21.00
EMBROIDERY BARN, Service 80.00
EMPLOYEE & FAMILY RESOURCES, Service 4,440.00
ETHAN HANSEN, Reimb 98.26
FARM TO FILM FEST, Sponsorship 500.00
FEDERATION BANK, Rent 6,800.00
GALLAGHER BENEFIT SERVICES INC, Service 2,533.00
GALLS INC, Uniforms 948.08
GAZETTE CO, Subscription 488.80
GORDON FLESCH COMPANY, Copier 7,399.54
H&L MACK TRUCK SALES CORP, Parts 356.73
HELMER INC, Refrigerator 11,732.60
HENDERSON PRODUCTS INC, Parts 43.99
HIWAY SERV CTR, Parts 21.00
HYGIENIC LABORATORY, Water tests 563.00
HYVEE FOOD, Supplies 209.70
IA BRIDGE & CULVERT, Repair 45,180.00
IA DEPT OF NATURAL RESOURCES, Permit 350.00
IA DEPT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, Ori 300.00
IA GEMT PAYMENT PROGRAM, Gemt 5,326.32
IA LAW ENFORCEMENT ACAD, Dues 10.00
IA ST ASSN OF CO, Registration 675.00
IA ST MEDICAL EXAMINER, Fee 2,047.00
IMWCA, Premium 151.00
ISOLVED BENEFIT SERVICES, Service 2,698.44
ISU TREASURERS OFFICE, Cache 30.00
JOAN SIEREN, Fee 646.80
KALONA CO-OP TELE, Internet 1,449.44
KALONA TIRE, Tires 824.65
KARI DIGGINS, Transcript 165.00
KARLAS KLEANING, Cleaning 270.00
KEOKUK CO SHERIFF, Service 94.82
KRM STENOGRAPHY LLC, Depos 227.90
LIFTOFF LLC, Renewal 52,226.40
LINN CO SHERIFF, Service 38.04
LOUISA CO SHERIFF, Service 54.94
MATT PARROTT, Supplies 124.52
MCKESSON MEDICAL, Supplies 409.72
MILLERS METAL SUPPL, Shed 719.56
MOORES BP AMOCO TOWING, Storage 1,080.00
MOSE LEVY CO, Supplies 221.65
MP CLOUD TECHNOLOGIES, Software 599.00
NACVSO, Dues 250.00
NATL ASSN OF CO, Dues 451.00
NENA, Dues 366.00
NICOLE STOUT, Reimb 144.45
NOREGON SYSTEMS, LLC, Supplies 219.75
PAUL TOWNER, Fee 105.00
PAYGROUND INC, Fee 36.65
PENN CARE INC, Aed 1,200.00
QUILL CORP, Supplies 139.08
RACOM CORP, Maint 138,621.30
RIVER PRODUCTS CO, Roadstone 50,290.54
RMA ARMAMENT INC, Equipment 12,062.32
RMB CO, Service 1,200.00
SHOTTENKIRK - WEST BURLINGTON, Parts 188.74
SORRELL GLASS CO, Labor 130.00
STANARD & ASSOCIATES, Postage 25.00
STANDARD PEST CONTROL, Pest control 60.00
THE NEWS, Publication 148.22
THRYV, Ads 116.85
TIFCO INDUSTRIES, Supplies 353.20
TRIZETTO PROVIDER SOLUTIONS LLC, Software 311.88
UNIFORM DEN INC, Uniforms 274.86
US CELLULAR, Cell phone 379.17
VA FEE BASED PROGRAMS, Reimb 1,500.00
VERIZON WIRELESS, Data 240.06
VISA WASH STATE BANK, Supplies 6,178.45
WARREN CAT, Rental 23,706.09
WASH CO AUDITOR, Reimb 400.00
WASH CO HOSPITAL, Meds 458.82
WASH CO SECONDARY, Reimb 4,868.36
WASH CO SHERIFF, Service 240.00
WASH CO TREASURER, Bond payments 220,746.53
WASH LAW OFFICE, Fees 1,145.50
WASH LUMBER & HOME CENTER, Supplies 305.91
WASH RENTAL, Maint 232.70
WASHINGTON DISCOUNT TIRES, Repair 29.67
WELLMARK/WAGEWORKS, Claims 128,691.53
WEMIGA WASTE INC, Service 15,220.28
WEX BANK, Fuel 209.27
WINDSTREAM, Phone 1,835.12
WMPF, Publication 24.13
Published in The News, Thursday, January 9, 2025 L-343
