CHARLES CITY – The following are the expenses paid by Floyd county and Board of Supervisor meeting minutes for the period ending on October 23, 2023:
SUPERVIORS CURRENTLY SERVING:
Mark Kuhn
County Supervisor, District 1
Dennis Keifer
County Supervisor, District 2
Jim Jorgensen
County Supervisor District 3
Floyd County Board of Supervisors Meeting
October 23, 2023, 9:00 a.m.
The Floyd County Board of Supervisors met in the Board Room of the Floyd County Courthouse with the following in attendance: Supv Mark Kuhn, Supv Dennis Keifer, and Supv Jim Jorgensen.
Jorgensen/Keifer moved to approve the agenda as presented. Motion carried 3-0.
Public comment: County Recorder Amy Assink read a thank you from the Charles City Mobile Food Pantry for the county’s support of employees helping with events at the Floyd County Fairgrounds.
Keifer/Jorgensen moved to approve the October 16, 2023 minutes. Motion carried 3-0.
The Board continued discussion from last week’s meeting regarding a $30.08 charge to HyVee made on County Attorney Todd Prichard’s VISA card for water and snacks that included $0.35 in sales tax. Prichard informed Auditor Carr and Supv Kuhn that the items are placed in a meeting room for witnesses waiting for trial and for children in the office to help make them feel more at ease. Prichard reimbursed the $30.08 after reviewing the county’s Public Purpose Policy, hearing prior remarks from audit reports and the state auditor’s office regarding whether these types of purchases serve a public purpose to Floyd County citizens and does not intend to have the county pay for these types of items in the future. Board consensus was to review the credit card policy and possibly consider setting a limit on purchases with sales tax. Keifer/Jorgensen moved to issue a second warning to Todd Prichard, County Attorney, regarding misuse of the credit card policy for sales tax. Brandi Schmitt, County Assessor, commented on the fairness of the Board’s treatment of Prichard’s charge as appropriate in comparison to Recorder Amy Assink’s misuse of credit card warning last week for allowing staff to use her card as a violation of the handbook. With no other comments, the motion carried 3-0.
Jorgensen/Keifer moved to approve the claims presented: County #824-887, Engineer/Secondary Roads #10230-10238 and Drains 15396. Motion carried 3-0.
Updates on various boards/commissions/activities: Keifer attended Veterans Affairs, Chamber of Commerce and North Cedar Aviation Authority meetings. Supv Kuhn attended SW Bypass Board and County Social Services Human Resources Committee meetings. Updates on pipeline projects include: 1) Heartland Greenway/Navigator’s decision to cancel the Navigator pipeline project; 2) Summit has delayed their project for two years but is continuing hearings in Iowa; 3) Navigator’s easements are assignable; it is possible that Summit may seek Vallero in their project.
Updates on Law Enforcement Center/Courthouse Project: Carr provided an update on plans with the city of Charles City for the sidewalk project, issues with the fire alarm shutting down the HVAC system, ordering furniture for the atrium, and still not having a bollard. The Board reviewed two options for caping intake vents from Mills, Inc for $850 and Mechanical Air for $775; differences in the bids were discussed including Mechanical Air’s bid for capping off the water heater which shouldn’t be part of the project. Jorgensen/Kuhn moved to accept the bid for Mills, Inc. for $850 to modify the boiler vents to utilize air from the mechanical penthouse as a source of combustion air. Motion carried 2-0 with Supv Keifer abstaining.
Keifer/Jorgensen moved to approve Res# 38-23* Sale of Real Estate – Rockford Parcel – Revised Legal Description: On May 8, 2023, the Board approved Res #19-23 Sale of Real Estate – Rockford Parcel to complete a real estate transfer to convey to Jerome H. and Karen A. Schlader a parcel of land in the Town of Rockford; the terms of the resolution including securing an Abstract of Title, preparation of a Quit Claim Deed recorded as Document 2023-1862 on October 4 in the Recorder’s Office, and closing of the property with payment made in full were all met; the legal description used in the above mentioned Quit Claim Deed was a lengthy description from a Town Lot Deed Record of Easement, Book 50, Pages 612-613; a Corrective Quit Claim Deed has been prepared to revise the legal description to better describe the conveyance of the property as intended; upon advice from the County Attorney, it is recommended to have the Board take new action to complete the real estate transfer with the revised legal description; therefore, be it resolved by the Board to complete the real estate transfer with a Corrective Quit Claim Deed to convey to Jerome H. and Karen A. Schlader the following real estate legally described as: That part of Lots Nine (9) and Ten (10), lying Northeasterly (NEly) of the right-of-way of unplatted Second Ave N.W. in Block Forty-nine (49), Rockford Company’s First Addition to the Town of Rockford, Iowa; be it further resolved to direct the Chair to execute the Corrective Quit Claim Deed as prepared for said property. Roll call vote: Ayes-Keifer, Jorgensen, Kuhn; motion carried 3-0.
Jorgensen/Keifer moved to pass Res #39-23* Zoning Change – Double Double U, LLC (2nd Reading): Nick Hopp, representing Double Double U, LLC, filed with the Zoning Commission documentation to support an application to rezone from AG to I-1, 1.25 acres of parcel #07-36-476-003-00, per survey recorded in Document #2023 1730 described as Parcel H in the SE ¼ SE ¼ of Section 36, Township 96N, Range 16W of the 5th PM of Floyd County, Iowa in St Charles Township; the Board held a public hearing and approved the first reading of the application to rezone said property on October 16 and set and held a second reading of the same on October 23; therefore, the Board, upon their second reading to rezone said property, the following actions were taken: approve the second reading of the application to rezone 1.25 acres known as Parcel H in SESE 36-96-16 from AG to I-1, waive the third reading of the application to rezone said property, approve the final reading and approve the application to rezone 1.25 acres, known as Parcel H in SESE 36-96-16 from AG to I-1. Roll call vote: Ayes-Jorgensen, Keifer, Kuhn; motion carried 3-0.
Sheriff Jeff Crooks, Deputy Travis Bartz and the Board discussed the purchase of three squad cars with upfits and a request, as discussed during the FY24 budget process, to pay for the vehicles with American Rescue Act Plan funds. Karl Chevrolet has three 2023 Chevrolet Tahoe’s on the lot and has offered a contract for payment upfront but the vehicles would stay on their lot until they could complete the upfit with light bars and equipment in January. The total cost of three Tahoe’s is $122,121 plus approximately $24,000 for upfit which is a reduced price due to being able to reuse some existing equipment. Deputy Bartz will check on insurance and warranty on the vehicles and Carr will check on appropriateness of paying for the vehicles without taking possession.
John Robbins, NIACOG Senior Planner, and the Board discussed NIACOG’s quote for services to amend the County Zoning Ordinance pertaining to large scale wind projects and battery storage. The proposal does not consider amending the ordinance for solar systems. The estimated timeline to complete the ordinance is six months. Discussion included parameters to involve the public listening sessions, new developers to have an opportunity to talk but a third disinterested company talk about the development processes in general, moratorium language, and an option for a development agreement. Isaac Lampa and Merlin Bartz, Invenergy representatives, stated a development agreement could supplement the existing ordinance, an agreement and moratorium could be done at the same time, and local people are interested in diversifying their finances with harvesting Iowa’s wind energy resource. Boyd Campbell suggested that it seems like a development agreement would circumvent the process. Kuhn expressed concerns with development agreements with the two wind energy companies pursuing Floyd County suggesting visiting with the county attorney about development agreements. The Board would like Robbins to provide costs to add solar energy updates to the ordinance and will consider how many and what types of meetings for the Zoning Commission and Board to hold.
The Board noted a pay increase for Kimberly McCoy, Dispatcher, from $23.36 per hour to $24.32 per hour effective October 15, 2023.
The Board noted a pay increase for Jacob Johnson, Assistant to Engineer, from $31.69 per hour to $32.32 effective on his one year anniversary.
Future agenda items: two drainage district projects, sheriff vehicles, canvass of election, NIACOG contract for ordinance work.
Jorgensen/Keifer moved to adjourn. Motion carried 3-0.
*This is a summary of the resolution; full text of resolutions may be inspected during normal business hours in the Floyd County Auditor’s office and at http://www.floydcoia.org.
ATTEST:
Gloria A. Carr Mark A. Kuhn, Chair
Floyd County Auditor’s Assistant Floyd County Board of Supervisors