Supervisors asked to delay vote on vacation extension

The supposedly noncontroversial subject of extending the temporary increase in the maximum vacation county employees can accrue became a subject of debate when it was learned that a number of department heads had not been contacted about the proposed change.

The Washington County Board of Supervisors Monday heard County Engineer Jacob Thorius say he has been under the assumption that there would be no extension of vacation accrual, and he has been operating with a lean staff for months.

'At some time, we have to get back to normal,” he said.

He called for a meeting of county department heads to discuss the matter before the supervisors take any action. After discussion, the supervisors set Nov. 9 as the date for a workshop meeting with all supervisors and department heads to discuss the matter.

Culvert project

Thorius recommended that the supervisors award a contract to replace culverts on 290th street to Iowa Bridge and Culvert which had the lowest of three bids at $110,033.10. The supervisors approved the recommendation.

Communication Center

The supervisors approved two change orders related to the Washington County Communications project. One was for $5,300.96 for locks, hardware and other miscellaneous items from Peak Construction of North Liberty. The other was for $14,853.44 for electrical items from Mohrfeld Electric of Fort Madison. Both change orders were approved. Work on the new facility is expected to be completed soon and under budget.

Other Business

In other business, the supervisors:

' Heard a recycling update from Lynn Whaley of We Make It Go Away (WEMIGA).

' Passed a resolution related to naming of financial institutions to serve as depositories of Washington County funds in light of the closing of the local U.S. Bank office.

' Approved a letter of support for a Washington County Fair Board grant application to enhance security on the fairgrounds and heard a COVID-19 update.