The Greene County Board of Supervisors met Monday in regular session.
County Attorney Thomas Laehn addressed the Board during reports. He mentioned sending three criminals to prison, including Michael Eason, Justin Downs and Christopher Quirk, and two were from probation violations. Laehn attributes those successes to law enforcement and the oversight from the Iowa Department of Correctional Services and Boone and Greene County Probation.
The Board also had a brief discussion about a recent virtual roundtable meeting about how to make EMS an essential service within a county. Supervisor Pete Bardole and Greene County Ambulance Director Michelle Madsen attended. It was mentioned that if the Board wanted to make EMS an essential service, that department would be pulled out of the county’s general fund basic account and create their own taxing entity. No action was taken following the discussion.
Next, the Board approved a $5,000 Louis Dreyfus grant application for the Greene County Fair Association to expand the pens in the sheep and goat barn. This request was made due to the increased numbers of families participating in sheep and goat exhibits at the county fair. The Board also approved transferring $474,342 from tax increment financing special revenue fund to the debt service fund for payment on the career academy bond. Supervisor Ban Benitz brought up a concern about different spaces in the career academy not being used, such as machining. The Board directed County Auditor Billie Jo Hoskins to have the Career Academy Coordinator Teresa Green come in for an update.
The Board also approved a $6,000 grant application from DATAPILOT for a cellphone downloading system for the sheriff’s office. Greene County Sheriff Jack Williams explained it takes sometimes six months or longer for another agency or the state criminalistics laboratory to process a subject’s cell phone data from a search warrant. Laehn explained if a suspect wants a speedy trial, which a trial would need to happen in 90 days, waiting for six months is too long. Williams said with this program, it will allow them to process cellphone data in house for a faster turnaround.
Additionally, the Board approved an amendment to the Iowa Department of Transportation and the Secondary Roads Department five year construction program. County Engineer Wade Weiss said the new addition was adding less than two miles on County Road P-29 as part of the TIF funded road pavement replacement program. The Board also set May 28th at 9am as the public hearing date for the 2024 fiscal year budget amendment.
Finally, the Board held a discussion about a response letter to the Greene County Republican Party Central Committee. Hoskins said the central committee asked to have the ballot drop off box removed because of the potential that there could be abuse. Hoskins said since the law went into effect, her office has checked the drop off box our times per day, including weekends, record activity that can be reviewed with a security camera, it is a drive up options for individuals not and who have difficulty getting out of their vehicles, and she didn’t feel there was abuse happening. The Board was fine with Hoskins’ response to leave the ballot drop off box where it is located on the east side of the courthouse.