The Dallas County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Tuesday.
During open forum, Terry Nielson with Raccoon Valley Bank addressed the Board in regards to a payroll processing error that recently occurred. He said the vendor they work with had a glitch in the system which resulted in a delay of payroll checks for County employees. He said he worked with County Auditor Gene Krumm and staff worked extra hours to alleviate the issue, which he expects to be a one-time occurrence due to an upgrade in the vendor’s system. He said the County was not the only entity affected by the issue. Board Chairman Brad Golightly thanked Nielson for the work he and his staff did to help employees who needed immediate access to their checks. Krumm said the bank was quick to step up and work with his crew to get the problem solved and work extra hours on a Saturday to address it.
The Board then approved payroll change notices for the auditor’s office, roads department, emergency medical services department, assessor’s office and public health department. Human resources policies were also approved as presented in regards to compensation and hiring policies.
A service contract with Finestead Enterprises for inspections was then approved for the 2016 fiscal year.
Next a temporary road closure was approved for the 18000 block of Wendover Avenue. Engineer Jim George says this is due to drainage issues. A contractor will be putting drainage pipes in to help alleviate the issue and move the extra water away from the homes in the area and toward the wetland. George says the project should take around one week to complete.
An adopt a roadway application was then approved in memory of Jameson Dorrian. Kim Woodley submitted the application for the 25000 block of R30 where family and friends of her deceased infant grandson will pick up trash and add native wildflowers as a memorial.
The first of three public hearings was then held in regards to a software upgrade plan for the jail. Jail administrator Doug Lande says they plan to convert and upgrade cameras from the former County home, which is being renovated into the human services campus. The cost is $9,736 to CEC for purchase of the equipment. The Supervisors approved the plan as presented.
Patrol car computer replacements for the Sheriff’s office were then discussed. Information Technology Director Todd Noah says this is for 17 laptops in the department through the kitkat program. He said the computers were due to be replaced a few years ago but the equipment held on, so they kept moving dollars forward but are now at a point where they need to be replaced because things like hard drives and touch screens are going out. Noah says there are currently funds in the technology budget to cover the replacement cost. Supervisor Mark Hanson asked if all the computers needed to be replaced at one time? Noah said it’s easier to get them all done at the same time and the old computers will either be utilized in other capacities or donated as some have been in the past. The Board approved the low bid from KEL TEK in the amount of $68,000, which includes warranty and protection plans.
An inmate meals provider contract was then approved. Lande says this new agreement gives the County the ability to terminate the contract at any time, with a 30 day notice. Health Care Services will provide the meals at a price of $5.85 per meal, an increase from $4.97 over the last fiscal year. All inmates will be provided with three meals daily for a minimum of 2,800 calories.
The second public hearing of the day was in regards to a jail service agreement with CEC. This comes with a three year maintenance contract. The cost of the contract is tiered, and increases each year with year three’s cost at $18,903. Following the hearing, the Board approved the agreement as presented.
The final public hearing was in regards to a courthouse service agreement with CEC. This is another three year contract with year one coming at a cost of $3,225, year two $3,322 and year three at $3,422. The Supervisors approved the agreement as presented.
Next the Board heard from LMC Insurance in regards to property and casualty protection. Brian Hughes with LMC says he has been working with Operations Administrator Connie Kinnard for the past year. He feels that LMC can better serve the County than their current agency can. Hughes says he feels the County would get more coverage and service with their company than they are currently. No formal action was taken on the issue, though Human Resources Director Erin Freeman will be speaking with Kinnard to explore possible options.
Robert Findlay was then appointed to the Dallas Center Library Board.
Three change orders for the human services campus renovation project were then approved. One is for an additional $507 to repaint walls on the second floor, though that was later deducted in another change order. The final one of the day is for the deduction of $5,321 for a change in the wall layout, leave in the existing frame for a door and exchange a light fixture.
Finally, the Board again discussed a fence installation order for property in Adams Township. This is a follow up to the conversation the Supervisors began during their regular meeting Thursday, where concerns have been raised over a resident’s cows trespassing on neighbor’s property. The Board will reach out to contractors to see who would be able to erect the fence and for how much. Along with contacting Finestead enterprises to see if they are able to help inspect the property to see where fence is needed.