IOWA CITY

Former Lone Tree Mayor Jon Green, who has been a Johnson County Supervisor since 2021, likely will move into the Board’s chair position in January.

And he’s wasting little time.

Green proposed a number of changes to the Board’s weekly work session and formal session formats during the Board’s October 16 work session.

“Some of this is designed to reduce staff work on stuff like the recorder’s report,” Green, the current Vice Chair, told The News, “but there’s also back-end improvements that should increase transparency even if the meeting moves quicker.”

One of the biggest changes is lumping some routine individual items on the formal session’s agenda into a consent agenda, for which just one round of voting is needed. All individual items would still appear in a packet posted online and available for the public to see.

“I’m not necessarily opposed to this,” said longtime Supervisor Rod Sullivan, the current chair. “I’m not against trying something new, but I just want to warn that I think it would have to be careful with that. There could be important things that don’t get the attention they deserve.”

“I’m very sensitive to that,” Green said. “Consent agendas can be abused, just like any process that humans run. It’s going to depend on the discretion of the folks who set the agenda each week.”

Among the items likely to be condensed into the consent agenda are payroll authorization forms, minutes from a previous meeting, auditor claim registers and county recorder reports.

“I’m going to take a very conservative approach,” Green told The News. “I won’t approve anything for consent that I think there’s even a small chance of someone wanting to discuss. Certainly no resolutions or ordinances. Just routine matters that we generally approve without comment.”

A number of local boards already use consent agenda, including the Lone Tree City Council and Riverside City Council.

Green’s format proposals also call for a maximum of 10 minutes public comment, but he told The News those public comment periods would be extended, if needed or requested by another supervisor.

Budget Plan

A five-month journey toward finalization of the Fiscal Year 2026 budget begins in early December, when the Board considers its first round of requests from Veterans Affairs, Finance, Human Resources, and Planning, Development and Sustainability.

Months of weekly work sessions will conclude with the approval of the budget in the spring, tentatively April 24. Public hearings for, first, the county’s tax asking and, second, the budget itself are tentatively set for March 26 and April 17, respectively.

All budget sessions are open to the public, including sessions with the county attorney office and ambulance department, January 6; staff pay, January 14; secondary roads, January 27; Sheriff’s Department, February 4.

Decision-making board meetings are scheduled for February 5, 12 and 19. This past year, a record budget of $169.8 million was finalized in just two decision-making meetings.

In the meantime, a public hearing for the fall budget amendment is set for 9 a.m. October 31.

More than $6 million in additional expenditures includes $2.9 million for the purchase and installation of the county’s Workday computer software and $420,000 for ambulance personnel.

Board Actions

The Board approved a $36,500 professional services agreement with Iowa City-based Axiom Consultants for a building stabilization project at the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department and Jail.

The Board approved a $122,000 agreement with artist Steve Maxon for work on the Lulu Merle Johnson exhibit.

The Board approved a $15,000 grant agreement with the Iowa DOT Living Roadway Trust Fund for the purchase of a mulcher.

The Board issued a proclamation in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Next meeting:

The Board’s next formal session is at 9 a.m. October 24.