The Dallas County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Tuesday.
At the meeting, the Board congratulated Andy Case with the secondary roads department for passing Professional Engineering Exam, making him a licensed professional engineer. The Supervisors thanked Case for his continued service in the department and said this is a great accomplishment.
Payroll change notices for the Global Information Systems department, auditor’s office, finance and operations department, sheriff’s office and emergency medical services.
The Board then reviewed a health plan renewal. Representatives with Holmes Murphy and Associates presented information on the changes in the County’s plan. Following the review the Supervisors expressed a preference in the two presented options, though they asked Holmes Murphy and the human services director to put paperwork together and formal action will be taken at a future meeting.
The County’s jail inspection was then reviewed. It states that the older facility does not meet the needs of the prisoners, staff or the public. Specific issues mentioned included the lack of adequate space, plumbing problems and issues with electrical pipes. Sheriff Chad Leonard says it was an “outstanding” jail report and his staff does a great job with what they have to work with. Major improvements that have been made and were noted in the report include contracting for medial services, increasing daily calorie intake for inmates, implementing the Iowa Prescription Drug Program, painting cellblocks and utilizing video conferencing for initial court arraignments.
The Board then reviewed a proposed agreement with The Samuels Group for pre-referendum services for a new law enforcement center. Samuels was able to help Clinton County with a similar project in the past. The group would be responsible for several aspects of the project including the planning and evaluation of the proposed new facility, working with architects and the County for engineering, budget estimates and presentation, along with marketing and social media services. If the referendum passes, Samuels Group would then be the construction manager for the project. The cost of the agreement is $15,000 for the budget estimate and presentation, along with additional estimating time billed at $90 per hour, and marketing and social media services billed at $65 per hour. No formal action was taken, though the Supervisors did express interest in moving forward in the near future.
Business property tax credits applications were then approved as presented. The Supervisors also reviewed a window cleaning contract with Nationwide Office Care at a “significant” discount compared to the contract the County had with FBG Services Corporation. The County was paying FBG almost $2,700 for window cleaning of the courthouse alone, while Nationwide’s proposal costs around $2,800 for all windows in the county owned buildings. The Supervisors want more specific language in the agreement and will likely take action on the item at a future meeting.
Next the Board heard an update from MODUS Engineering on proposed plans for the 902 Court Street building. They took a look at the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system and the roof to see what improvements need to be made but also recommended a thermo image test to locate insulation problems.