Henry County supervisors hear from department heads

MT. PLEASANT - The Henry County Board of Supervisors received a monthly update from county department heads on Thursday.

Public Health

Public Health Director Shelley Van Dorin said her department continues to work closely with the local prison, nursing homes and schools as the county navigates the coronavirus pandemic.

'August was a really rough month for COVID. We are probably, in August alone, 60 percent of the total amount of COVID positive people in Henry County,” she said.

The department is looking for a part-time nurse and part-time contact tracer. Van Dorin said the department received 30 applications for the contract tracer position and will look to hire someone by the end of the month.

Sheriff's Office

Sheriff Rich McNamee reported staffing for his office is going well. Two new deputies would be 'up and running” by the end of the month after graduating from the police academy and finishing certifications. The office filled three jail staff vacancies as well as two dispatch vacancies.

McNamee said the jail has begun taking in a larger number of farmed-in inmates. Population in the jail has been in the 40s for the last two months. McNamee said that as of Thursday, the jail had 50 inmates, 25 of whom are farmed in. Currently, the county is taking inmates from three counties as well as the Department of Corrections. The sheriff said the department has 'locked down” several facilities.

'Until they give us some of their appointments and we're COVID negative with our inmates, they're not letting them go to the state facility. We're housing those inmates until they get that slotted time to go,” McNamee said.

The jail billed other counties $24,500 in July for housing inmates. McNamee expects to bill about $30,000 for August.

McNamee noted bad car crashes continue around the county, many involving commercial motor vehicles.

'I've been working with the state patrol and Department of Transportation enforcement. We're putting together some saturation or enforcement projects just to try and maybe catch those violations before they result in a crash,” he said.

Road Department

County Engineer Jake Hotchkiss said he and his crews are evaluating how to improve safety while working on road projects.

Hotchkiss said he was working with McNamee on a possible resolution that would allow his crews to assign speed limit zones on work areas 'to give traffic a better guidance instead of just slow down.”

'We're really focusing on the safety aspect for our employees,” he said.

Hotchkiss added he now will be looking to start working on construction projects for the following year.

Treasurer's Office

Deputy Treasurer Kellie Sloan said the collection of property taxes is 'going well.” Because the office did not hold a tax sale for the 2019-2020 fiscal year, the taxes continue to be collected with only 84 percent of taxes still due, roughly $242,000.

'We expect to continue collecting a significant amount of these past-due taxes this month,” Sloan said.

The office continues to issue driver's licenses by appointment only and does not perform drive tests with exceptions for those sent by the Department of Transportation.

The deputy treasurer noted the office continues to see a large amount of motor vehicle transactions and has seen a slight increase from out-of-county clients, particularly from Des Moines and Lee counties.

Auditor's Office

County Auditor Shelly Barber said she is focused mostly on the upcoming election and has started the process of applying for a CARES Act grant through the state. Barber said the county will receive $16,000 to assist with additional costs for the election related to the pandemic.

Barber said she plans to use the funds for a ballot counting machine as well as a mechanical envelope opener to assist with the increased amount of mail-in ballots. Currently, there are 1,700 absentee ballot requests in the county. Ballots will be mailed out Oct. 5.

During the meeting, the Board of Supervisors also read and approved a proclamation declaring September Voter Registration Month.

Conservation Board

Following a brief discussion, the Henry County Board of Supervisors appointed Shelly Masterson to the vacant position on the Henry County Conservation Board.

Board member Gary See noted another position on the board is expected to open up by the end of the year. See noted that both Masterson and Max Mercer, the other applicant, were 'highly qualified to serve,” and Mercer's application would be kept on file for the upcoming vacancy.