Washington supervisors OK vacation time extension

The Washington County Board of Supervisors revisited the subject of extending the temporary increase in the maximum vacation county employees can accrue when it met in regular session Tuesday.

At the supervisors' regular meeting Nov. 2, County Engineer Jacob Thorius said 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. At the workshop it was agreed that from now until the end of this calendar year, full-time employees will be allowed 240 hours and part-time employees 140. From Jan. 1 to April 1 full-time employees may extend vacation hours accrued to 220 and part-time employees 140.

At the beginning of the new fiscal year in July the hours will return to the original policy of 200 hours for full-time employees and 120 for part-time employees.

COVID-19 Update

Public Health Administrator Danielle Pettit-Majewski gave the supervisors an update on COVID-19 cases in the area.

She said to date 7,270 people have been tested for the disease in Washington County and 915 or 1.3 percent of the county's population has tested positive. In the last 14 days, there have been 235 new cases with 130 in the last seven days.

The total who have recovered is 561.

The 14-day rolling positivity rate is 15.1 percent for Washington County and 15.8 percent for Johnson County.

In the 17-county Southeast Iowa region, there are 344 available hospital beds and 62 available ICU beds, but staff burnout is becoming a problem, she said. 24 patients are on ventilators. To date, 12 people or 1.6 percent of the county's residents who have tested positive have died from the disease.

Other Business

' Discussed an agreement between the Kalona and the Washington County Conservation Board regarding maintenance responsibilities for property recently annexed by Kalona.

' Approved new hires of legal secretaries Ann Caslavka in the County Attorney's office at a pay rates from $17.27 to $20.12 per hour and Meredith Henderson.

' Approved John Sojka of Riverside as a member of the Riverside Planning and Zoning Commission.

' Set Dec. 1 at 8:30 a.m. as the date for a public hearing pertaining to a possible sale of county-owned real estate.

' Conducted a canvass of the Nov. 3 general election.