BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
WASHINGTON COUNTY, IOWA
REGULAR MEETING OF TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2023
At 9:00 am Chair Bob Yoder called to order in regular session a meeting of the Washington County Board of Supervisors which took place in the Washington County Courthouse. The agenda included the following items: approval of application form for individuals seeking positions on various Washington County boards and commissions; Workplace Learning Connection presentation and FY25 funding request; Kalona Historical Society Village Streetscape & future City of Kalona projects; appointment of Cedar Township Trustee; discussion/possible action regarding Washinton County Ambulance Services staffing; Ambulance Services staffing; Information Technology Committee Report. Supervisors Jack Seward Jr., Richard Young, Marcus Fedler; and Stan Stoops were also present.
The Board voted to approve the agenda as published.
The Board voted to approve an application form for individuals wishing to fill positions on various Washington County boards, committees, and commissions.
Workplace Learning Connection (WLC) Director Kristine Bullock shared that WLC is a department of Kirkwood Community College (KCC) and covers the entire Kirkwood seven-county area. WLC formally contracts with each of the various school districts in the KCC area to provide career exploration programming for students in grades six through twelve with partial funding support provided by each county. According to Bullock the goal of WLC is to serve as a single point for connecting students and businesses for career exploration experiences and to assist students in determining their future career. With that goal in mind Bullock provided an overview of the various activities and opportunities that WLC provides which include classroom speakers, work site and industry tourism events, financial literacy training, career fairs, job shadows, apprenticeships, mock interviews, and internships. For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, Bullock asked the Board for no change in the $2,256.50 ($.10 per capita based on the 2020 census) funding that the County currently provides. The funding is used to offset the costs of the continued operation of the program, as well as expansion into more fields. The Board took no formal action.
Kalona Historical Village (Village) Managing Director Nancy Roth provided information to the Board related to recent activity and facility enhancements at the Village. She highlighted the Wahl Museum whose recent completion was made possible by the generous contributions of individuals and businesses as well as by various fundraising efforts and grants. The Wahl Museum houses various elements of history related to Kalona and the surrounding communities. Future plans include the restoration of the Kalona Depot that is located at the Village as well as the relocation of a 19th century barn to the Village grounds where the barn will in turn undergo restoration. The Board took no formal action.
The Board voted to appoint Kurt Dallmeyer to an unexpired term as a Cedar Township Trustee that ends December 31, 2024.
The Board renewed discussion with regard to adding a third work shift for employees of the Washington County Ambulance Services Department. Discussion points included the overall need for a third work shift, the times of heaviest calls, the cost of adding and staffing a third shift, and the expected profitability of a third shift which was estimated to be in the range of $250,000.00 to $300,000.00. Washington County Ambulance Services Interim Director Katrina Altenhofen, in addressing the need for a third shift, stated that no resident of Washington County should be denied service due to the unavailability of qualified staff or the lack of a properly stocked ambulance. Altenhofen expressed optimism that any issues associated with the addition of a third shift could be resolved. Altenhofen was tasked with designing plans for a third shift involving some combination of 12-hour shifts, 16-hour shifts, and 8-hour shifts for Board consideration. The Board took no formal action.
Information Technology (IT) Director Cyndie Sinn provided an update with regard to the Information Technology (IT) Committee. Sinn shared that after the IT Committee was recently expanded the membership at the present time includes Treasurer Jeff Garrett, Recorder Teresa Mangold, Auditor Dan Widmer, Assessor Christy Tinnes, Sheriff Jared Schneider, County Attorney Nathan Repp, County Supervisor Marcus Fedler, Office of Sheriff IT Director Tim Smit, and Office of Sheriff Asst. IT Administrator Kyle Evans. Sinn, Smit, and Evans will begin collaborating on the task of preparing a job description for the planned hiring of a new County IT staff member. The Board took no formal action.
At 10:20 am the Board voted to adjourn.
ATTEST: s/ DANIEL L. WIDMER, Washington County Auditor
Published in The News, Thursday, December 28, 2023 L-137
