Board of Supervisors Minutes
February 2004
February
3, 2004:
The Fremont County Board of Supervisor s met in regular session on
Tuesday, February 3, 2004, in the Fremont County Courthouse, Boardroom, with
Hickey, Aistrope and Larson 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 10:00 a.m. Mary Morse met with the Board in regards to the termination of lease on June 30, 2004. Daniel Morse was present. There was not a vote for a closed session as was posted. Morse said her two questions are: 1. Are you going to sell it? 2. Are you closing it because of the Sheriff's call to the facility the other night? Hickey said no to number two as the county has been discussing this with her for a few months. She said yes, she knew that. Hickey said his biggest concern is liability and upkeep on the premises. He said the Supervisors sent the 'letter of termination of lease' in plenty of time for her to make plans. She said if Fremont County is going to sell it, she would like to have a chance to keep the clients and buy it. Larson said it is not a popular decision of some people to close the facility and the supervisors do not want to make a hasty decision on what to do after June 30, 2004. Aistrope said it is not a county home any longer and county homes are a thing of the past. Aistrope said the water system for this type of facility is different and the county would need to change the tank and that would mean more expense and the county just can't keep putting more money into the building, water system, etc. Aistrope said he also can't make a hasty decision on what to do after the lease is terminated the end of June. He said they just wanted to be up front with Morse about closing the facility at the end of June. Hickey said an appraisal and survey would need to be done to split the farm and cemetery from the building property and if they did that, they would need to take bids on the property. Right now, we just don't know what we will do. Larson said we couldn't do anything until the lease is terminated. Aistrope said if we do sell it, it will take awhile to do this. Hickey said we are in a budget crunch right now and need to look at all expenses and funding. Morse said if you are going to sell she would like to extend the lease.
At 11:00 a.m. Nathan Godwin and Tim Travis met with the Board with questions and answers in regards to UnitedHealthcare insurance.
Payroll for February 6, 2004 and the following claims were approved.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
ATTEST:
Fremont County Auditor Keith Hickey, Chairman
February 5, 2004:
The Fremont County Board of Supervisors met in regular session on Thursday, February 5, 2004, in the Fremont County Courthouse, Boardroom, with Hickey, Aistrope and Larson 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.
Due to weather conditions the 10:00 a.m. appointment, Kathy Kahue and Mark Stursman, was changed to next week.
The Assessor's budget hearing will be rescheduled to a later date.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
ATTEST:
Fremont County Auditor Keith Hickey, Chairman
February 10, 2004:
The Fremont County Board of Supervisors met in regular session on Tuesday, February 10, 2004, in the Fremont County Courthouse, Boardroom, with Hickey, Aistrope and Larson 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.
RESOLUTION NAMING DEPOSITORIES 2004-9
RESOLVED, that the Fremont County Board of Supervisors of
Fremont County, Iowa, approves the following list of financial institutions to
be depositories of the funds in conformance with all applicable provisions of
Iowa Code Chapter 12C.
RESOLVED, Judith Crain, Fremont County Treasurer is hereby authorized to deposit
the Fremont County Funds in amounts not to exceed the maximum approved for each
respective financial institution as set out below:
Depository Name Location Maximum Balance
First Community
Bank
Sidney
$8,000,000
First National
Bank
Shenandoah/Farragut
$3,000,000
First State
Bank
Tabor
$3,000,000
Great Western
Bank
Hamburg/Sidney
$3,000,000
Randolph State
Bank
Randolph
$5,000,000
Recorder:
Great Western Bank Hamburg/Sidney $ 100,000
Sheriff:
First Community Bank Sidney $ 100,000
Motion made by Aistrope.
This Resolution passed on the 10th day of February, 2004.
ATTEST:
/s/ Lucille
Hunt
/s/ Keith Hickey, Chairman aye
Fremont County
Auditor
/s/ David
Aistrope
aye
/s/ Chuck
Larson
aye
At 9:00 a.m. Bart Bartholomew met with the Board in regards to the Emergency Management budget and grants that he has received and applied for.
At 10:00 a.m. Kathy Kahue and Mark Stursma met with the Board in regards to the Comprehensive Land Use Plan for Fremont County. Pat Hume and Dan Davis were present. Mr. Stursma said the first thing the county would need to do is appoint a steering committee, from the community, to be involved in three separate meetings. Davis said the plan needs to be developed to conform with the proposed zoning ordinances instead of the ones currently in place. SWIPCO is in the process of updating the zoning ordinances. The contract between the county and Schemmer Associates was discussed. The definitions of what the county and RC&D were responsible for were discussed. RC&D will draw up a contract with the county and describe what elements of the scope of the project will be covered by RC&D and the two contracts will be adopted together at a later date.
Wellmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield meetings were held for employees from 11:00 a.m. through 2:45 p.m.
The Sheriff's monthly report of fees collected was received and approved by the Board.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
ATTEST:
Fremont County Auditor Keith Hickey, Chairman
February 12, 2004:
The Fremont County Board of Supervisors met in regular session on Thursday, February 12, 2004, in the Fremont County Courthouse, Boardroom, with Hickey, Aistrope and Larson 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.
The Notice of Public Hearing - Budget Estimate was approved.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
ATTEST:
Fremont County Auditor Keith Hickey, Chairman
February 17, 2004:
The Fremont County Board of Supervisors met in regular session on Tuesday, February 17, 2004, in the Fremont County Courthouse, Boardroom, with Hickey, Aistrope and Larson 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 Board discussed the temperature settings for the Courthouse. Steve Whitehead and Arnold Emberton were present. At the request of the Board, standards were written to maintain a reasonable comfort level and lower energy expenditures in the Fremont County Courthouse. The standards were discussed by the Board. Motion was made by Aistrope to adopt the following standards to maintain reasonable comfort and lower energy expenditures. The thermostat located in the second floor hallway will be set between 68-70 degrees for the winter season. In implementing this policy Fremont County strives to make all spaces as close to 68 degrees without being less than that threshold. In practical terms this means that the temperature range will be in the 68 to 72 degree range. The thermostat will be set at 76 degrees in the summer time while the upstairs is in use. Settings may be higher if the second floor is not occupied. Thermostats in each individual office control their own temperatures. It is recommended that the thermostats be set on 76 degrees to try and maintain a comfort level of 75 to 78 degrees. Wear appropriate clothing to compensate for lower temperatures in the winter and higher temperatures in the summer. Individual adjustment for individual comfort should be avoided. Heat generated by sunlight, equipment, or warm pipes may result in higher localized temperatures. Areas with no registers, closed in areas, and direction of wind may result in lower localized temperatures in some rooms. Larson, aye; Aistrope, aye; Hickey, aye.
At 9:30 a.m. motion was made by Aistrope to approve the family farm credits as presented. Larson, aye; Aistrope, aye; Hickey, aye.
The following claims and payroll for February 20, 2004 were approved. Claim #9623 was not approved.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
ATTEST:
Fremont County
Auditor
Keith Hickey, Chairman
February 19, 2004:
The Fremont County Board of Supervisors met in regular session on Thursday, February 19, 2004, in the Fremont County Courthouse, Boardroom, with Hickey, Aistrope and Larson present. A quorum was declared and the meeting officially called to order at 8:30 a.m. Minutes of the previous Board session were read and approved. The agenda was approved as posted.
At 8:30 a.m. a department head meeting was held. Present were Steve Whitehead, Steve MacDonald, Sandie Sillers, Margaret Henkle, Dan Davis, Art Claiborne, Karen Berry, Judy Crain, Janeth Winkler, Arnold Emberton and Lucille Hunt. Temperature settings in the Courthouse were discussed. Hickey asked if anyone had anything they would like to discuss. A long discussion was held in regards to the health insurance meetings held by Blue Cross, Blue Shield and UnitedHealthcare. Coverage of prescription drugs, drugs not covered, deductible amounts by insurance and by the county were covered. Karen Berry said assessment notices were going to be sent out the first part of March.
At 9:15 a.m. County Engineer Dan Davis met with the Board. Motion was made by Aistrope to approve the pavement markings plan for project number FM-CO36(34)--55-36. Larson, aye; Aistrope, aye; Hickey, aye.
At 9:30 a.m. Stan Orton met with the Board in regards to the appraisal of Country Acres Care. The Board said they did not know for sure what they would do with the property but they would like to have an appraisal of the property before a decision was made. Motion was made by Aistrope to have Stan Orton do an appraisal of Country Acres Care with a general description of four to five acres as a narrative approach to the value of the real estate with his cost to be at the rate of $40.00 per hour. Larson, aye; Aistrope, aye; Hickey, aye. A letter to Mr. Orton will follow. The contact for Mr. Orton will be Sandie Sillers, Community Services/CPC Director.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
ATTEST:
Fremont County
Auditor
Keith Hickey, Chairman
February 24, 2004:
The Fremont County Board of
Supervisors met in regular session on Tuesday, February 24, 2004, in the Fremont
County Courthouse, Boardroom, with Hickey, Aistrope and Larson 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. motion was made
by Aistrope to approve the renewal of Percival Farm Service Beer and Sunday
Sales liquor license. Larson, aye;
Aistrope, aye; Hickey, aye.
At 9:15 a.m. Randy Roup
visited with the Board in regards to the water system at Country Acres Care.
Roup has been taking care of the water system at Country Acres Care.
He gave the Board a copy of the operation permit for the public water
supply issued by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources for County Acres Care
dated January 5, 2004. He also
provided them with a copy of the irrigation water analysis from Midwest
Laboratories, Inc. He said that is
really a neat little water system. He
said when the lease terminates on June 30, 2004, the operating permit will have
to be assigned to someone other than Mary Morse.
At 9:30 a.m. the Board
discussed a dollar limit for major purchases by departments.
A resolution will be prepared and placed on the agenda for March 2, 2004.
At 10:00 a.m. the Emergency
Management Budget Hearing was held in the Boardroom. The county did not increase their contribution to the
Emergency Management Budget, as all departments were held the same or below the
current budget. The only exception
were expenses for new voting machines, mandated by the Federal Government, to be
in place by January 1, 2006.
Sheriff MacDonald stopped in to see the Board.
He said he needs a vehicle to replace the vehicle that a deputy
demolished. He said Electronic
Engineering is coming down to remove all the radio equipment from the demolished
vehicle to transfer to a different vehicle.
The Sheriff said he wants to use the insurance money and the drug money
from his special fund to purchase a replacement vehicle.
Hickey said the insurance money is deposited into the General Fund and he
didn't think the drug money could be used to purchase a vehicle. Hickey said the Sheriff's departmental budget does not have
enough money to purchase vehicle and if an amendment is made, the revenue from
the insurance company would be the cost to replace a vehicle like the one that
was demolished. The Board told him
to bring options to the Board of Supervisors meeting before he purchases a
replacement vehicle.
There being no further
business, the meeting was adjourned.
At 11:30 a.m. the Board
attended a four county meeting held in Sidney.
Sherri Clark, Nishna Productions Director, gave a presentation of a bill
currently being debated in legislation.
At 12:45 p.m. Larson left to
attend the 4th District Correctional Services meeting in Council Bluffs.
At 4:00 p.m. Hickey and Aistrope attended the Budget Hearing for the County Assessor held in the Boardroom.
ATTEST:
Fremont County
Auditor
Keith Hickey, Chairman
February 25, 2004:
County Engineer Dan Davis informed the Board that the Wednesday, February
25, 2004, union mediation was cancelled and he did not know when it would be
rescheduled.
February 26, 2004:
The Fremont County Board of Supervisors met in regular session on Thursday, February 26, 2004, in the Fremont County Courthouse, Boardroom, with Hickey, Aistrope and Larson 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. Kathy Hammes from Country Acres Care met with the Board. Others present were Courtney K.
Sloop, Sandra Stockstell, Penny Blank, Hazel Cowles, Bessie Honea, Rick Shaver, Mary Jardon, Jody Shaver, Kelley Courtney, Sharla Mather and Sandie Sillers. Kathleen Hammes expressed concerns about the residents in Country Acres Care after the facility is closed on June 30, 2004. Activity Director Mary Jardon, Hazel Cowles, Jody Shaver, Bessie Honea and Courtney Sloop also expressed their concerns. After those who chose to speak in regards to terminating the lease at Country Acres Care, Hickey responded and said he respects what all of them are saying. Hickey said he has been involved in the County Home for twenty years and knows it is a good county home and probably the best run in the state. Hickey said we have no problem with the way the residents are treated or the way the facility is being managed. The decision to terminate the lease and sell the property is a financial decision. The county had to give notice to terminate the lease. The county has hired an appraiser, the property will have to be surveyed and the property will be offered by public bid. This all takes time. Someone may buy it and keep it as a care facility, but we have to continue the process to sell the property and therefore we had to give notice of 'termination of lease'. The CPC has to locate housing for the Fremont County residents and other counties will have to locate housing for their residents. Larson said we are in a very tight budget and economically this is the best time to sell. Very, very few counties have care facilities and he knows there will be some problems in transition. Larson also said that this decision has nothing to do with how you are taking care of the residents, it is taxes and all of the mandates coming down and we have no money. Aistrope said when county homes first came into being it was designed for poor people of the county. That is now a thing of the past. Aistrope said they cannot promise when the facility would be sold as the process takes a lot of time. Larson said other counties had to face that same decision. Hickey said he appreciates the fact that all of the employees are caring people and took the time to express their feelings. Sharla Mather said she just wanted to clear up some rumor that she had met with the Board in closed session in regards to the operation of Country Acres Care. The Board confirmed that they never met in closed session with Sharla Mather.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
ATTEST:
Fremont County Auditor Keith Hickey, Chairman