Jefferson County Supervisors talk bonding funds

JEFFERSON COUNTY - Jefferson County Supervisor Dee Sandquist advised the board during its regular meeting Tuesday that she and County Attorney Chauncey Moulding prepared the necessary paperwork for the banking deposits of the bonding funds.

While doing so, they came across the Jefferson County Investment Policy which had been written by former County Treasurer Terri Kness. The document had been prepared for the signatures of then supervisors Lee Dimmitt, Dick Reed, and Becky Schmitz but had never been signed. On Sept. 3, Dimmitt said he had not ever seen the document. Therefore, the current board met again with Moulding on Sept. 5 to accept this policy for signatures in preparation for the upcoming financials. Such a policy is required by the state of Iowa on municipalities and counties for the safety and security of taxpayers.

The board assigned investment authority to County Treasurer Mark Myers. This duty includes the oversight of payments to the four participating banks carrying accounts for the bonding funds and the timely withdrawals related to resurfacing the Germanville, Pleasant Plain, and Brookville roads.

New WorkForce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) redistricting is a concern for southeast Iowans. Susie Drish had an informative discussion with the board about the current situation. Initially, each county had its own office, then was redistricted into 16 area offices placing the nearest in Ottumwa on Indian Hills campus. At that time, it was a hardship for someone unemployed in Farmington to drive 90 miles to search for new jobs.

The most recent community college redistricting has created six areas, and Jefferson County is assigned to be in a region with Pottawattamie County (Council Bluffs). Sandquist said there has been pushback to get this appealed but so far the state has made no new offer. Drish said the 20 school systems in this area are still calling every year for someone from the current area regional office to visit their campuses, but no one is being sent. Supervisors Daryn Hamilton and Dimmitt have had several conversations with Iowa Sen. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Iowa Rep. Jeff Shipley about this matter. The new limit of 2 percent growth is part of the issue. Dimmitt advised 10-15 Public Transit can facilitate some of the transportation, but they would need to work out feasibility for several interested parties to travel together in a single trip.

Nathan Porter of Porter Family Farms of Libertyville came to the board to say he is all for the new road work that needs to be done in his area, but the timing of it in September has himself and others in the area concerned about the hardship this new road will go through. He worries about the damage done to it from heavy truck traffic as at least 12 businesses harvest during that time and there are very limited roadways through Liberty Township. He asked that the work be reconsidered for the dry season of June 2020.

County Engineer Scott Cline advised he would speak with his crew leader and they will advise the board about possible projects that could be done this September so that the bridge on 257th Street and the rest of the road work take place in the spring. Dimmitt said that if the bridge could open in January and then the rest worked on later, it would avoid unnecessary expenses.

During public comments, Cline also advised that preparations are being made for the 2020 Census and county residents will soon be asked to fill out the census forms.