Board discusses weight limits on roads

The Jefferson County Board of Supervisors learned during its meeting Monday that the Jefferson County Assessor's office will close at 2 p.m. today so employees can move its temporary office space at the Lincoln Learning Center to its normal office on the third floor of the Jefferson County Courthouse.

Supervisor Daryn Hamilton advised the board that the elevator had passed its hydraulic test and inspection certification, meaning it was ready to be opened to the public.

Meet with county engineer

A secondary roads crew has finished installing double tanker cars to form a culvert on 230th Street, and planned to begin another set of tanker cars Monday, later that day. The last tanker car already on site will be set into place on Elm Avenue. County Engineer Scott Cline also told the board the county salt shed has been reroofed.

Application of rock and dust control material has begun along Abingdon-Brookville Road.

Cline reported that Drish Construction had started a sewer project along Libertyville Road; and Denco Construction is patching Brookville Road. The concrete on the Germanville Bridge is done and curing. The curing rate will have to be tested again before the bridge will be open for traffic.

Weight limits

Cline received a letter from the Iowa Department of Transportation's Local Systems Bureau in response to his request for clarification about Senate File 629 concerning the Forest Product Permit which went into effect July 1. This bill created a new overweight annual permit type for the movement of divisible loads of 'raw forest products.”

The IDOT has the authority to issue this annual permit and the holder of the permit is authorized to use the permit on county and city roads. However, the permit holder is required to contact Local Public Agency to receive route approval or disapproval for use on county and city roads. The permit allows a maximum single axle weight of 20,000 pounds and a total gross weight of 156,000 pounds.

Supervisor Lee Dimmitt asked Iowa Rep. Jeff Shipley, present at the meeting, to clarify why the state receives the $175 fee for the permits, when the counties are expected to fix the road and the bridges.

Shipley's recollection of the statewide meeting with all county engineers was that the LPA could disapprove everything. Cline said the roads aren't designed for that kind of heavy loads, and this isn't the first legislation that ignores the fact that these kinds of over-uses are going to be breaking up the county's bridges and roads, with a 6-inch concrete pavement that doesn't have rock underneath or subdrainage.

The board encouraged Cline to attend the state meeting and to keep them informed of the statewide conversation about this matter.

The board allowed for the Four Oaks vehicle to park long term in the county parking at the local Iowa Department of Human Services building.

Supervisor Dee Sandquist said, 'This is a courtesy to let us know this is happening. Four Oaks Family and Children Services is one of the contractors of DECAT [an initiative to convert child welfare into operating locally rather than at a state level], we need to do whatever we can to help out. It is getting harder and harder to find contractors in southeast Iowa that meet the criteria because the state of Iowa has stronger liability requirements than even the federal government. So it makes it harder for the smaller providers of services to do their work because they cannot afford the insurance. In rural Iowa it is a real hardship.”

Committee reports

Dimmitt reported that the Jefferson County hazmat team has purchased a new rescue boat and a hazmat truck which had 44,000 miles on it. It can carry the equipment which previously required two vehicles.

During RAGBRAI, the 10-15 Transit team provided over 8,000 rides in Centerville. They shut down at midnight and arrived in Fairfield about 2 a.m. on July 25. The supervisors said they are to be commended for the fine work.

Public comments

Shipley advised the board that he wants to discuss 5G cell networks so the public and Legislature can better communicate their desires.

In like manner, the board of Supervisors asked for Shipley's help to speak at the State Capitol on behalf of the local perspective on the following matters: greater state control over matters counties are financially responsible for; lack of transparency in making counties hire employees to work throughout a region; not treating counties equally in property value assessments; the hiring of out-of-state transportation companies to compete with local transportation companies supported by tax dollars; and questions about what is a Medicaid eligible service.