The Cherokee County Board of Supervisors met in special session on Thursday, February 17, 2026 with Bryan Petersen, Dave Skou, Ray Mullins II and Shane Bellefy were present. Cheryl Ellis was unable to be in attendance. There were no representatives from the press. Tony Puffett, Kellen Ludvigson, Justin Pritts, Derek Scott, Kenny Schlenger, Laura Jones, Joel Ehrig, Ashley Keene, Karin Cedar, Stu Hogg and Sam Boothby were also in attendance. Unless otherwise indicated, all votes were offered as follows: Ayes – Mullins, Bellefy, Skou, Petersen; Nayes – none; Abstentions – none.
Chairman Petersen called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Motion by Mullins, seconded by Skou to approve the agenda. Motion carried.
Motion by Skou, seconded by Bellefy to approve the minutes of the previous meeting. Motion carried.
There were no comments from the public.
Motion by Skou, seconded by Bellefy to approve an underground construction permit in County Right-Of-Way for Triad Associates (T-Mobile) in Section 25 of Cherokee Township. Motion carried.
Motion by Skou, seconded by Bellefy to approve a lateral change of position for Josh Douglas, moving from General Foreman with a $29.08 per hour wage to Operator with a $28.04 per hour wage, effective February 17, 2026. Motion carried.
Motion by Mullins, seconded by Bellefy to approve a separation of employment and $7,699.97 final payout of hours worked, vacation, comp, longevity hours for Beau Menke, Secondary Roads Operator, effective February 11, 2026. Motion carried.
Barb Randall and Samantha Gudenkauf, Assured Partners, presented information about health insurance and benefit options available to Cherokee County through Iowa State Association of Counties (ISAC). A Question-and-Answer format was available to county department managers in attendance. No action was taken.
The supervisors provided committee reports and discussed meeting schedules.
There being no further business, Chairman Petersen called for a motion to adjourn the meeting.
Motion by Bellefy, seconded by Skou to adjourn the meeting at 11:04 a. m. Motion carried.
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 March 5, 2026