Supervisor Jon Green

Jon Green, a resident of Lone Tree and former mayor of the city, has quickly jumped into his new role as a member of the Johnson County Board of Supervisors.

He participated in the Fourth of July parade in Hills, a community in which Green is a liaison to the Board of Supervisors. He is also liaison to Tiffin.

He has joined the board in examining and discussing issues ranging from the county sheriff’s mine resistant ambush protected (MRAP) vehicle to county staffers’ salaries and American Rescue Plan Act funds.

Green was also named as supporting supervisor to the county’s initiative on improving opportunities for affordable living in Johnson County. An update on that initiative was presented at the July 7 work session of the board, and included a deadline of June 30, 2022, for evaluating the availability of housing for low-income residents, lobbying state agencies for more affordable housing and improving housing programs in the county.

“This is going to be an ongoing plan,” Green told the board. “Clearly, we have a lot of work to do, but also a lot of opportunity.”

At its formal meeting on July 8, the board approved the preliminary and final plat for Hackberry Hill Subdivision, a property located southwest of Hills, on the east side of Lackender Avenue SW.

The property is a two-lot farmstead split with one buildable lot and one outlot. Each lot is five acres.

The board also heard an update on Covid-19 from Sam Jarvis, Community Health Division Manager, Johnson County Public Health.

The county reports 60% of its population totally vaccinated; of those 12 and older, 70% have had at least one shot, making Johnson County the leader among Iowa counties.

Jarvis said it is “very likely” that the Delta variant of Covid is already in the county, and that vaccinations are the best defense.

“One of the best ways to prevent that from happening is to get vaccinated. It’s a race against time,” Jarvis said.