Government : Benton County Supervisor Minutes - June 1, 2010

June 1, 2010

The Benton County Board of Supervisors met in regular adjourned session with Supervisors Sanders and Vermedahl present. Supervisors Buch was absent. Chairman Sanders called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m.

Moved by Vermedahl, seconded by Sanders, to approve the minutes of May 25, 2010, and May 27, 2010. Both members voting aye thereon. Motion carried.

Concerns were heard from the public regarding the right-of-way for the Oak Grove Road project. Ken Nemecek was concerned that the width of the right-of-way will affect their residence. The board advised that the engineer would have to ultimately answer the question, but they were not aware of any structures being affected by the right-of-way.

Moved by Vermedahl, seconded by Sanders, to acknowledge the filing of the annual manure management plans submitted as follows:

Rick Pickering at the facility located 1530 69th Street, Keystone, Iowa.

J & R Pigs LLC at the facility located at 1840 69th Street, Keystone, Iowa

Both members voting aye thereon. Motion carried.

Moved by Vermedahl, seconded by Sanders, to enter into an amendment to the lease agreement between Benton County and ICAS for office space for veterans' affairs. The amendment provides for rental office space from July 1, 2010 through December 31, 2010, and provides for a 6-month extension. The rental rate remains the same as the current agreement. Both members voting aye thereon. Motion carried.

Moved by Vermedahl, seconded by Sanders, to acknowledge the resignations of Robert Urbain and Dick Gaffield, from the Benton County Conservation. The resignations are according to Will Heber, Conservation Director, however no written documentation has been received. Both members voting aye thereon. Motion carried.

Jerry Petermeier updated the board on the progress on the law enforcement center. Petermeier reported that things are moving along at a good pace. Petermeier also stated that he spoke with the contractor about the disposition of the dirt and that it can only be “given away” unless it is held until the end of the project at which time it could be sold and the appropriate steps taken with FEMA.

Moved by Vermedahl, seconded by Sanders, to adopt Resolution #10-39, ABATEMENT OF TAX. Voting aye were Sanders and Vermedahl. Nays none. Motion carried.

The board discussed an early retirement program for non-bargaining, elected officials, and deputies. The issue had been discussed the previously with the intention to save county dollars. The auditor presented a proposal that reflected the various concerns heard over the past meetings. The auditor’s proposal included that employees must be a minimum of 58 years old with 25 years of full-time employment or age 60 with a minimum of 20 years full-time employment and provided a set monthly amount for insurance and ended when the employee became Medicare eligible. The plan prohibited re-employment with Benton County for participants in the plan. The county attorney presented his thoughts regarding changes to the plan. The county attorney presented a proposal, which was a one-time incentive plan and would require employees to elect to participate within 45 days. The county attorney’s revisions included allowing people to participate in the incentive and return to work for the county on a part-time basis. The county attorney stated that it was essential that the elected officials agree to hire all replacement employees at a lesser wage for a specified period of time to insure savings. The county attorney however then stated that it was within the authority of the elected official to terminate their participation in the agreement at anytime. The board deferred action pending review of the attorney’s recommendations.

Will Heber reported that the conservation board has agreed to loan money from the Donovan Trust fund to the county for the purchase and remodeling of a Benton County Nature Center. The loan would be in the amount of $330,000 at 2.5% interest payable over a period of 8 years, with annual installments of $45,555.24. The annual payments will be made from local option sales tax revenue and fundraising. Fundraising proceeds could be deposited into conservation’s land acquisition account if that is the specific purpose of the donation. An annual payment would be made in June of each year. Discussion included making monthly installments as well, the closing date, possession date, and budget considerations. The auditor advised that she would need written documentation from the trustee of the Donovan Trust approving the loan. The county attorney advised that he would take care of the necessary loan agreements and related paperwork.

Moved by Vermedahl, seconded by Sanders, to approve a utility permit requested by South Slope Cooperative Telephone to place utility lines in the county’s right-of-way in Florence Township along 77th Street and 33rd Avenue. Both members voting aye thereon. Motion carried.

The engineer also discussed placing temporary restrictions at the landfill. The engineer stated that there is approximately six weeks of space left in the landfill until the new cell is open. The engineer stated that he is aware of several demolition projects being undertaken by the City of Vinton and that he has requested that they dispose of the material in Linn County due to space constraints.

The engineer spoke about the Living Roadway Trust Fund grant applications he prepared for native seed for county road ditches and related equipment. The engineer stated that a hydro-seeder would be beneficial as well as personal fire gear for ditch burning. Moved by Vermedahl, seconded by Sanders, to authorize the chair to sign three grant applications for seed, hydro-seeder, and fire equipment. Both members voting aye thereon. Motion carried.

Gary Wandling met with the Board to discuss the Benton/Iowa road and the dust control issues. Wandling stated that he used to have dust control but Benton County has exchanged maintenance for that road with Iowa County. Wandling requested that the road be hard bladed once a year so that he can have dust control applied. He engineer stated that he would have one of his employees hard blade the road.

Moved by Buch, seconded by Sanders, to adjourn. All members voting aye thereon. Motion carried.

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Jason Sanders, Chairman

ATTEST: ___________________________________

Jill Marlow, Benton County Auditor