The Greene County Board of Supervisors met Monday in regular session.

During open forum, a number of people addressed the Board about a proposed letter of resolution asking the state legislature to review the master matrix for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). The letter that Board Chair John Muir presented was to petition the legislature to review the matrix and it called the matrix a failure several times including a failure to protect air, water and life to those that the Board represents.

During the discussion, the Supervisors were asked to go further and place a moratorium on CAFOs until the matrix was reviewed. The Board responded by saying they were not comfortable with making that request. Supervisor Peter Bardole wasn’t comfortable with the letter stating the number of times about the matrix failing. Muir thought that the current system wasn’t a complete failure in that it allows for public hearings. A concern was mentioned that if the matrix was opened for review, more regulations on the livestock industry may be a result. A letter from the Greene County Farm Bureau stated that if the Supervisors were to move forward with the resolution they weren’t supporting family farms, among other arguments. The Board tabled action on the resolution.

County Engineer Wade Weiss spoke to the Board about the County’s snow removal policy and rescue protocols. Following the discussion, Muir suggested reviewing the policy and rescue protocols, along with putting together a joint protocol with the secondary roads department and the sheriff’s office during emergency rescues.

Next, the Board appointed Barb Labate to the Veterans Affairs Commission. They also approved the tentative agreement with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Iowa Council 61 as presented with wage increases for the county sheriff’s deputies, jailers and dispatchers. The agreement for the deputies includes: a six-percent raise on July 1, 2019; a four-percent raise on January 1, 2020 and July 1, 2020; a three-percent raise on January 1, 2021 and a five-percent raise on July 1, 2021. For the jailers, there was a three-percent raise on July 1, 2019; 1.5-percent raise on January 1, 2020; and a 2.75-percent raise on July 1, 2020 and July 1, 2021. And for dispatchers, a three-percent raise on July 1, 2019; and a 2.75-percent raise on January 1, 2020 and July 1, 2020. Additionally, the Board approved hiring 11 full-time and part-time employees for the county-operated ambulance service as presented, and heard a juvenile court update with Juvenile Court Officer Emilea Lundberg.