BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
WASHINGTON COUNTY, IOWA
REGULAR MEETING OF TUESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2024
At 9:00 am Chair Richard Young called the meeting to order in regular session, Courthouse Chambers. Items on the agenda included: HACAP Annual Report and FY25 funding request; approval of Quit Claim Deed for real estate located in Richmond; Washington County Solar Project Road Use Agreement; Main Street Washington Annual Report and FY25 funding request; Quarterly Report–General Assistance; Quarterly Report–Veteran Affairs; Quarterly Report–Recorder; Quarterly Report–Auditor; Washington County Wind Ordinance. Supervisors Jack Seward Jr., Marcus Fedler, Stan Stoops, and Bob Yoder were also present.
All motions were passed unanimously by those Supervisors in attendance unless noted otherwise.
On motion by Fedler, seconded by Stoops, the Board voted to approve the agenda as published.
On behalf of Hawkeye Area Community Action Program, Inc. (HACAP), RenElla Crawford and Kim Guardado addressed the Board and described some of the various programs in Washington County that HACAP provides which include local housing assistance, emergency social services, Head Start early childhood education, and energy assistance. Before concluding their remarks Crawford and Guardado requested financial support from the county in the amount of $120,000.00 for FY25 in order to maintain HACAP’s Washington County base of operations. This amount is equal to the annual amount of funding assistance provided by Washington County for the past several fiscal years. The Board took no formal action. The HACAP report is available in the Auditor’s office.
The Board voted to approve, and authorize the Chair to sign, a Quit Claim Deed to Charles A. Rogness and Jody R. Rogness for a vacated alley adjoining Lots 3 and 4, Block 3, Dawson’s First Addition to the Town of Richmond. The Board’s action corrects an oversight that resulted when the ally was vacated by the County but not deeded to the adjoining land owners.
County Engineer Jacob Thorius shared that numerous meetings have taken place with regard to the plans of Goldfinch Solar to construct a utility-scale solar energy generation facility on a site located north of Ainsworth. According to the company’s website the planned facility will provide 200 megawatts of locally generated clean electricity which is an amount sufficient to power approximately 33,000 local homes for one year. It is estimated that the facility will generate $10.1 million in property taxes over the life of the project and during construction provide employment for over 400 individuals. The facility, slated to begin operations in 2025, will result in a $250 million investment in Washington County. Thorius presented to the Board for its consideration a draft Road Use Agreement for the planned Goldfinch Solar project and recommended that the Board take appropriate action to require the Road Use Agreement to be completed not only by Goldfinch Solar but by any and all future solar companies wishing to do business in Washington County. Thorius also encouraged the Board to consider adopting an ordinance to address building location and decommissioning among other things. The Board voted to approve a road use agreement related to regulating the placement of solar energy conversion systems on property located in the unincorporated areas of Washington County, Iowa. The Board voted to direct the County Engineer to develop a draft ordinance related to road use agreements for solar powered electric generating facilities in Washington County.
Main Street Washington (MSW) Executive Director Samantha Meyer addressed the Board and shared that the duties and missions of MSW are accomplished by a “Four Point Approach” to downtown revitalization. The four components include Design, Organization, Promotion, and Economic Vitality. Meyer also shared the goals of MSW include creating and maintaining a robust media campaign, creating a climate that encourages the growth of public events, continued improvements to directional signage in order to increase convenience for pedestrians, and finally to continue to grow MSW’s social media following. In closing Meyer requested funding from the County in the amount of $6,834.00 for FY25. The Board took no formal action. The complete report is available in the Auditor’s office.
Washington County General Assistance Director Sue Rich presented the General Assistance report for the 2nd quarter of FY24. She reported that during the quarter two applications for benefits were received with one of the applications being approved and one application being denied. The application that was approved was in the amount of $200.00 and was for rent assistance. The Board voted to acknowledge receipt of the FY24 2nd Quarter General Assistance report. The complete report is available in the Auditor’s office.
Washington County Veteran Services Officer Sue Rich presented the Veteran Affairs report for the 2nd quarter of FY24. She reported that during the quarter a total of four applications for benefits were received with one application for rent assistance in the amount of $300.00 being approved and three applications totaling $362.25 being approved for utility assistance. The Board voted to acknowledge receipt of the FY24 2nd quarter Veteran Affairs report. The complete report is available in the Auditor’s office.
The Board voted to acknowledge receipt of the Recorder’s report for the 2nd quarter of FY24 and to authorize the Chair to sign the report on behalf of the Board. The report, presented by Recorder Teresa Mangold, reflected revenues for the quarter in the amount of $103,499.99 with the county retaining $40,616.96. A total of 1,001 documents were recorded during the quarter and Mangold added that her office processed 14 marriage applications, 129 passport applications, 147 passport photographs, and 1,523 boat, ATV and snowmobile renewals and/or registrations. A total of 373 certified copies of birth certificates, death certificates, and marriage licenses were provided to various individuals during the quarter. The complete report is available in the office of the Washington County Recorder.
The Board voted to acknowledge receipt of the Auditor’s report for the 2nd quarter of FY24 and to authorize the Chair to sign the report on behalf of the Board. The report, presented by Auditor Dan Widmer, reflected revenues for the quarter in the amount of $1,760.00. Of this total, $1,750.00 resulted from transfer fees and $10.00 resulted from one fireworks permit. The complete report is available in the office of the Washington County Auditor.
The Board held a brief discussion but took no action regarding a Washington County Wind Ordinance.
Thorius briefed the Board regarding the current condition of county roads after the previous week when two storms dumped a combined total of approximately two feet of snow with the storms followed by high winds and record-setting sub-zero temperatures. Thorius stated that the preliminary costs of his department’s response to the two snowstorms and low temperatures to be approximately $80,000.00 with more costs still coming in. He also expressed gratitude to his staff for their tireless efforts. Auditor Dan Widmer thanked the members of the Building and Grounds staff for their dedicated efforts in keeping County property clear of snow despite the severe winter weather.
At 10:17 am the Board voted to adjourn.
ATTEST: s/DANIEL L. WIDMER, Washington County Auditor
Published in The News, Thursday, February 1, 2024 L-208
