Board of Supervisors Minutes
July 2014

July 1, 2014:

The Fremont County Board of Supervisors met in regular session on Tuesday, July 1, 2014 in the Fremont County Courthouse Boardroom, with Bartholomew and Morgan 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 were Nick Johnson, James Burger, County Attorney, and Mark Travis, City of Sidney. 

Absent from this meeting was Randy Hickey. 

At 9:00 a.m. Jim Doran, Assistant to the Engineer, did not come to this meeting. 

At 9:15 a.m. Mark Travis, City of Sidney, Travis said he received a copy of the 28E Agreement, but has not had time to read it.  Also present was Danny Toma, Custodian. The steps and hand rails coming up to the courthouse were discussed as possibly not being in ADA compliance following the Street Scape Sidewalk Project. Travis said he would address this with the Street Scape contractor. There was also discussion regarding who was responsible for snow removal after the property owner cleaned the sidewalks, and the city would block them again while cleaning the streets. Travis felt the courthouse should be under the same rules as any resident, and be responsible for scooping out the end of the sidewalk when that happens. Travis said he would discuss the county’s concerns with the city council.  

At 9:30 a.m. Nick Johnson, Attorney’s Office, presented a revised Employee Handbook for review and possible adoption. Present were Karen Berry, Pam VanScyoc, Dee Owen, Christy Briley, Danny Toma, Jennifer McAllister, Kristi O’Neal and Vicki Kirkpatrick. Concerns were voiced, and it was decided that everyone should put their concerns in writing, and send to each of the Board of Supervisors and Human Resources. It was agreed this will all be done by Friday the 11th and on the board agenda July 15th for further discussion.  

At 10:15 a.m. Public Hearing regarding a Construction Permit Application for a new 4,992 swine finishers facility in Fremont County.  Morgan said she received three phone calls concerning the location of the facility.  At 10:17 a.m. Morgan made a motion to go into public hearing.  Morgan, aye; Bartholomew, aye.  With no one from the public present Morgan made a motion to come out of Public Hearing at 10:19 am.  Morgan made a motion to come out of public hearing. Morgan, aye; Bartholomew, aye. Following a phone call to DNR, motion was made by Morgan to table any decision at this time to allow for further review. Motion carried unanimously.  

At 10:35 a.m. Motion was made Morgan to sign a proposal from MidAmerican Energy for Energy Service to the new Law Enforcement Center. Motion carried unanimously. 

At 10:45 a.m. Motion was made by Morgan to table the decision regarding appointing a new member to the Tourism Board. Motion carried unanimously. 

At 10:50 a.m. Motion was made by Morgan to table the Eminent Domain Resolution.  Motion carried unanimously.   

At 10:55 a.m. there being no further business, Morgan made a motion to adjourn.  Motion carried unanimously. 

ATTEST:

Fremont County Auditor                                                                                Bart Bartholomew, Chairman

July 8, 2014:

Motion was made by Hickey.
 

At 9:45 a.m. Mike O’Neal, Grape Community Hospital CEO, requesting letter of support for USDA Grant.  Motion was made by Morgan to approve signing a letter of support.  Motion carried unanimously. 

At 9:55 a.m. Dee Owen, Auditor’s Office, met with the board for Drainage District Assessments.  Owen said there are eight parcels in West Benton now on the wet side of the levy, owned by the Corp, and should not be taxed.  Owen said she would have to take them off taxes, then put them back on.  Morgan made a motion to approve.  Motion carried unanimously.    

In other business, payroll and claims for July 11, 2014, were approved.  

The County Recorder’s Monthly Report was approved. 

At 10:30 a.m. there being no further business, Morgan made a motion to adjourn.  Motion carried unanimously. 

ATTEST:

Fremont County Auditor                                                            Bart Bartholomew, Chairman 

July 15, 2014:

The Fremont County Board of Supervisors met in regular session on Tuesday, July 15, 2014, in the Fremont County Courthouse Boardroom, with Bartholomew, Hickey and Morgan 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 9:15 a.m. Dan Davis, Engineer, met with the board.  Motion was made by Morgan to sign IDOT Payment Voucher with HGM on Project #BROS-CO-36(68) --5F-36.  Motion carried unanimously.  

At 9:30 a.m. Discussion on Employee Handbook Revisions.  Present were Nick Johnson, James Burger, Pam VanScyoc, Vicki Kirkpatrick, Karen Berry, Jennifer McAllister, Arnold Emberton, Danny Toma, Patricia Lant, Dee Owen, Kristi O’Neal and Christy Briley.            

At 10:35 a.m. Motion was made by Hickey to approve Class C Beer/Sunday Sales Permit for Pilot Travel Center.   Motion carried unanimously.  

At 10:40 a.m. Renee Von Bokern, Von Bokern & Associates, met with the board to discuss bargaining strategy.  Also present was Nick Johnson, Kevin Aistrope and Dan Davis.

At 11:00 a.m. Motion was made by Hickey to take a recess from this public meeting while discussing bargaining strategy.  Motion carried unanimously.  At 12:00 p.m. Hickey made a motion to come out of recess.  Motion carried unanimously.

At 12:05 p.m.  Mike Crecelius, EMC, met with the board regarding letters sent from Joel R. Cross, Colonel, Corps of Engineers to Chuck Grassley, Tom Latham and Tom Harkin saying the latest inspection for the L-594-575 (BW-PV-Waubonsie) Flood Risk Reduction Project (FRRP) resulted in an Overall System Rating of “Unacceptable”.  The board is scheduling a meeting with levee sponsors and Mills County.  Bart Bartholomew was not present for this portion of the meeting.   

At 12:20 p.m. there being no further business, Hickey made a motion to adjourn.  Motion carried unanimously. 

ATTEST:

Fremont County Auditor                                                                                Bart Bartholomew, Chairman

 July 18, 2014:

The Fremont County Board of Supervisors met in special session on Friday July 18^th, 2014, in the Fremont County Courthouse Boardroom, with Bartholomew and Morgan present.  Morgan was present via speaker phone.  A quorum was declared and the meeting officially called to order at 9:00 a.m.  The agenda was approved as posted. 

At 9:00 a.m. the board reviewed and approved claims for July 25, 2014. 

At 9:10 a.m. there being no further business, Morgan made a motion to adjourn.  Motion carried unanimously. 

ATTEST:

July 29, 2014:

The Fremont County Board of Supervisors met in regular session on Tuesday, July 29, 2014, in the Fremont County Courthouse Boardroom, with Bartholomew, Morgan and Hickey 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.

Let the records show that Nick Johnson from the County Attorney’s Office & Dan Swanson with Big Apple Radio were also present.

At 9:00 a.m. Bill Huey with Prochaska & Associates met with the board to discuss cost changes on the LEC project. Sheriff Kevin Aistrope was also present. Huey explained that the majority of the changes were due to regulations from the State Fire Marshall’s Office. With the additional costs, there is still $81,000.00 in the budgeted contingency amount. Huey stated that Prochaska & Associates has yet to use all of a contingency budget on a project and is not concerned that it will happen in this case. Motion was made by Morgan to approve the change order requirements. Motion carried unanimously.

At 9:34 a.m. Mark Travis, City of Sidney Manager met with the board regarding the 28E agreement between Fremont County and the City of Sidney. Also present were Paul Hutt, Sidney Mayor and Danny Toma, Custodian. Travis stated that he had presented the 28E Agreement to the city council at their last meeting. Travis stated that the council did not approve it due to two items in the agreement. They felt that the steps and hand rails coming up to the courthouse should not be included in a 28E Agreement. They are part of the Sidney Streetscape Project and will be addressed along with that project. They also didn’t feel the snow removal should be included. The property owner is responsible for snow removal from their sidewalks. The board asked that the County Attorney’s Office revise the 28E agreement to reflect these changes.

At 9:43 a.m. Reba Richie met with the board regarding the case management supervisor position. Also present were Jennifer Thompson, Paige Osborne, & Nancy Henneman of Community Services Department. Richie stated that she has not been appointed as supervisor and the board has two options. They can advertise for the position or appoint her. They discussed changes in case load and billing procedures for Fremont County. Richie advised the board that the title needed to be changed to supervisor/director as only the director can approve claims. Motion was made by Hickey to approve the 28E Agreement for CPC/CM Supervisor pending the change in wording from supervisor to supervisor/director. Motion carried unanimously.

At 10:03 a.m. Fremont County Engineer, Dan Davis met with the board.  Motion was made by

Morgan to authorize Chairman Bartholomew to sign IDOT payment voucher for HGM Associates, Inc. on Project No. BROS-CO-36 (68) - - 5F-36. Motion carried unanimously.

Motion was made by Hickey to authorize Chairman Bartholomew to sign the document for payment to the Iowa Department of Transportation for material inspection costs on Thurman Bridge.  Motion carried unanimously.

At 10:06 a.m. Christy Briley of the Auditor’s Office met with the board regarding the procedure for approving payroll. Briley stated that some counties do not have the board of supervisors approve payroll claims. The approval comes from the department head. Briley advised that the state auditor said they could continue to sign claims as in the past or they could make a motion stating that any new hires for Fremont County would need to be done through a resolution approved by the board. Briley said the Fremont County Department Heads would need to be notified of this change if that is what the board chooses to do. Motion made by Hickey to have department heads or a supervisor sign off on payroll claims budgeted for by that department. Anything above that amount would have to pass through the board of supervisors.  The board of supervisors will approve any new hires by resolution. Motion carried unanimously.

At 10:15 a.m. the Treasurer’s Semi-Annual Report was approved.

At 10:16 a.m. Terry Graham, Veteran’s Affairs Director, met with the board to request a new software program for on-line claim management. Vetra Spec is a state & county solution to process VA claims. This particular program is for counties. There is a one-time start-up cost of $599, initial year cost $399, and signature pad for $230. This program allows all counties to communicate amongst each other. Morgan made a motion to approve the Vetra Spec purchase. Motion carried unanimously.

At 10:21 a.m. Danny Toma, Custodian, met with the board regarding Ash Trees in the courtyard. There is a pesticide treatment for the Emerald Ash Borer which is currently in Iowa. Toma, along with the DNR, is watching the progress of the pests. There is a product that can be applied to the tree that would have a 2 year residual. It is $300 per tree. The courtyard has four trees. Toma stated it may not be necessary this year & it could possibly be included in next year’s budget, but he would like to have permission to treat if he has it in his budget if it is necessary. Morgan asked if there were any grants available to help. Hickey made motion to approve the treatment if it becomes necessary, but stated that Toma should check for grants to assist in paying for it. Motion carried unanimously.

At 10:27 a.m. Mike Crecelius, EMC, met with the board regarding another letter received  from Colonel Joel R. Cross, Army Corps of Engineers to Senators Tom Harkin and Chuck Grassley and also to Congressman Tom Latham concerning four more places on the levee that were listed as unacceptable. Included in this letter is Waubonsie Creek RB L-594 in Fremont County. Crecelius stated that he would continue monitor the situation and keep the Board informed.

At 10:36 a.m. Discussion on the Fremont County Employee Handbook revisions was held. Present were Jenny McAllister, James Burger, Nick Johnson, Patricia Lant, Karen Berry, Vicki Kirkpatrick, Pam Van Scyoc, Reba Richie, Christy Briley, Kristi O’Neal, Dee Owen, Arnold Emberton, Danny Toma, and Mike Crecelius. Kevin Aistrope rejoined the meeting at 10:49 a.m.

At 11:33 a.m. the board took a brief recess.

11:40 a.m. James Burger, County Attorney, discussed employment conditions at the request of the board. Present were Jenny McAllister, James Burger, Nick Johnson, Patricia Lant, Karen Berry, Reba Richie, Christy Briley, Kristi O’Neal, Dee Owen, Arnold Emberton, Danny Toma, Mike Crecelius, and Kevin Aistrope.

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

At 11:52 a.m. there being no further business, Morgan made a motion to adjourn. Motion carried unanimously.

ATTEST:

Fremont County Auditor                                                                                Bart Bartholomew, Chairman

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