PROCEEDINGS OF THE WASHINGTON COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2024
At 9:00 a.m. Chairperson Richard Young called to order in regular session a meeting of the Washington County Board of Supervisors which took place in the Washington County Courthouse. Items on the agenda included the following: Pledge of Allegiance; approval of agenda; public comment related to agenda items; discussion and action regarding the position of Washington County Outreach Director; employee recognition; discussion and possible action regarding proposed changes to Washington County Employee Handbook; FY26 employee compensation recommendations; personnel change requests – Ambulance; personnel change requests – Auditor; discussion and possible action regarding proposed Ordinance 24-04 for the purpose of regulating the placement of Wind Energy Conversion Systems (WECS) on property located in the unincorporated areas of Washington County; discussion and possible action regarding 1st Reading of proposed Ordinance 24-04 for the purpose of regulating the placement of Wind Energy Conversion Systems (WECS) on property located in the unincorporated areas of Washington County; department head comment; adjourn. Supervisors Bob Yoder, Jack Seward, Marcus Fedler, and Stan Stoops were also present.
Other individuals in attendance included Kalen McCain with the SE Iowa Union along with County Attorney Nathan Repp, Supervisors Administrative Assistant Amber Williams, Deputy Auditor Tammy Stewart, Deputy Auditor Amber Armbruster, Ambulance Director Jordan Wright, Sheriff Jared Schneider, Chief Deputy Sheriff Shawn Ellingson, Sheriff Sergeant Bill Fiordelise, Sheriff Sergeant Eric Weber, and County Engineer Jacob Thorius along with citizens Greg Koch and Kathy Colbert. Various other individuals listened and/or watched remotely by way of electronic means.
Stoops led the individuals assembled in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
All motions were passed unanimously unless noted otherwise.
On motion by Yoder, seconded by Stoops, the Board voted to approve the agenda as published.
Citizen Greg Koch expressed his opposition to the placement of Wind Energy Conversion Systems in Washington County.
County Attorney Nathan Repp shared that with regard to the position of Washington County Outreach Director, which will become vacant as of December 31, 2024, discussions with Sheriff Jared Scheider and Chief Deputy Sheriff Shawn Ellingson indicate the position provides valuable supervision, evaluative and referral program services for individuals pre-arrest, in jail, on pretrial supervision, or on probation. He added that Washington County law enforcement, the general public, defense attorneys, and the Court System also value the role that Washington County Outreach plays regarding the supervision and rehabilitation of those who have broken the law. Repp opined that the upcoming vacancy provides an excellent opportunity to make improvements to the program by providing a new vision and a good opportunity to review the job description. Young suggested that a committee be formed to review the overall vision of Washington County Outreach. On motion by Stoops, seconded by Yoder, the Board voted to appoint a committee to review the position of Washington County Outreach Director with such committee to include, at a minimum, Washington County Attorney Nathan Repp, Washington County Sheriff Jared Schneider, Washington County Chief Deputy Sheriff Shawn Ellingson, Deputy Auditor Amber Armbruster, Supervisor Stan Stoops, and Supervisor Marcus Fedler. Prior to Young calling for a vote on the motion Seward stated that he was of the belief that Outreach was a valuable program that benefited from local leadership as opposed to leadership supplied by the State of Iowa.
While taking no formal action, the Board recognized and thanked both Deputy Bill Fiordelise and Deputy Eric Weber for their 25 years of service with the Washington County Office of Sheriff.
On motion by Stoops, seconded by Yoder, the Board voted to approve changes to the Washington County Employee manual as presented by Deputy Auditor Amber Armbruster. The approved changes are as follows:
Section 6.12 - addition of language stating the “Use of personal email for County business purposes is not allowed. County email should be used for all County-related activities unless otherwise authorized by the County IT department and the employee’s Department Head.”
Section 6.12 addition of language stating “The Department Head will determine what is considered ‘acceptable use’ of the internet for their department. Any unacceptable use of the internet may be grounds for termination.”
Section 4.2 addition of language stating that all employees shall receive two (2) personal days each calendar year. “If a new employee is hired between January 1 and June 30 in their first calendar year, they will receive two (2) personal days; if hired after July 1 the new employee will receive one (1) personal day. Regular part-time employees will receive pro-rated days.”
Section 4.1 - addition of language stating that December 24 shall be a permanent holiday.
Section 4.3 “Vacation” addition of language stating that all full-time hires will be granted 40 hours of vacation at their initial hire and such hours will be eligible for use by the individual only after completion of 30 calendar days of employment. These 40 hours are only eligible for payout upon leaving employment with the County after the individual has completed one year of full-time employment.”
The Board next took up discussion on employee compensation for FY26 with such discussion focusing on the value of attracting and retaining quality employees, upcoming labor negotiations with the Sheriff’s union, increases in the cost of living, and House File 718 which garnered the most attention. House File 718 is a state law passed in 2023 whose intended purpose is to slow the rate of increase in property taxes across the state. However, critics of the legislation state that the legislation punishes counties who have been fiscally responsible and that it encroaches upon home rule. Providing further difficulty for Washington County in the determination of FY26 compensation levels is that Washington County officials are still in the process of calculating an estimate of FY26 tax revenue. Ultimately Yoder moved and Fedler seconded the motion to increase compensation for non-elected officials by 2.5% for FY26. The vote on the motion passed as follows: Aye-Seward, Fedler, Yoder; Nay-Young, Stoops.
Yoder moved and Stoops seconded a motion to increase compensation for elected officials by 2.5% for FY26. The vote on the motion failed as follows: Aye-Young, Yoder; Nay-Seward, Fedler, Stoops.
Seward moved and Fedler seconded a motion to increase compensation for elected officials by 2.0% in FY26. The vote on the motion passed as follows: Aye- Seward, Fedler, Stoops; Nay-Young, Yoder.
On motion by Stoops, seconded Yoder, the Board voted to set the calendar year 2025 stipend for the Board Chairperson at $250.00 per month.
On motion by Fedler, seconded by Stoops, the Board voted to acknowledge, and authorize the Chairperson to sign, a personnel change request from Washington County Ambulance for Toby Hancock whose job title will change to full-time non-exempt Level 5 Paramedic effective January 8, 2025.
On motion by Stoops, seconded by Yoder, the Board voted to acknowledge, and authorize the Chairperson to sign, a personnel change request from Washington County Ambulance for Josh Mohror whose job title will change to full-time non-exempt Level 5 Paramedic effective January 8, 2025.
On motion by Fedler, seconded by Stoops, the Board voted to acknowledge, and authorize the Chairperson to sign, a personnel change request from Washington County Ambulance for Jordan Heyvaert whose job title will change to full-time non-exempt Level 4 Paramedic effective January 8, 2025.
On motion by Seward, seconded by Yoder , the Board voted to acknowledge, and authorize the Chairperson to sign, a personnel change request from Washington County Ambulance for Tanner Tarvin whose job title changed to part-time non-exempt Level 4 RN effective December 11, 2024, and whose rate of pay increased to $33.78 per hour effective December 11, 2024.
On motion by Fedler, seconded by Stoops, the Board voted to acknowledge, and authorize the Chairperson to sign, a personnel change request from Washington County Ambulance for Steven Ebersole whose job title changed to full-time non-exempt Level 2 EMT effective December 11, 2024, and whose rate of pay increased to $25.94 per hour effective December 11, 2024.
On motion by Stoops, seconded by Yoder, the Board voted to acknowledge, and authorize the Chairperson to sign, a personnel change request from Washington County Ambulance for Gretchen Gerot whose job title changed to full-time non-exempt Level 4 RN effective December 11, 2024, and whose rate of pay increased to $33.78 per hour effective December 11, 2024.
On motion by Fedler, seconded by Yoder, the Board voted to acknowledge, and authorize the Chairperson to sign, a personnel change request from the Auditor for Liz Torres-Potter whose final day of employment occurred December 5, 2024.
On motion by Yoder, seconded by Stoops, the Board voted to acknowledge, and authorize the Chairperson to sign, a personnel change request from the Auditor for Sue Meeks whose final day of employment occurred December 10, 2024.
On motion by Stoops, seconded by Yoder, the Board voted to acknowledge, and authorize the Chairperson to sign, a personnel change request from the Auditor for Tammy Stewart whose job title will change to full-time exempt Washington County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections and whose compensation will change to an annual rate of $104,982.00 with both changes taking effect on January 1, 2025.
On motion by Yoder, seconded by Fedler, the Board voted to acknowledge, and authorize the Chairperson to sign, a personnel change request from the Auditor for Daniel Widmer whose final day of employment will occur December 31, 2024. The vote on the motion: Aye-Young, Yoder, Stoops, Fedler; Nay-Stoops.
The Board held a brief discussion regarding proposed Ordinance 24-04 for the purpose of regulating the placement of Wind Energy Conversion Systems (WECS) on property located in the unincorporated areas of Washington County but took no action.
On motion by Seward, seconded by Fedler, the Board voted approve the 1st Reading of proposed Ordinance 24-04 for the purpose of regulating the placement of Wind Energy Conversion Systems (WECS) on property located in the unincorporated areas of Washington County,
There was no department head comment.
At 10:17 a.m. on motion by Stoops, seconded by Yoder, the Board voted to adjourn.
ATTEST:s/DANIEL L. WIDMER, County Auditor
4M PLUMBING & HEATING, Repair 579.65
ACCESS SYSTEMS, Contract 326.33
ACCESS SYSTEMS LEASING, Lease 96.40
ACE ELECTRIC, Service 428.98
ACE N MORE, Supplies 513.66
ADVANCED CORRECTIONAL HLTHCARE, Service 7,736.12
AHLERS & COONEY PC, Service 2,500.00
AIRGAS, Oxygen 395.20
ALL AMER TERM PEST CONTROL, Pest control 490.00
ALLEGIANT TECHNOLOGY, Software 46.39
ALLIANT, Utilities 5,875.05
AMAZON CAPITAL SERVICES, Supplies 38.96
AMER SOC OF CIVIL, Membership 291.00
ARNOLD MOTOR SUPPLY, Supplies 20.99
ATT MOBILITY, Data 91.27
BAILEY OFFICE OUTFITTERS, Supplies 572.97
BAKER PAPER, Supplies 814.06
BEHNER FUNERAL HOME, Service 375.00
BONNIE LINS, Reimb 611.71
BRIGHTREE HOME HLTH & HOSPICE, Software 2,981.00
CANADIAN PACIFIC KANSAS CITY RAILWAY, Fees 5,000.00
CARA SORRELLS, Reimb 32.90
CARMAN DAVIS, Reimb 410.71
CENTRAL IOWA DETENTION, Service 1,490.00
CENTRAL IOWA DISTRIBUTING INC, Supplies 521.00
CHRISTOPHER SYPHERD, Reimb 179.99
CINTAS, Service 265.20
CITY OF KALONA, Utilities 67.47
CITY OF WASHINGTON, Utilities 1,570.68
CITY OF WEST CHESTER, Utilities 52.00
CJ COOPER, Service 50.00
CJS OIL CO, Fuel 391.46
CLAIM MD, Software 100.00
CONSUMERS COOPERATIVE, Fuel 621.42
CONTINUOUS TOUCH, Service 382.58
CONTROL SOLUTIONS INC, Service 91.00
COPY SYSTEMS INC, Contract 92.10
CRITICAL HIRE, Service 150.00
CROELL REDI-MIX, Patch 2,583.00
CULLIGAN WATER COND, Water 649.04
DAN HAYES, Reimb 321.00
DAVID BRUNS, Reimb 400.00
DELTA DENTAL OF IOWA, Claims 1,326.93
DIANE WALDSCHMIDT, Reimb 207.03
DOUDS STONE LLC, Gravel 463.52
EASTERN IA LIGHT & POWER, Utilities 1,168.16
EQUATEK INTERACTIVE, Service 58.75
ESO SOLUTIONS, Service 2,658.75
FULTON STEEL ERECTORS, Service 90,848.74
GALLAGHER BENEFIT SERVICES INC, Service 2,533.00
GORDON FLESCH COMPANY, Copier 1,147.69
HCC LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, Premium 2,891.88
HEALTHCARE FIRST, Survey 105.18
HEAVEN’S BEST CARPET CLEANING, Cleaning 881.93
HIWAY SERV CTR, Parts 211.41
IA CONCRETE PAVING ASSN, Regist 705.00
IA POLICE CHIEF’S ASSN, Dues 125.00
IA ST ASSN OF CO, Regist 225.00
IA ST ASSN OF CO SUPERVISORS, Regist 200.00
IA ST SHERIFF &, Dues 1,025.00
IMPRESSIONS COMPUTERS, Maint 180.00
IMWCA, Premium 7,636.00
INST OF IA CERTIFIED ASSESSORS, Regist 710.00
INTERNATL ASSN ASSESSING OFFIC, Dues 410.00
IRENE MCDOWELL, Reimb 308.20
JACKIE BROWN, Reimb 387.26
JEFFREY BELL, Reimb 18.01
JOAN SIEREN, Fees 651.60
KALONA CO-OP TELE, Service 2,256.41
KALONA GRAPHICS, Supplies 486.00
KALONA VET CLINIC, Vet 342.90
KARLAS KLEANING, Cleaning 270.00
KATHRYN CRUMLY, Reimb 576.10
LANDS END CORP, Uniform 476.77
LEETS REFRIGERATION, Repair 293.47
LINDE GAS & EQMT, Supplies 121.40
LINN CO SHERIFF, Service 50.20
LOGAN HESSER, Reimb 164.70
MAIL SERVICES, Postage 1,379.51
MATT PARROTT, Forms 283.49
MCMASTER CARR SUPPL, Supplies 619.49
MENARDS-IC, Supplies 43.35
MIDWEST FRAME & AXLE, Service 91.08
MIDWEST WHEEL, Parts 525.90
MP CLOUD TECHNOLOGIES, Software 599.00
MYA TALBERT, Reimb 234.59
ONE SOURCE, Service 44.00
PAUL TOWNER, Fees 856.50
PAYGROUND INC, Fees 57.80
PETTY CASH, Reimb 131.67
QUADIENT FINANCE USA, Postage 1,100.00
QUILL CORP, Supplies 219.49
RACHEL SWAFFER, Reimb 80.68
RENDEE CAMPBELL, Reimb 26.49
RESERVE ACCOUNT, Postage 208.97
RJ THOMAS MFG, Benches 6,535.00
RONDA STAUFFER SOBASKI, Cleaning 150.00
SCHUMACHER ELEVATOR, Maint 267.06
SEMCO, Haul 2,862.45
SENTINEL K9, Regist 2,800.00
SHANE BARNES, Reimb 162.17
SHANE MCCHURCH, Reimb 17.00
SHELBY HILL, Reimb 144.72
SHOTTENKIRK - WEST BURLINGTON, Parts 188.74
SIDWELL COMPANY, Maint 8,331.30
SNYDER & HOLLENBAUGH FUNERAL, Service 1,675.00
STEWART & SONS LTD, Fuel 32.00
STREICHERS, Patches 24.00
TAMERA STEWART, Reimb 54.98
TEAMVIEWER GERMANY GMBH, Software 1,334.26
THE NEWS, Publications 31.99
TRENT GREINER LOGGING LLC, Service 1,000.00
TRUCK COUNTRY, Parts 218.84
U I HLTHCARE, Service 135.00
UNIFIDE CST SCALE SYSTEMS, Service 315.00
US CELLULAR, Cell phone 3,362.99
US POST OFFICE, Rent 266.00
US POSTAL SERV, Postage 2,362.47
USIC LOCATING SERVICE LLC, Service 400.00
VIRGINIA MILLER, Reimb 184.92
VISA, Supplies 433.78
VISA WASH STATE BANK, Supplies 3,384.77
WALMART CARD, Supplies 16.97
WAPELLO RURAL WATER ASSOC, Service 66.50
WASH AUTO CENTER, Repair 844.07
WASH CO SECONDARY, Reimb 4,677.32
WASH LUMBER & HOME CENTER, Supplies 761.98
WASH RENTAL, Supplies 12.75
WASHINGTON DISCOUNT TIRES, Tires 9,468.78
WELLMAN CO-OP TELEPHONE ASSN, Phone 270.92
WELLMARK/WAGEWORKS, Claims 37,372.91
WEMIGA WASTE INC, Haul 597.50
WEX BANK, Fuel 109.54
WINDSTREAM, Phone 1,062.04
WMPF, Publications 114.29
ZIP’S, Uniform 498.90
Published in The News, Thursday, January 9, 2025 L-446
