The Cherokee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session on Tuesday, February 7, 2023 with Rick Mongan, Bryan Petersen, Duane Mummert, and Dave Skou present. Cheryl Ellis was absent. There were no representatives from the press. Gary Lundquist, Eric Krohn, Derek Scott, Justin Pritts, Kenny Schlenger, Sarah Tracy, Kelly Puhrmann, Stu Hogg and Casey Carpenter were also in attendance. Unless otherwise indicated, all votes were offered as follows: Ayes – Skou, Mummert, Petersen, Mongan; Nayes – none; Abstentions – none.
Chairman Mongan called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Motion by Skou, seconded by Petersen to approve the agenda. Motion carried.
Motion by Mummert, seconded by Skou to approve minutes of the previous two meetings. Motion carried.
Mongan asked for comments from the public. Eric Krohn, rural Cherokee resident, applauded Cherokee County for providing top notch services and positive experiences for both residents and visitors. However, Krohn has lost three mailboxes in the two years he has owned his acreage and an asphalt driveway was damaged. When contacted by Krohn, both city and county management denied having damaged his mailbox or driveway. Krohn stated that his property is important to him and it should be treated better, but if something does get damaged, there should be a willingness to accept responsibility from county or city management. The supervisors thanked Krohn for his comments.
Kenny Schlenger, Roads Superintendent, discussed equipment purchases.
Motion by Mummert, seconded by Skou to authorize Schlenger to purchase a 2009 bucket truck from Iowa Lakes Electric Cooperative for $27,500 and sell the county’s current bucket truck. Motion carried.
Sarah Tracy, County Engineer, discussed construction projects, staffing needs and activities in the Secondary Roads Department. Tracy asked for guidance about whether the county should replace the Diamond 105 bridge over the Maple River or close the bridge due to high construction costs. Consensus of the board was to move forward with replacing the bridge as currently designed.
Tracy discussed staffing needs and requested approval to hire up to four employees for the summer season. Consensus of the board was to authorize the engineer to advertise for up to four temporary seasonal general labor positions.
Ray Mullins and Brian Freed, Larrabee Fire Department, requested $40,000 of county funding for a Quick Attack Fire Truck to replace the current unit the department has been using for 23 years. Total project is expected to be $179,914. The Larrabee Fire Department has already paid $54,450 for the truck chasis and has an additional $40,000 set aside for truck modifications and equipment.
Motion by Mummert, seconded by Skou to approve a $40,000 contribution to the Larrabee Fire Department truck replacement project with a $5,000 payment from the Rural Betterment Fund in Fiscal Year 2022/2023; $15,000 in Fiscal Year 2023/2024 and $20,000 in Fiscal Year 2024/2025. Motion carried.
Rick Angell, Becky Bloom, and Kellen Ludvigson, Angell Insurance, presented Cherokee County’s annual health insurance renewal.
Motion by Petersen, seconded by Mummert to approve the July 1, 2023 renewal of Wellmark Plan PM134/RM126 ($4,000/$8,000 deductible; $8,000/$16,000 out of pocket maximum; $30 office visit co-pay; $25/$50/$100 with $225 specialty/$275 np specialty RX) including a 1.30% premium increase. Motion carried.
In an effort to reduce annual premium increases and to maintain affordable health benefits for employees; Cherokee County purchases a higher deductible health insurance plan and partially self-funds a buy down of deductibles to $1,000/$2,000 and out of pocket maximums of $2,000/$4,000. RX prescriptions are bought down to $15/$45/$75. Premium costs for fiscal year 2023/2024 will be: $974.69 per month for Single Policy ($100.00 employee/$874.69 employer) and $2,477.40 per month for Family Policy ($350.00 employee/$2,127.40 employer).
Employees hired prior to 1991 are provided family coverage for the cost of a single policy.
Kellen Ludvigson, Cherokee Aviation Authority, provided an informative presentation of current and future projects at the airport including improvements to the runway and lighting.
Stephanie Henrich, CAASA Executive Director, gave an update on changes in funding for domestic violence and sexual assault support services. Prevention programs will be a focus in K-12 schools. Henrich requested $5,000 for the 2023/2024 budget, which is the same amount as previous years.
Motion by Skou, seconded by Petersen to approve CAASA’s $5,000 funding request and to include it in the FY24 budget. Motion carried.
Navigator CO2 representatives, Matt Crandall, Senior Project Manager, and Vanessa Romero, EHS/Regulatory Director, provided an update on the Hartland Greenway pipeline project that is proposed to cross Cherokee County. Crandall addressed numerous questions and provided details related to safety precautions.
Motion by Mummert, seconded by Petersen to acknowledge carryover of 57.25 vacation hours for Justin Pritts, Emergency Management Coordinator, as previously approved by the Emergency Management Commission. Motion carried.
The supervisors reviewed projected ending cash balances and requested departmental expenditures for the 2023/2024 fiscal year. Final budget and property tax decisions were tabled due to pending legislation that will reduce the county’s taxable valuations.
The supervisors provided committee reports and reviewed meeting schedules.
There being no further business, Chairman Mongan called for a motion to adjourn the meeting.
Motion by Skou, seconded by Mummert to adjourn the meeting at 10:46 a.m. Motion carried.
All board agendas and minutes are available online at www.cherokeecountyiowa.gov
Attest: Kris Glienke, County Auditor
Rick Mongan, Chairman
Published in the Marcus News on February 23, 2023