Board of Supervisors Minutes
November 2019

November 1, 2019:

The Fremont County Board of Supervisors met in special session on Friday, November 1, 2019, in the Fremont County Courthouse Boardroom, with Graham, Hickey, and Sheldon present. A quorum was declared, and the meeting officially called to order at 8:01 a.m. The agenda was approved as posted. This meeting is with individuals to discuss the FEMA Buyout Program. 

The board discussed the buyout program. They discussed the loss of valuation and tax revenue. The board discussed the need to think outside the box to bring in revenue. They also would like to do some follow-up on possible adjacent landowners purchasing property. The board stressed the need for the county to have the funds secured to pay for their 15% of the buyouts. Without that, they cannot move forward. They would like to gather more information on the financials of the county. 

Supervisor Graham stated that the county must have money in place to pay for the buyouts before they can be granted.  

Motion by Sheldon start the appraisal process for the houses being considered for buyouts. Motion carried unanimously. 

Motion by Hickey to table buyout process pending appraisals. Motion carried unanimously. 

At 8:41 a.m., there being no further business, Hickey made a motion to adjourn. Motion carried unanimously. 

ATTEST:

Fremont County Auditor                                                                                Terry Graham, Chairman

November 6, 2019:

The Fremont County Board of Supervisors met in regular session on Wednesday, November 6, 2019, in the Fremont County Courthouse Boardroom, with Graham, Hickey, and Sheldon present. A quorum was declared, and the meeting officially called to order at 9:00 a.m. Minutes of the previous board sessions were read and approved.  The agenda was approved as posted. 

Also present for this meeting were Engineer Dan Davis, County Attorney Naeda Elliott, EMC Mike Crecelius, Maintenance Troy Housh, Steve Meyer, Sandy Parmenter with the Valley News Today, Michael Heller with JEO, Mary King-Bateman, Shelly Roof, Jodi McGargill, Luke McGargill, Jared Moyer, and Jon Bateman. 

Matt Heller with JEO stopped in to visit with the board regarding JEO Task Order Project No. 183001.02 Fremont. This is for the East/West Nishnabotna River Watershed Coalition Phase 1 Archaeological Survey, Part 1. 

Graham briefly stated that the board has been having buyout meetings and they are working on securing flood recovery fund money. Graham has been speaking to state and federal representatives about the flood recovery fund. That money would be used to fund our 15% of the cost of demolition and buyouts. It is imperative that we have that in place. They are working on other housing projects. Engineer Dan Davis stated he had a meeting with the contractor for J-64. They anticipate it will be open tomorrow eastbound from the interstate, but he will have to wait for that call. They are still awaiting word for regarding the J-10 emergency repair. EMC Crecelius discussed the meeting he had to measure debris piles. He also stated that we have not yet heard from our new PDMG. There are no other updates on rehabilitation assistance & non-structural alternatives to rehabilitation of flood control projects. There will be continued updates each week. 

EMC Crecelius stated there have been reports of out-of-state vehicles driving in the flood area. The board discussed that there was little change in condition of the flood area. Motion by Sheldon to leave the evacuation order in place. Motion carried unanimously. The board will continue to discuss the evacuation order on a week-by-week basis. 

Luke and Jodi McGargill met with the board regarding road conditions. Luke stated that the last two miles of M-16 just north of 120th Street is in very poor condition. Jodi also expressed her concern as a business owner. People have trouble getting to her location. They were told they were on Phase 3 a few years ago. They would just like to know when that will be. She stated that they have been patched recently, but she wants to know if they are still on the list for Phase 3. Engineer Davis stated that they were not expecting a flood and funds have been depleted and we have not received reimbursement. The board stated that the timeline for the 5-Year plan has changed. McGargill just ask that the road department keeps this in the forefront when planning. Engineer Davis stated that when he started the cost of seal coat was around $7,000 per mile and now they are about $21,000 per mile. It doesn’t hold up well. He says the board and he will need to consider whether seal coat is the best option for our roads.  

Jon Bateman, Mary Bateman, and Sherry Roof met with the board regarding the road conditions at Bluff Road and Waubonsie Avenue. Mary discussed that their family farm has been flooded for 2 years. The water comes up from 2 ditches that are full. She stated that the water backs up over their augers & they can’t even use their bins. The water is 2’ to 3’ from their well. Green Hollow Road is dangerous. There is massive soil erosion from the Loess Hills. The shoulders are bad on Waubonsie Avenue by Pinky’s Glen. Engineer Davis said they did dig the ditch out. Batemans argued that fact. Graham stated that we need to work on downstream problems to alleviate this issue. Engineer Davis brought up the possibility funding from the NRCS for erosion control to see what funding is available. 

The board opened bids that were received for snow removal at the courthouse. There were two bids received for (sidewalks, parking lot, sand/salt, using a loader to remove snow, & hauling the snow with a dump truck). One bid was in the total amount of $300 per occurrence for total services. The other bid was for $420 for the same services. The board discussed the fact that Henneman already works for the county. Troy Housh, Maintenance, stated that they consulted with the State Auditor’s Office and followed proper procedure. They assured him as long as they advertised and accepted the low bid that it was acceptable. Motion by Sheldon to accept the low bid from Henneman Lawn & Snow Removal. Motion carried unanimously. 

Jared Moyer met with the board about the county farm. He presented a map of the areas that need repair. He briefly discussed the issues with terraces and a ditch on the property. The board will have the county attorney prepare and RFP for the work to be done.

In other business, the Recorder’s Monthly Report for October 2019 was approved. 

Claims were approved for November 8, 2019. 

At 9:59 a.m., there being no further business, Sheldon made a motion to adjourn. Motion carried unanimously. 

ATTEST:

Fremont County Auditor                                                                                Terry Graham, Chairman

November 6, 2019:

The Fremont County Board of Supervisors met in special session on Wednesday, November 6, 2019, in the Fremont County Courthouse Boardroom, with Graham, Hickey, and Sheldon present. A quorum was declared, and the meeting officially called to order at 1:30 p.m. The agenda was approved as posted. This meeting is with individuals to discuss the FEMA Buyout Program. 

Also present for this meeting was EMC Mike Crecelius. 

The appointments were as follows:

1:30 p.m.                 3166 Washington Street
1:45 p.m.                 1965 185th Avenue 

The first property owner was asked the list of questions on the FEMA HMGP Criteria list. All data will be reviewed by the board and decisions will be made on November 1st. The second property owners did not meet the August deadline. The board discussed this with them. 

At 1:58 p.m., there being no further business, Hickey made a motion to adjourn. Motion carried unanimously. 

ATTEST:

Fremont County Auditor                                                                                Terry Graham, Chairman 

November 7, 2019:

The Fremont County Board of Supervisors met in special session on Wednesday, November 7, 2019, in the Fremont County Courthouse Boardroom, with Hickey and Sheldon present. Graham was not present for this meeting. A quorum was declared, and the meeting officially called to order at 8:45 a.m. The agenda was approved as posted. This meeting is with individuals to discuss the FEMA Buyout Program. 

Also present for this meeting was Engineer Dan Davis. 

Motion by Sheldon to allow Vice-Chairman Hickey to sign JEO Task Order Project No. 183001.02 Fremont for East and West Nishnabotna River Watershed Coalition Phase 1 Archaeological Survey, Part 1. Motion carried unanimously. 

Motion by Sheldon allow Vice-Chairman Hickey to sign 3 utility permits for Windstream to install 100’ utility poles near Riverton, Sidney, and Percival. Motion carried unanimously. 

At 8:55 a.m., there being no further business, Hickey made a motion to adjourn. Motion carried unanimously. 

ATTEST:

Fremont County Auditor                                                                                Randy Hickey, Vice-Chairman

November 13, 2019:

The Fremont County Board of Supervisors met in regular session on Wednesday, November 13, 2019, in the Fremont County Courthouse Boardroom, with Graham, Hickey, and Sheldon present. A quorum was declared, and the meeting officially called to order at 9:00 a.m. Minutes of the previous board sessions were read and approved.  The agenda was approved as posted. 

Also present for this meeting were Engineer Dan Davis, Assistant County Attorney Tyler Loontjer, EMC Mike Crecelius, Steve Meyer, and Sandy Parmenter with the Valley News Today. 

The Board of Supervisors concurring with the County Auditor, held the Official canvass of votes cast of the November 5, 2019, combined City/School Election. Motion made by Sheldon, carried unanimously, to declare the following people elected to their respective offices and the public measure results official for Fremont County:

OFFICE

City of Farragut 

Council       

City of Hamburg
 

City of Imogene
 

City of Randolph
 

City of Riverton   
 

City of Shenandoah                                                                     
 

City of Sidney
                                                                                            

City of Tabor                                                                                  
 

City of Thurman 
 

Fremont-Mills School
 

Hamburg School
 

Shenandoah School 
  

Sidney School
 

IWCC
 

EMC Crecelius submitted the application for our 15% of the buyouts. Auditor Owen is working on the application for the 15% of other projects. They are still working on other housing projects with HSEMD. Engineer Dan Davis stated J64 is open. They are resubmitting the emergency project for J10 to see if they can move it forward. EMC Crecelius discussed the measuring of debris piles and our lack of contact from FEMA since our last PDMG was reassigned. The board discussed moving ahead with the appraisal in conjunction with Hamburg. This will be a separate contract, but we will use the same appraiser. There are no other updates on rehabilitation assistance & non-structural alternatives to rehabilitation of flood control projects. There will be continued updates each week. 

The board discussed that there was little change in condition of the flood area. Motion by Graham to leave the evacuation order in place. Motion carried unanimously. The board will continue to discuss the evacuation order on a week-by-week basis. 

The board discussed the credit card policy. We have been repeatedly written up by the state auditor’s office regarding the credit cards. Some claims are very difficult to reconcile with many pages of receipts to compare. High credit limits are also a concern. There is also a concern that items are purchased before they are approved by the department heads and that does not follow the current policy. Sheldon suggested there should be a purchasing agent for a department instead of having multiple people with cards. More discussion was held regarding some of the purchases on other cards and the limits. Motion by Hickey for the county attorney’s office to review the credit card policy. Motion carried unanimously. Assistant County Attorney Loontjer stated that the current policy is adequate, but it needs to be enforced. He will review it further. 

Supervisor Graham discussed the upcoming budget constraints that the county is facing with the flood. He would like to hold a meeting in the near future for budget discussion. The county needs to look at cutting expenses and trying to raise revenues. It was discussed that some services may have to be reduced if there isn’t funding for those services. This is a concern for the board and the taxpayers of the county. The board will meet to discuss the budget in early December.  

Motion made by Hickey to sign the contracts and approve the distribution of the funds that Fremont County is responsible for FY20 library contracts. Hamburg receives 29%, Randolph 16%, Sidney 29%, and Tabor 26% of the funds. Motion carried unanimously.  

Motion by Hickey to allow Chairman Graham to sign a GAX fund request for payment under CDBG for the Iowa Watershed Approach Project. Motion carried unanimously. 

Engineer Dan Davis met with the board for two signings.

Motion by Sheldon to sign work in right-of-way permit for Windstream Iowa Communications, LLC to place cable 2.22 miles SE of Thurman on 250th Avenue. Motion carried unanimously. 

Motion by Sheldon to sign work in right-of-way permit for Windstream Communications for 10’ of 2” Conduit from existing power pole to 2507 Knox Road, Section 7, Township 68, Range 42. Motion carried unanimously. 

Motion by Hickey to set the time and date for the budget amendment hearing for November 27th at 9:30 a.m. 

Claims were approved for November 15, 2019. 

At 10:21 a.m., there being no further business, Hickey made a motion to adjourn. Motion carried unanimously. 

ATTEST:

Fremont County Auditor                                                         Terry Graham, Chairman

November 19, 2019:

The Fremont County Board of Supervisors met in special session on Tuesday, November 19, 2019, in the Fremont County Courthouse Boardroom, with Graham, Hickey, and Sheldon present. A quorum was declared, and the meeting officially called to order at 9:03 a.m. The agenda was approved as posted. 

The Board of Supervisors concurring with the County Auditor, held the official second tier canvass of votes cast by Mills County voters in the November 5, 2019, combined City/School Election. Motion made by Hickey, carried unanimously, to declare the following people elected to their respective offices and the public measure results official for Fremont County: 

Fremont-Mills School
 

City of Tabor
 

At 9:08 a.m., there being no further business, Hickey made a motion to adjourn. Motion carried unanimously. 

ATTEST:

Fremont County Auditor                                                                                Terry Graham, Chairman

November 20, 2019:

The Fremont County Board of Supervisors met in regular session on Wednesday, November 20, 2019, in the Fremont County Courthouse Boardroom, with Graham, Hickey, and Sheldon present. A quorum was declared, and the meeting officially called to order at 9:00 a.m. Minutes of the previous board sessions were read and approved.  The agenda was approved as posted. 

Also present for this meeting were Assistant Engineer Robbie Kromminga, Assistant County Attorney Tyler Loontjer, EMC Mike Crecelius, Steve Meyer, Kenny Mather, and Sandy Parmenter with the Valley News Today. 

EMC Crecelius discussed the fact that we have another new PDMG, but FEMA has not told us who it is. He has been talking to Rick Biondi and he will be down tomorrow to discuss this with Crecelius. He is working on the possibility of getting furnaces for people in need. He has been working on emptying the storage units so the trailers can be returned. He’s trying to arrange a place to display the clothing for people to come browse and take what they need. They would invite everyone, but if they are not flood victims they may be asked for a donation that will go towards the long term flood recovery fund. The road department is still working on a plan for emergency repairs to fix J10. Kromminga also stated that he was told by their FEMA PDMG that they had to have all of their projects submitted by the close of business Thursday. They discussed road closings, Highway 2, and funds not being distributed. There are no other updates on rehabilitation assistance & non-structural alternatives to rehabilitation of flood control projects. There will be continued updates each week. 

The board discussed that there was little change in condition of the flood area. Motion by Graham to leave the evacuation order in place. Motion carried unanimously. The board will continue to discuss the evacuation order on a week-by-week basis. 

Motion made by Sheldon to appoint David Carter to the Randolph Library Board at the request and recommendation of the City of Randolph. Motion carried unanimously. 

Kenneth Mather met with the board regarding a 28E Agreement with the City of Sidney and Fremont County for maintenance 292nd Avenue. He would like the road department to maintain the road. He stated there is an agreement for it to be maintained by the county. Graham stated that the 28E agreement is between the city and the county. The agreement states 470’ is to be maintained. Graham stated that the remainder of the road is a private drive and needs to be brought up to a Class A road by the landowner and then we would maintain the road. Hickey cited an example of a private landowner that had acquired road right-of-way, brought their road up to Class A, and now it is maintained by the county per policy. Graham stated they would get him the information on getting the road to specification. The road department will maintain the 470’ as per the agreement. The board would like to see a resolution to this matter as Mathers have been in many times. Assistant Engineer Kromminga will get the policy and send it to him certified mail. 

Auditor Dee Owen presented the board with the new Family Farm Applications for 2019 from the assessor. Motion made by Hickey to approve the applications as presented by the assessor. Motion carried unanimously. 

Assistant Engineer Robbie Kromminga met with the board for the signing of four IDOT payment vouchers.

Motion by Sheldon to allow Chairman Graham to sign IDOT payment voucher for engineering services for J-10 design per agreement through 10/31/19. Motion carried unanimously. 

Motion by Sheldon to allow Chairman Graham to sign IDOT payment voucher for engineering/surveying services for Hwy J-64 per Agreement dated 08/14/19 through 10/31/19. Motion carried unanimously. 

Motion by Sheldon to allow Chairman Graham to sign IDOT payment voucher for engineering services for emergency repair construction Services on J-64 per Agreement dated 10/08/19 through 10/31/19. Motion carried unanimously. 

Motion by Sheldon to allow Chairman Graham to sign IDOT payment voucher for engineering/surveying services for Hwy J-34 & L-31 per Agreement dated 06/27/19 through 10/31/19. Motion carried unanimously. 

Motion made by Hickey to approve a retroactive homestead and military application allowance on Parcel 290290136000000. Motion carried unanimously. 

Attorney Loontjer stated this is the same RFP used in Mills County. Usually the appraisals are in the $450-$500 per residence. Motion by Hickey to approve and publish/post the request for proposal for appraisal services for Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) for buyouts for Fremont County & Hamburg. Motion carried unanimously. 

The board briefly discussed HUD Housing Program, applications for housing grants, and application for buyout grant money from the state.  

In other business, the Sheriff’s Monthly Report for October 2019 was approved. 

Claims were approved for November 22, 2019. 

At 9:54 a.m., there being no further business, Hickey made a motion to adjourn. Motion carried unanimously. 

ATTEST:

Fremont County Auditor                                                                                Terry Graham, Chairman

November 27, 2019:

The Fremont County Board of Supervisors met in regular session on Wednesday, November 27, 2019, in the Fremont County Courthouse Boardroom, with Graham, Hickey, and Sheldon 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.

Also present for this meeting were Treasurer. Assistant Engineer Robbie Kromminga, EMC Mike Crecelius, Steve Meyer, Rick Biondi with Homeland Security, Mark Birkby, and Sandy Parmenter with the Valley News Today.

Supervisor Graham said that he went to the Sidney City Council Meeting Monday night. Hometown Pride had the city sign a letter of support for Housing 360 to do business in Sidney. They will continue to work on the housing project. Supervisor Sheldon stated that there is a levee meeting for USACE next week. Rick Biondi with Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management updated the board on the Public Assistance Grant Program. He said that when FEMA pulls out which will be soon, we will work with directly them for projects. There are no other updates on rehabilitation assistance & non-structural alternatives to rehabilitation of flood control projects. There will be continued updates each week.

The board discussed that there was little change in condition of the flood area. Motion by Hickey to leave the evacuation order in place. Motion carried unanimously. The board will continue to discuss the evacuation order on a week-by-week basis.

At 9:08 a.m., Assistant County Attorney Tyler Loontjer joined the meeting by phone.

Rick Biondi spoke regarding the debris removal contract. He reviewed the contract and found that the contractor was allowed to go on private property to remove debris. He stated that FEMA is very strict about debris being on private property. They prefer that the debris is moved to the right-of-way. Biondi read the requirements from FEMA. They discussed another site inspection. Biondi thinks that the contract should be to meet FEMA’s requirements. The board expressed their displeasure with the fact that one FEMA PDMG said the contract was sufficient, but when a new one was assigned then the issues started. Biondi said that they had a site inspection scheduled for Thursday of next week. Biondi’s recommendation is that they rewrite the contract. Sheldon expressed concern about breach of contract. Biondi said he could have this conversation with the FEMA joint field office to see what FEMA recommends. Graham stated the frustration is that FEMA doesn’t understand that some properties are still under water or inaccessible. They will do the site inspections Thursday and Biondi will be in touch with Crecelius on how to proceed.

At 9:37 a.m., Sheldon moved to go into public hearing on the proposed 2019/2020 budget amendment.  Motion carried unanimously.  At 9:39 a.m., hearing no comments and with no objections, motion was made by Hickey to go out of public hearing. Motion carried unanimously.

Motion made by Hickey to approve the budget amendment along with the following Resolution 2019-55.  Graham, aye; Hickey, aye; Sheldon, aye.

RESOLUTION NO. 2019-55

RECORD OF HEARING AND DETERMINATION ON THE BUDGET AMENDMENT

And CHANGE OF APPROPRIATIONS

On this 27th day of November 2019, the Fremont County Board of Supervisors met in session for the purpose of amending the current operating budget adopted March 12th, 2019.  The notice and time and place of hearing was published on November 14th & November 15th, 2019.  The amendment was taken up and considered and taxpayers heard for or against the amendment as follows and amendment passed unanimously:
 

Amendment for ISICS Radio project final payments, Landfill bond payment, VA state grant payback, Road Expense due to flooding, Treasurer insurance change, Revenues for FEMA & State Reimbursements.                       

Motion to approve made by Hickey.
 

Treasurer Alise Snyder met with the board regarding stamped warrants. She discussed that Benton-Washington Levee District is doing well paying theirs down because they are a larger district. Mule Slough paid down around $150,000.00. They have such a large amount due that doesn’t seem like much. Snyder just wanted to make the board aware of how much the county has invested in the stamped warrants. She wants to know how the 2019 flood will affect these districts. If they have more large expenses the county needs to look into investors for these stamped warrants. Graham stated that he doesn’t want to purchase any more stamped warrants at this time as the county isn’t in the position to purchase any more. Snyder would just like communication to remain open, so we have a heads up if there are any large projects from the drainage districts. The board will let the districts know to let the treasurer know if there are any large projects coming up so investors can be contacted.

Motion by Hickey to allow Chairman Graham to sign work in right-of-way permit for Tom Lorimor to clean ditches along 320th Avenue south of J-26 and at 190th Street west of L-68, north side of the road. Motion carried unanimously.

Motion by Hickey to allow Chairman Graham to sign the GAX Form to draw from the CDBG Grant for the East and West Nishnabotna Watershed Project. Motion carried unanimously.

Claims were approved for November 29, 2019.

At 9:59 a.m., there being no further business, Sheldon made a motion to adjourn. Motion carried unanimously.

ATTEST:

Fremont County Auditor                                                                                Terry Graham, Chairman

October 2019     Home     December 2019