Government : Benton County Board of Supervisor Minutes 5/6/14

May 6, 2014

The Benton County Board of Supervisors met in regular session with Supervisors Frese, Hertle and Wiley present. The meeting was called to order at 9:00 a.m.

Moved by Hertle, seconded by Wiley, to approve the minutes of April 29, 2014 after a few modifications. All members voting aye thereon. Motion carried.

Moved by Wiley, seconded by Hertle, to award quote for the courthouse lawn to O’Grady Lawn & Landscape Specialties. O’Grady was the only bid received in the amount of $603.73. All members voting aye thereon. Motion carried.

Moved by Wiley, 2nd by Hertle to authorize the Chair to sign the Plan Document and Summary Plan for the Partial Self-Funded Health Plan. All members voting aye, Motion carried.

Kasey Keeling, Kirkwood Community College and Mary Lou Erlacher, Representatives of the Workplace Learning Connection along with other representatives of the community met with the Board to give them an update of their most recent event held on February 12, 2014 in Benton County. The event was held at the Van Horne Community Center in Van Horne. The purpose of this event was to bring educators, employers, high school students and other local resources together to discuss the challenges and needs to identify the skills needed to be successful in the workplace. Another goal was to build awareness of existing programs already in place and also ways to improve a learning environment for Benton County students. Keeling said the day was a success and the students were very well received.

Erlacher also provided an update on a recent conference attended in Kansas on the CAPS (Center for Advanced Professional Studies) Program. Todd Prusha, Kirkwood, stated that this was a very diverse group of educators and business people. He offered the use of their resources for Benton County to lean upon in the future for such things as re-designing the BDG Group. Supervisor Wiley asked what else that Benton County could do to stay supportive. Erlacher invited them to attend the 2015 Conference and said it would be very beneficial to one or all of them. Mary Jo Hainstock, Vinton –Shellsburg Superintendent, said it is a good thing to encourage rural communities to come together and support our community and all move up together. Keeling agreed that moving forward with the BDG Group is a good idea. Hertle added that the county helps fund the BDG Group. The entire group seemed very positive to move forward and feels that working together in Benton County will be greatly beneficial.

Carla Loverink from Iowa Works and Skilled Iowa Program met with the board to provide an overview of the services provided by their organization in Benton County, and how they have been communicating to businesses and trying to get their programs more utilized. This program has been in existence for approximately one year now. Loverink explained the NCRC (National Career Readiness Certificate) and how it validates the skill sets for a competitive workforce across a wide range of industries. It’s very similar to the ACT testing. The NCRC is available to individuals at no cost. To earn a certificate an individual must take the assessment test, and based on their scores, can earn one of four levels of certifications. Each level is aligned with specific jobs in the database. This will ensure that employers have applicants with the necessary skills and that the job seekers have demonstrated their qualifications before the initial interview. Loverink said the goal is to have the NCRC test utilized in high schools in the future as well. Wiley questioned if they worked with the Workplace Learning Center, and felt it would benefit Loverink to get in touch with the BDG Group. Loverink agreed to contact a BDG representative and asked to be on a future agenda in hopes that Benton County will be an official supporter for the program.

Moved by Wiley, seconded by Hertle, to approve a utility permit requested by Mid-American Energy to place utility lines in the county’s right-of-way in sections 13 and 24 of Fremont Township east of Atkins. All members voting aye thereon. Motion carried.

Moved by Hertle, seconded by Wiley, to approve the purchase agreement with Derek Vopelak for a temporary easement on a bridge project East of Garrison in Sections 27 and 28 of Jackson Township for $54.50 an acre. All members voting aye thereon. Motion carried.

Moved by Wiley, seconded by Hertle to adopt Resolution #14-28 Road Closure for Bridge Construction. Voting aye were Wiley, Hertle and Frese. Nays none. Motion carried.

Moved by Wiley, seconded by Frese, to approve the hire of Marvin Andrews as a part-time seasonal truck driver for secondary roads effective May 4, 2014 at a wage of $11.11 an hour. All members voting aye thereon. Motion carried.

The Engineer reported that the balance in the Landfill Account at Benton County State Bank as of April 30, 2014, was $65,861.45.

Moved by Hertle, seconded by Wiley, to adjourn. All members voting aye thereon. Motion carried.

_______________________________

Donald Frese, Chairman

ATTEST: _________________________________

Hayley Rippel, Deputy Auditor