Ryan Ericson

The meeting agenda included citizen concerns and approval of the agenda. A consent agenda covered routine action items such as the approval of previous minutes (excluding the current meeting's minutes), claims, the appointment of Eric Beebe to the Hornet City Council, personnel transactions, and approval of an underground utility permit for Lumen construction. Key discussions focused on awarding a professional services agreement to Impact 7G for assessing the old Prairie Hills County Home building for regulatory materials. The Board also approved the 2021 annual report of the County Weed Commissioner. Further discussions addressed the approval of pipeline inspection work to be conducted by DGR Engineering regarding Summit Carbon's planned pipeline, and the establishment of a Level B road system for Woodbury County. Approvals were granted for certificates of completion for two construction projects (LB-278 with Dixon Construction and C274 with Prom Construction), a contract for gravel purchase from Bedrock Gravel, and the approval for a new training building at Prairie Hills using MURD grant funds, requiring initial local funding before reimbursement. Committee reports highlighted ongoing discussions about the new SIMPCO building, which is experiencing cost overruns, potentially requiring a low-interest loan from the county as a conduit for SIMPCO.

Discussions commenced with citizen concerns, specifically regarding the annual medical provider pool money from ACH, noting a reduction this year due to start-up costs for a new Iowa medical information sharing pilot program. Agenda items covered under the consent agenda included approval of minutes from the April 6, 2021 meeting, approval of claims, board administration actions such as approving a farm cash rent lease and a notice of property sale resolution for a Myrtle Street parcel, and resolutions adopting and levying special assessments for several intercounty drainage districts. Human Resources items addressed personnel transactions, hiring process initiation, and approval of a tentative agreement with the Communication Workers of America. Board administration also addressed lifting tax suspensions for certain petitioners. Later agenda items included a public hearing and sale of a property parcel on Polk Street, which was awarded. Further discussion involved the approval of the Weed Destruction Order Resolution for 2021. The Board also reviewed the secondary road budget submission for 2022 and the five-year construction program, noting budget constraints due to increased construction costs and ongoing bridge repair projects. Finally, a public hearing was held to receive and submit proposals for services to the county commissioner of elections, with proposals received from three companies: no inc, 10x, and Precinct Atlas Consortium.

The meeting commenced with a moment of silence following citizen concerns, followed by the approval of the agenda. The consent agenda, which passed unanimously, covered the approval of previous minutes, claims, a resolution for tax suspension, the County Recorder's report of fees collected, the appointment of Randy L. Crawford as Woodchip Township Trustee, and a memorandum of personnel transactions. Key discussion items included setting a public hearing date for the second amendment to the lease agreement for a StarComm tower located at 20290 Platt Road. The board also approved the contract for propane for county buildings with Central Valley Egg Co-op, noting it was the lowest bid from the previous week. Furthermore, significant discussion was held regarding a successful grant application for the competitive highway bridge program, which secured approximately $33 million to fund the replacement of two bridges: one on Mobile Blacktop south of Highway 20 and another on County Road L 36 south of Correctionville. The funding structure, utilizing swapped federal and state dollars, means the replacements will be 100% grant-paid. Committee reports were given, and a discussion regarding logistics for an upcoming board picnic took place.

The meeting addressed several agenda items, including the unanimous approval of the agenda and a consent agenda covering the approval of prior minutes (from May 26th), claims, human resources matters (personnel transactions, hiring process authorization, and a position request), and a utility permit for fiber optic installation. Key actions involved approving the 2020-2021 food service contract with Summit Managed Food Service, despite prior issues with contract timeliness and reimbursements, which the director stated were resolved. Further discussion centered on a required 2080 agreement for the Developmental Services of 28th Street project related to the new Justice Center, involving obligations for the city and county. The board also held public hearings and took action on two separate General Obligation Capital Loan Notes, one for a not-to-exceed $195,000 issuance and another for a not-to-exceed $705,000 issuance for special purposes. Secondary roads presented an award for a new wheel loader, recommending a John Deere model based on meeting specifications, and bids were received for replacing an existing bridge with a twin box culvert. Finally, the board reviewed a proposal for engineering and architectural services for the courthouse chiller replacement, recommending replacement with two smaller, more efficient chillers to build redundancy.

The meeting covered numerous items, beginning with the approval of the agenda and consent agenda items, which included approvals for minutes, claims, personnel transactions, authorizing hiring processes, appointing the Woodbury County finance budget director as the representative for the opioid settlement, approving a tax refund, updating financial depositories, and approving a liquor license for an golf course. Key discussions included the approval of a zoning commission recommendation to finalize the Barker Addition minor subdivision, contingent upon a pavement agreement, and the approval of a resolution for the Sue Jerseys LLC confinement feeding operation regarding an anaerobic digester system. The session also addressed the sale of two properties (1311 Grandview Boulevard and 210 and a half Main Street) following public hearings and subsequent bids. Further deliberations covered the approval of the Salix Farms LLC confinement feeding operation application. The Planning and Zoning section involved a public hearing and adoption of a zoning ordinance map amendment regarding the rezoning of 13.26 Acres from agricultural preservation to agricultural estates to accommodate increased density. The board also accepted a petition and bond for the establishment of a new drainage District within the county and discussed the appointment of external counsel for this matter. The agenda concluded with the approval of the fiscal year 2024 County Parking plan and action on a project agreement for the Southbridge Interchange project, which involves design and administration responsibilities shared between the County and the Department of Transportation (DOT).