WASHINGTON

In their regular meeting Tuesday, Washington County Supervisors took action on a tourism partnership, dealt with tires dumped in the Skunk River, debated then tabled action on a road use policy, and agreed to consider an ordinance to aid with debt collection before going into closed session under Iowa Code 21.5 to evaluate the professional competency of an individual for hiring or discharge.

The 3-2 vote approving county membership in the Iowa Travel Industry Partners group, presented in detail to the board last month, followed a discussion about what tourism brings to a county and how the iTIP membership can aid in what originally was the Southeast Iowa Tourism group that merged into the state one. Noted was that the $500 annual membership fee provides services including tracking where visitors come from and aiding with tourism promotion.

Tourism, aside from offering specific attractions, also affects food, lodging, gasoline and local shopping. Its current regional impact is $34 million. Concern was raised about spending $500 in a time of heavy budget constraints, criticizing spending money to make money, and the use of the hotel/motel tax.

The tires, “retrieved” from the county’s segment of the Skunk River used illegally as a disposal site, require proper disposal, and a $5 fee per tire was noted. The further disposal requires cleaning up the tires. After more discussion, especially the importance of clearing a scenic river, the board approved a $7 per tire amount to cover costs of retrieval, cleaning and proper disposal.

A review of the county’s Secondary Road Policy, especially the insurance requirements, led to a review of the policy that was approved in 2014, primarily to deal with protection issues involving construction projects on the road and requests for special events. In the years since, cost of the special insurance became a concern. Special events have included parades, bike rides (such as RABRAI), and others.

County Engineer Jacob Thorius noted that such events required coordination and the policy was initiated to provide safeguards. He also told the board that the issue is not policy and procedures, but insurance. The board agreed that a discussion with insurance providers, as well, was needed. The issue was tabled, pending further information about insurance options.

In other business, the board approved a one-year fuel contract with Cobb Oil, Washington, to provide gasoline and diesel fuel at three cents per gallon for a total cost of $5,550.

The board approved an hourly wage increase for Logan L. Hesser and Scott Gerot, both equipment operators, from $26.11 to $26.3l and a change for Josh Laws, ambulance department, from part-time to full-time.

The board approved changes in the employee handbook regarding inclement weather services, bereavement, and use of county technology equipment.

The board discussed and agreed to pursue a policy primarily to aid the ambulance department in seeking small claims judgments in delinquent accounts owed to it, which involves the state Seup Program.