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Joe Ledger assumes role as supervisor
Jefferson County Supervisors discuss weed control, approve Master Matrix in first meeting of year
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
FAIRFIELD – Monday marked Joe Ledger’s first meeting as a member of the Jefferson County Board of Supervisors.
Ledger replaces Dee Sandquist, and joins fellow supervisors Susie Drish and Lee Dimmitt on the three-member board. Ledger said he has been attending supervisor meetings regularly for the past two years, even before he decided to run for the office. He said this has allowed for a smooth transition, since he knows the background on many subjects the board will address in the coming year.
At the same time, Ledger commented that it felt “intimidating” to sit at the supervisors’ table as a county official, no longer a mere spectator.
“It’s different to sit here and vote on things, instead of just making comments,” he said.
One of the topics discussed in Ledger’s first meeting was who to appoint as the county’s weed commissioner. It’s a topic that normally generates little debate, but this time the supervisors decided to table the matter after deciding they needed more information from their constituents on how to handle weed problems.
County Engineer DeWayne Heintz is the current weed commissioner, though he told the supervisors that he wished someone else would do it. He noted that his department spent $10,000 on herbicides and other weed-control measures in the past year, and that one employee spent three months over the summer focusing on killing weeds.
Heintz said the secondary roads department has taken on the responsibility of weed control without funding. He told the board that he would have to cut back on weed control in the coming year to stay within budget.
Iowa code requires the county to remove noxious weeds from its property and from the right-of-ways. The supervisors asked Heintz what happens if a resident doesn’t want the county to spray herbicide on their property, such as by putting up “no spraying” sign. Heintz said the owner would still need to remove their noxious weeds in other ways such as digging them up or burning them.
Supervisor Lee Dimmitt suggested the county should go to complaint-driven enforcement, where the county tells a property owner to remove noxious weeds after a complaint, and if they don’t comply, the county will bill them to do it.
Melanie Carlson, speaking as a rural resident of the county, suggested the supervisors gather input from township trustees on the best way to combat weeds.
“If you have to fund it through these fees, that’s better than charging the people who follow the rules,” she said.
Carlson said that, even if a farmer had to kill weeds that crept over from a neighbor’s property, they would rather take care of it themselves than file a complaint with the county.
In other news, the supervisors:
- Voted 2-1 to approve the Master Matrix, a scoring system to evaluate the siting of confined animal feeding operations. To pass the Master Matrix, the owner of a proposed CAFO gets points for steps they take to mitigate the effects from the CAFO, such as by planting trees and siting it a certain distance from neighboring homes. Ledger and Drish voted for the Master Matrix while Dimmitt voted against it. Dimmitt remarked that the county doesn’t have the ability to approve or deny a permit to build a CAFO, and that the final authority rests with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
- Voted 3-0 to make The Southeast Iowa Union and the Clarion Plainsman the official newspapers of the county.
- Reappointed Shannon Pearson as First Deputy Auditor and Abbie DeKleine as Second Deputy Auditor.
- Appointed Cari Porter as Deputy Treasurer.
- Appointed Jeff Koontz to the Civil Service Commission to replace Joe Ledger.
- Discussed replacing the south doors of the courthouse. Drish noted that six or seven employees had to stay late one night because the doors did not lock. Treasurer Mark Myers noted the doors have been a problem for over a year, and recommended the county replace the locks. Jefferson County Emergency Management Coordinator Brett Ferrel recommended switching to a programmable keypad.
- Briefly discussed the prospect of closing select railroad crossings. Heintz explained that the railroad company will pay the county $50,000 for each crossing it closes, and the state will match it. Drish recommended the county look into the matter further.
Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com
