The Cherokee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session on Tuesday, January 13, 2026 with Bryan Petersen, Cheryl Ellis, Dave Skou, Ray Mullins II and Shane Bellefy present. There were no representatives from the press. Tony Puffett, Maria Schueder, Kelly Puhrmann, Derek Scott, Tom Kohn, Nat Story, Jodi Mongan and Chuck Stubbe were also in attendance. Unless otherwise indicated, all votes were offered as follows: Ayes – Mullins, Ellis, Bellefy, Skou, Petersen; Nayes – none; Abstentions – one.
Chairman Petersen called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Motion by Skou, seconded by Ellis to approve the agenda. Motion carried.
Motion by Mullins, seconded by Bellefy to approve the minutes of the previous meeting. Motion carried.
Motion by Ellis, seconded by Skou to approve the claims for payment as presented. Motion carried. A complete listing is available for review in the County Auditor’s office.

Claims Approved January 13, 2026: 

AgState
Fuel 29,957.75
Alliant Energy
Serv 1,502.69
Alpha Wireless Comm Co.
Serv 240.00
Emily C Ankenman
Serv 72.00
APCO International
Serv 107.91
Arnold Motor Supply
Parts 241.99
Ascendance Trucks Midwest LLC
Parts 285.73
Auditor – State of Iowa State
Fees 625.00
Aurelia Lumber Co Inc.
Supp 124.26
Aurelia Municipal Utility
Serv 79.08
Benson Construction
Serv 2,000.00
Blaine’s Culligan
Supp 258.05
Boji Portable Toilets Inc
Serv 200.00
David Y Brown
Well Closure 80.25
Buena Vista County Sheriff
Fees 86.30
Calhoun Burns Associates, Inc
Serv 5,279.75
Carroll Construction Supply
Parts 18.54
Carroll County Sheriff
Fees 78.00
Central Bank
Supp 10,421.00
Central Iowa Distributing
Supp 196.00
Certified Testing Services Inc
Serv 270.00
Champion Electric
Serv 4,678.48
Cherokee Chronicle Times
Publ 639.20
Cherokee County Secondary Road
Fuel 1,986.32
Cherokee County Sheriff
Fees 108.80
Cherokee County Solid Waste
Approp 22,688.33
Cherokee County Treasurer
Wage Reimb 7,500.00
Cherokee Regional Medical Ctr
Contract 35,707.53
Cherokee Rural Water
Serv 283.65
Cherokee State Bank Flex/Merp
Flex/Self Fund 1,666.13
Cintas
Supp 47.80
City of Marcus
Serv 26.96
City of Meriden
Serv 35.00
City of Quimby
Serv 66.00
CML Telephone Coop Assn
Serv 1,581.96
Country Tire & Service, Inc
Serv 170.86
Crysteel Manufacturing, Inc
Snow Equip 131,256.00
Joel M Ehrig
Reimb 262.20
Elan Financial Services
Supp 3,424.74
Family Dental Center PC
Serv 618.00
Ed M Feld Equipment Company
Supp 249.00
Brian Flikeid
Serv 732.00
FORCE America Distributing,LLC
Parts 1,116.82
Greyling Fredericksen
Twp Mtg 20.00
Gordon Flesch Company
Serv 87.78
GovConnection, Inc
Supp 533.28
Heartland Tire Inc
Parts 828.00
Hopkins Insurance, Inc
Ins 4,412.00
Iowa’s Co Conservation System
Fee 91.00
Interstate Battery
Parts 669.96
Iowa County Recorders Assoc
Dues 250.00
Iowa Department of Revenue
Sales Tax 122.50
Iowa Water Well Association
Conf Reg 130.00
Iowa Workforce Development
Unemployment 172.78
JCL Solutions
Supp 154.93
J.J. Keller Associates Inc
Supp 580.59
Kari L Lundy
Mileage 30.50
Mail Services, LLC
Postage 603.53
Marco Technologies
Serv 486.84
Marcus News Inc
Publ 504.71
McDyer Tools LLC
Tools 1,110.00
Mid American Energy
Serv 2,970.98
Midwest Lubricants,LLC
Supp 412.50
Midwest Wheel Companies
Parts 771.32
Mills & Miller, Inc.
Salt 15,487.07
Treasurer State of Iowa Mines
Mining Fees 490.00
Modern Heating & Cooling, Inc
Serv 740.89
Motor Parts Sales
Parts 69.94
Murphy Tractor & Equipment Co
Parts 1,194.92
Kale Nelson
Twp Mtg 10.00
Northern Natural Gas Company
F Ave Relocate 217,726.09
Northside Tire
Tires and Serv 1,857.76
Nuvera
Serv 65.00
One Office Solution
Supp 35.88
RJ Thomas Mfg. Co. Inc. Pilot
Supp 384.00
Point C Self Fund
Admin Fees 671.25
Point C Health COE
Caf Admin Fees 75.00
Prestox
Serv 104.86
Record Management Systems Inc
Serv 106.47
Roger Redig
Twp Mtg 20.00
Rees Mack Sales & Service
Parts 438.58
Road Machinery & Supplies
Supp 1,387.11
Sanitary Services Inc
Serv 563.00
Schmillen Construction Inc
Serv 12,465.00
Justin Schulenberg
Twp Mtg 10.00
SHI International Corp
Supp 89.66
Sidwell Company
Serv 5,937.05
SIMPCO
HazMat Pmt 6,529.00
Sioux Valley Family
Serv 365.00
State of Iowa Medical Examiner
Serv 4,741.00
Barb Steward
Serv 300.00
Nathanial A Story
Mileage 56.20
T Mobile
Serv 127.50
TCY Machine Inc
Parts 45.90
Thompson Propane & Supplies
Supp 7,023.08
Thomson Reuters-West
Fees 1,600.70
Transit Works
Survey Equip 886.38
Truck Center Companies East
Parts 173.84
Veenstra & Kimm Inc
Serv 521.50
Verizon Wireless
Serv 1,249.63
Vestis
Uniforms 130.20
Visual Edge IT Inc
Serv 321.47
Webster County Sheriff
Fees 36.00
Wenck Storage
Rental 489.60
WesTel Systems
Serv 84.95
WHKS & Co
Consulting 17,433.11
Woodbury County Sheriff
Fees 45.00
Ziegler Inc
Road Grader 468,489.35
360 Custom Designs
Clothing 204.01
Grand Total 1,052,696.23

There were no comments from the public.  

Tom Kohn, Veteran Affairs Director, provided a detailed summary of his activities during the 2025 year.
Derek Scott, County Sheriff, presented a revenue report, wage authorizations and an exception to the personnel policy for consideration.
Motion by Skou, seconded by Bellefy to approve Mary Roth, Dispatcher, to carryover 29 hours of vacation time past her employment anniversary due to staffing shortages in the Sheriff’s Department. Motion carried.
Motion by Skou, seconded by Mullins to approve the County Sheriff’s $37,497.61 December 31, 2025 Quarterly Revenue Report with $22,284.46 retained by the county. Motion carried.
Motion by Skou, seconded by Ellis to approve a $30.00 per hour wage authorization for Brent Koppie, Part-Time Deputy, effective January 13, 2026. Motion carried.
Motion by Skou, seconded by Ellis to approve a $30.00 per hour wage authorization for Nathan Silfies, Part-Time Deputy, effective January 13, 2026. Motion carried.
Kelly Puhrmann, County Engineer, presented construction documents for consideration.
Motion by Ellis, seconded by Mullins to approve a Right-Of-Way Purchase Agreement with Sandra Stowater for maintenance work previously completed on Old 21. Motion carried.
Motion by Skou, seconded by Ellis to approve a Right-Of-Way Purchase Agreement with Kiel and Kirby Stephens for maintenance work previously completed on Old 21. Motion carried.
Puhrmann provided an update on activities in the Secondary Roads Department.
Jodi Mongan, County Treasurer, presented a revenue report for consideration.
Motion by Ellis, seconded by Mullins to accept the Treasurer’s December 31, 2025 Semi-Annual Cash Settlement Report as presented. Motion carried. The County’s December 30, 2025 total cash on hand was $13,559,038.92 which includes a $5,992,011.93 balance in the Secondary Roads Fund.
Mongan reviewed the county’s investment policy, named financial depositories and a resolution for alternative investment options.
Supervisor Bellefy excused himself from the meeting at 9:30 a.m.
Motion by Mullins, seconded by Ellis to approve Iowa Public Agency Investment Trust (IPAIT) Resolution #2026-03. Roll call vote: Mullins-aye, Ellis-aye, Skou-aye, Petersen-aye. Motion carried and resolution was adopted.
Motion by Skou, seconded by Ellis to approve the Cherokee County Investment Policy with changes as recommended by the County Treasurer. Motion carried.
Motion by Ellis, seconded by Skou to acknowledge a separation of employment and $7,936.35 final payout of hours worked, vacation, comp and holiday hours for Jason Galeano, Deputy Sheriff, effective January 7, 2026. Motion carried.
Motion by Ellis, seconded by Skou to acknowledge a $22.75 ($1.25 per hour increase) step wage adjustment for Ashley Keene, Assessor’s Appraiser/Clerk, effective January 14, 2026; as previously approved by the Assessor’s Conference Board. Motion carried.
The supervisors provided committee reports and discussed meeting schedules.
Chairman Petersen recessed the meeting at 9:40 a.m.
The meeting resumed at 10:00 a.m. with continued review of the 2026/2027 budget. Supervisor Bellefy rejoined the meeting at 10:30 a.m. The supervisors tentatively set line-item amounts in budgets under their authority including 51-General Services and 99-Non-Departmental.
There being no further business, Chairman Petersen called for a motion to adjourn the meeting.
Motion by Bellefy, seconded by Mullins to adjourn the meeting at 11:49 a.m.
All board agendas and minutes are available online at cherokeecounty.iowa.gov .
Attest: Kris Glienke, County Auditor
Bryan Petersen, Chairman
Published in the Marcus News on January 29, 2026