Board of Supervisors Minutes

November 2007

November 1, 2007:

The Fremont County Board of Supervisors met in regular session on Thursday, November 1, 2007, in the Fremont County Courthouse Boardroom with Larson, Whipple, and Hendrickson present. A quorum was declared and the meeting officially called to order at 6:30 p.m. Minutes of the previous board session were read and approved. The agenda was approved as posted.

At 6:30 p.m. Lynda Cruickshank, representing FREDCO, met with the Board regarding funding for a countywide website. The proposal submitted by Community Connections of Lincoln, Nebraska is to build and host the site for $2,465 with ongoing fees for hosting of $960 per year. FREDCO was requesting that this be paid out of county funds and that it be an annual expense of the county. Whipple asked about the Hotel/Motel Tax they receive. Lynda stated that the plan is to use that money to hire a full-time staff person. Discussion was held and the Board stated that the welcome center and all tourism information should be included on a countywide website. Lynda stated that FREDCO would be meeting with welcome center representatives later on.

At 6:45 p.m. the Board presented the county’s initial bargaining proposal to Brad Johnson, secondary road union representative. Also present were secondary road employees Alan Driever, Jeff Bartholomew, Mike Batenhorst, Troy Gorham, Gary Nebel, Fred Bartholomew, Chris Rasmussen, Mike MacDonald and Frank McCann. Whipple stated they would probably start bargaining in January or February when they have the new insurance rates.

At 7:00 p.m. Sheriff Steve MacDonald met with the Board. MacDonald stated that he had missed listing a 2001 Tahoe on the sale bill for the Sheriff’s auction and asked for the Board’s approval to put it on the auction. Hendrickson made a motion to include the 2001 Tahoe to be sold at the auction. Whipple, aye; Hendrickson, aye; Larson, aye.

At 7:15 p.m. Lyle Hodde met with the Board to discuss a homestead exemption that was disallowed on a house located at 2993 250th Ave., Hamburg. After discussion, the Board told Hodde they would need to talk to the Assessor and get more information on the disallowance. Hodde also discussed the Knox Road project and was concerned about what would happen to the old Knox Church if the project goes through. He would like to see the church preserved and said there are grants the county can apply for through Scenic Byways.

At 7:30 p.m. Sandie Sillers met with the Board and reported on the poverty level for Fremont County.

In other business, the Recorder’s Monthly Report of Fees Collected was approved.

At 8:00 p.m., there being no further business, motion was made by Whipple to adjourn. Hendrickson, aye; Whipple, aye; Larson, aye.

ATTEST:

Fremont County Auditor                                                                                                             Chuck Larson, Chairman

November 6, 2007:

The Fremont County Board of Supervisors met in regular session on Tuesday, November 6, 2007, in the Fremont County Courthouse Boardroom, with Larson, Whipple, and Hendrickson present. A quorum was declared and the meeting officially called to order at 9:00 a.m. Minutes of the previous board session were read and approved. The agenda was approved as posted.

At 9:00 a.m. Dee Owen met with the Board regarding reinstating a homestead credit that was disallowed in error. Motion was made by Whipple to reinstate the homestead credit. Hendrickson, aye; Whipple, aye; Larson, aye.

At 9:15 a.m. Larry Whitehead did not come to the meeting. Whipple made a motion to table until they have further information. Hendrickson, aye; Whipple, aye; Larson, aye.

At 9:20 a.m. Margaret Gregory visited with the Board.

At 9:30 a.m. Hendrickson made a motion to sign a letter of support to Wind Energy Components Manufacturer. Whipple, aye; Hendrickson, aye; Larson, aye.

At 10:00 a.m. Sandie Sillers, Fremont County CPC/Community Services Director, met with the Board with budget concerns. Sillers will write up a proposal as to how she plans to cut back on expenses to proceed through the end of the year.

At 10:15 a.m. Assessor Karen Berry met with the Board recommending the Board disallow a homestead exemption on a house owned by Lyle Hodde located at 2993 250th Ave., Hamburg. Berry quoted the Iowa Code as saying in order to qualify for a homestead credit a person has to live in the residence at least six months out of the year, and it is her understanding that Hodde lives in Missouri. Whipple made a motion to let the disallowance stand. Hendrickson, nay; Whipple, aye; Larson, aye.

Payroll and claims were approved for November 9, 2007.

At 10:45 a.m. there being no further business, Whipple made a motion to adjourn. Hendrickson, aye; Whipple, aye; Larson, aye.

ATTEST:

Fremont County Auditor                                                                                                             Chuck Larson, Chairman

November 8, 2007:

At 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, November 8, 2007, a department head meeting was held in the Fremont County Courthouse Boardroom. Present were Chuck Larson, John E. Whipple, Earl Hendrickson, Steve Whitehead, Margaret Henkle, Margaret Johnson, Arnold Emberton and Joan Kirk. Topics discussed were: flu shots, summary of court schedule, truancy protocol for schools and judge-protected protocol for juveniles of Fremont County.

The Fremont County Board of Supervisors met in regular session on Thursday, November 8, 2007, in the Fremont County Courthouse Boardroom, with Larson, Whipple, and Hendrickson present. A quorum was declared and the meeting officially called to order at 9:00 a.m. Minutes of the previous board session were read and approved. The agenda was approved as posted.

At 9:00 a.m. Dee Owen, Auditor’s Office, presented Family Farm Applications for the Board’s approval. Motion was made by Whipple to approve the applications. Hendrickson, aye; Whipple, aye; Larson, aye.

At 9:15 a.m. Jim Owen, Secondary Road Department, met with the Board. Motion was made by Whipple to authorize Chairman Larson to sign a Work in ROW Permit for Rod Williams to flatten back slope on his property. Hendrickson, aye; Whipple, aye; Larson, aye.

At 10:00 a.m., there being no further business, Hendrickson made a motion to adjourn. Whipple, aye; Hendrickson, aye; Larson, aye.

ATTEST:

Fremont County Auditor                                                                                                             Chuck Larson, Chairman

November 13, 2007:

The Fremont County Board of Supervisors met in regular session on Tuesday, November 13, 2007, in the Fremont County Courthouse Boardroom, with Larson, Whipple, and Hendrickson present. A quorum was declared and the meeting officially called to order at 9:00 a.m. Minutes of the previous board session were read and approved. The agenda was approved as posted.

At 9:00 a.m. the canvass of votes for the November 6, 2007 City Election was held. Motion was made by Whipple to declare the following elected. Hendrickson, aye; Whipple, aye and Larson, aye. Elected were: Farragut – Lonnie C. Koch, Tony Lewton for City Council. Hamburg – Cathy E. Crain, Mayor; Kent Benefiel, City Council Ward I; Linda Burdick, City Council Ward III; Virgil Lynn, City Council at Large. Imogene – Dorothy Colwell, Mayor; Christopher D. Pelster, Donald G. Powers, Aaron J. Razee, City Council. Randolph – Vance Trively, Mayor; Fred Fichter, Manford Foster, Allen Wendland, Donald Wolfe, Janice Bliss, City Council. Riverton – Dennis Phillips, Mayor; Ricky C. Barton II, Cory Gordon, Brent Hopkins, Douglas A. Phillips, Roger Booker, write-in, City Council. Public Measure A – (33 yes votes) and (5 no votes). Sidney – Doug Hobbie, Mayor; James Henderson, Joe Travis, City Council. Tabor – Dave Roberts, Mayor; Ross Silcock, Clinton M. Wright, City Council. Thurman – Carolyn Travis, Mayor; Jim Keightley, Kevin Perrin, Jeff Porter, Glen Travis, Rod Umphreys Jr., City Council; Mary Kesterson, Treasurer.

At 9:30 a.m. Steve MacDonald, Fremont County Sheriff, met with the Board to discuss the insurance settlement for lightning damage on electrical equipment at the county jail. Bills to date total $73,789.69. The total insurance settlement will be $148,742.69 with a $2,500.00 deductible. The sheriff feels the tower was not properly grounded when installed and would like the Board to talk to the insurance company about that part of the damages. The sheriff said the insurance proceeds would come back to the county and he will need to amend his budget to put those funds back into his department.

The sheriff also brought in an estimate for new gutters on the building at the impound lot. Motion was made by Hendrickson to approve a bid of $1,757.50 for the new gutters. Also present was Patricia Rengifo. Whipple, aye; Hendrickson, aye and Larson aye.

At 9:45 a.m. Fremont County Engineer Dan Davis met with the Board. Motion was made by Whipple to authorize Chairman Larson to sign a Work in ROW Permit with Willbros Engineering for work at crossing on Airport Road. The Wilds was also discussed. Hendrickson, aye; Whipple, aye and Larson, aye.

At 10:30 a.m., there being no further business, Whipple made a motion to adjourn. Hendrickson, aye; Whipple, aye; Larson, aye.

ATTEST:

Fremont County Auditor                                                                                                             Chuck Larson, Chairman

November 15, 2007:

The Fremont County Board of Supervisors met in regular session on Thursday, November 15, 2007, in the Fremont County Courthouse Boardroom with Larson, Whipple and Hendrickson present. A quorum was declared and the meeting officially called to order at 9:00 a.m. Minutes of the previous board session were read and approved. The agenda was approved as posted.

At 9:00 a.m. Kim Gee gave an update on FREDCO.

At 9:30 a.m. Sandie Sillers met with the Board. Motion was made by Hendrickson to approve emergency Amended Policies and Procedures for General Assistance to be effective November 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008. Whipple, aye; Hendrickson, aye; Larson, aye.

9:45 a.m. Dan Davis met with the Board. Motion was made by Whipple to authorize Chairman Larson to sign two Work in ROW Permits for Richard Payne to clean road ditches to enable farm drainage in Sec 2-68-43 and Sec 2-67-43. Hendrickson, aye; Whipple, aye; Larson, aye.

Motion was made by Whipple to authorize Chairman Larson to sign Permit to work in ROW for Dudley Alexander to clean ditches in 18-69-40. Hendrickson, aye; Whipple, aye; Larson, aye.

At 10:00 a.m. discussion was held regarding the courthouse parking lot. Steve Whitehead was present. After discussion, motion was made by Whipple to pay only for materials, with no labor and no interest, and ask for reimbursement for total repair bill on the wall. Hendrickson, aye; Whipple, aye; Larson, aye.

At 10:45 a.m. Sheriff Steve MacDonald met with the Board to discuss a speed trailer. He said it could be purchased through the Iowa Department of Public Safety/Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau at a cost of $5,295.00, and by participating in the STEP Program, all but $300.00 for shipping would be reimbursed. MacDonald said the speed trailer is a radar unit that sits on a trailer and could be used at any location in the county. Motion was made by Hendrickson to allow MacDonald to purchase the speed trailer. Whipple, aye; Hendrickson, aye; Larson, aye.

In other business, the Sheriff’s monthly report was approved.

At 10:55 a.m., there being no further business, motion was made by Whipple to adjourn. Hendrickson, aye; Whipple, aye; Larson, aye.

ATTEST:

Fremont County Auditor                                                                                                         Chuck Larson, Chairman

November 20, 2007:

The Fremont County Board of Supervisors met in regular session on Tuesday, November 20, 2007, in the Fremont County Courthouse Boardroom with Larson, Whipple and Hendrickson present. A quorum was declared and the meeting officially called to order at 9:00 a.m. Minutes of the previous board session were read and approved. The agenda was approved as posted.

At 9:00 a.m. Sheriff Steve MacDonald and Angela Rasmussen met with the Board regarding lightning damage that occurred earlier this fall to equipment in the sheriff’s office, jail, and communication center. They presented bills for repairs and stated that they had received an insurance check. A budget amendment will need to be done.

At 9:15 a.m. motion was made by Hendrickson to approve a Class C Liquor License for Skyline Sportsman’s Club. Whipple, aye; Hendrickson, aye; Larson, aye.

At 10:20 a.m. Arnold Emberton met with the Board for discussion and decision on a courthouse server. He said that the server the courthouse has now is five years old and the maintenance cost per year is $9,018.04. He stated that a new server, with three years of maintenance, could be purchased for $29,473.79. Motion was made by Whipple to authorize the purchase of a new server. Hendrickson, aye; Whipple, aye; Larson, aye.

Payroll and claims were approved for November 23, 2007.

The following claim was approved for a handwritten warrant. General Supplemental Fund: Renaissance Savery Hotel, Lodging-SEAT Training, $74.00.

At 10:40 a.m., there being no further business, motion was made by Whipple to adjourn. Hendrickson, aye; Whipple, aye; Larson, aye.

ATTEST:

Fremont County Auditor                                                                                                 Chuck Larson, Chairman

November 22, 2007:

No Regularly Scheduled Board Meeting. Courthouse Closed for Thanksgiving Holiday

November 27, 2007:

The Fremont County Board of Supervisors met in regular session on Tuesday, November 27, 2007, in the Fremont County Courthouse Boardroom with Larson, Whipple and Hendrickson present. A quorum was declared and the meeting officially called to order at 9:00 a.m. Minutes of the previous board session were read and approved. The agenda was approved as posted.

At 9:00 a.m. Dan Davis met with the Board. Motion was made by Whipple to authorize Chairman Larson to sign a Work in ROW Permit for Iowa Telecom to place telephone cable along 322nd Ave., Riverton Twp. Sec. 32 and Madison Twp. Sec. 6. Hendrickson, aye; Whipple, aye; Larson, aye.

Motion was made by Hendrickson to authorize Chairman Larson to sign a Work in ROW Permit for Dean Maher to clean ditch along the north side of J18. Whipple, aye; Hendrickson, aye; Larson, aye.

Sheriff Steve MacDonald called to cancel his 9:15 a.m. appointment with the Board.

Claims were approved for a special accounts payable to pay bills for lightning damage to equipment at the Sheriff’s Department earlier this fall.

Jim Harris stopped in to visit with the Board.

The following claims were approved for handwritten warrants for 12-3-07. Secondary Road Fund: Delta Dental, County Share of Insurance, $44.00; ISAC, County Share of Insurance, $841.19.

At 10:05 a.m., there being no further business, motion was made by Whipple to adjourn. Hendrickson, aye; Whipple, aye; Larson, aye.

ATTEST:

Fremont County Auditor                                                                                                 Chuck Larson, Chairman

November 29, 2007:

No Regularly Scheduled Board Meeting. ISAC Fall School, Des Moines
 

October 2007       Home       December 2007