The Dallas County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Tuesday.
At the meeting, the Board again discussed a fencing issue in Adams Township. Mike Finestead says as of now the fence meets the minimum criteria needed and while some maintenance will be needed the project is primarily finished for the time being.
Payroll change notices for the attorney’s and auditor’s offices were then approved as presented, as were county holidays for the 2017 calendar year. Human Resources Director Erin Freeman says there’s no real changes from year to year, though with Christmas falling on Monday next year the County offices will also be closed Tuesday, December 26th.
A proclamation in honor of National Police Week was then read and approved. Sheriff Chad Leonard says this has not been recognized by the Board before but he felt it was time to do so. He mentioned a Minburn officer being killed in the line of duty and thanked the Board for recognizing the week. National Police Week was first proclaimed by President John F. Kennedy in 1962. One hundred and twenty-eight names of fallen officers are being added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington D.C. this spring. County Attorney Wayne Reisetter also mentioned a recent trail that was completed and thanked officers from several departments for their work in reporting and attending the trail to make it go smoothly.
A request from Homecare Services for a block grant appropriation was then approved. They asked for the money to be distributed roughly ten days earlier than normal, as they are currently in a transition period with managed care organizations payments and reimbursements. It was also mentioned that the transportation services that are offered are not only for the elderly but it’s open to the public in any of the seven counties around the Des Moines metro area, with particular focus on the western portion due to the increase in population in the western suburbs.
The abatement of mobile home taxes for property owned by Ronald J Brown was then approved in the amount of $1,143.
A change order for the drainage district six project was then approved in the amount of $13,162 to Cole Construction. This is for bank excavation, leveling and shaping of the site, along with long reach excavator work. The second pay estimate for the project was also approved in the amount of $330,566 to Cole Construction. County Engineer Al Miller says they are keeping at ten percent retainage of around $55,000 at this time until the project gets fully completed.
A public hearing in regards to the fiscal year 2016 budget amendment was then held. The amendment stands as presented at a previous meeting with the biggest change being the elimination of the mental health fund from the County’s budget. Operations and Finance Director Rob Tietz says it was incorrectly billed as a County fund but instead is more of a regional fund. Tietz says this results in a net change of a $338,000 decrease in revenues and a $587,000 decrease in expenses. The amendment does not result in any increase in taxes for residents.
A gravel road maintenance update was then shared by Engineer Miller. He states that all of the motor grader operators are attending a training this week to increase their skills and experience. Miller says you can add material to the granular surfaced roads all you want but if they are not shaped property or there is not proper drainage there will continue to be issues. Additionally, Miller stated that H and G Avenues have been resurfaced since his last report and will soon be resurfacing Bear Creek Road, Wendover Road and T Avenue. Miller also noted that his crews are working on improving ditches and culverts this summer.
Architect Jerry Purdy with Design Alliance then shared an update on the 902 Court Street space planning project. He says they’re continuing to move forward with plans to make the most of the available space in the building. Additionally, Purdy mentioned that they are still waiting on bulletproof glass for the north campus project and the parking lot project and seeding at the campus continues. The Board also continued to discuss court and juvenile court space, though no formal action was taken.