Agreeing it is a “pretty conservative budget, as well as a sometime balancing act,” the Washington County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, March 29, approved the approximate $12.9 million budget for fiscal year 2022-23 that carries a 7.08 total property tax asking. The levy reflects state mandate re-evaluations of 3.19 (rural) and 2.06 (urban) percentage increases.  However, the rural is only for land, not the buildings. Total property tax asking is $12,964,026 from some $1.3 billion of taxable county urban and rural property. The budget was approved by a 4-0 vote.

During the brief discussion/public hearing prior to adopting the resolution, it was noted that the budget is in line with the national cost of living increase, and that Tuesday’s hearing was the second required hearing. The first was March 8. The budget also reflects an 11.6 increase in TIF funds and the change in Mental Health and Disabilities funding.

However, the resolution to adopt the fiscal year 2022-23 compensation for elected officials was tabled to next week, after supervisor Bob Yoder expressed “mixed feelings” about the salary increases, indicating they were too high.  He noted that in the initial discussions, a 3% raise had been discussed. The proposed levels range 20 to 35%, reflecting a move to rectify some lower-than-average payments for the positions.  The largest increase was 133.33% for the chairman’s stipend from $3,500 to $12,500 annually. Rather than enter a long discussion, the issue was tabled to next week for a full board vote.

The board discussed the $10,800 contract renewal with Carosh to handle HIPAA security, risk assessments and training for county employees in meeting the national requirements. The county has contracted with Carosh since April 2015.

During Tuesday’s discussion, the board reviewed the options, learning that a previous agreement through the site county offices group was “ineffective,” that hiring an individual to handle all of it would cost far more than the $10,800 and that the service this year provided up to $100,000 insurance of any possible violation fines. The contract, effective April 12, was approved 4-0.

In other business, the board:

• unanimously approved adding to its department policy manual the minimum work requirement of 24 hours within a two-week pay period for non-full-time county ambulance service employees, effective May 1. The board had a detailed discussion last week regarding the proposal;

•approved,4-0, clarification and updates for the county’s handbook policy for employees classified as part-time, effective May 5, to accumulate vacation and sick time per pay period rather than accumulate it in a calendar year. HR coordinator Amber Armbruster explained it would be more efficient, since the time is not identical for all the part-time employees; and

•approved an agreement with the IDOT for paving two gravel road intersections along Highway 1 and 78, at an estimated cost of $45,700 to be split between Washington and Keokuk counties, with bid letting to be in June.