Joan St. Clair (left) presenting insurance estimates
Joan St. Clair (left) presenting insurance estimates

The Greene County Board of Supervisors met Thursday.

The Board reviewed estimated costs for insurance for the 2019 fiscal year. Joan St. Clair with MacDonald Insurance said her projections for the next fiscal year were that the County would only pay an additional $5,200 toward their entire insurance plan. The County is also going to receive 47-percent in credits toward their coverage. With the credits, the County is going to pay $50,000 less toward their coverage. As far as worker’s compensation goes, St. Clair said the County will be at 71-percent experienced modification model rating. The County also received an $895 grant check from the Iowa Communities Assurance Pool (ICAP) for safety measures.

The Board then held a budget review workshop. The Supervisors discussed possibly setting up a separate line item in the budget for the funds they receive for the adjusted gross revenue from Wild Rose Casino. They also discussed Tax Increment Financing (TIF). The Board believes they will move forward with establishing TIF, but the final decision will be made at their February 8th meeting.

During open forum, the Board agreed to reserve the courthouse for July 20th through the 24th for when the Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) comes through Jefferson on July 23rd.

Also during open forum, Assistant Greene County Attorney Thomas Laehn talked about the 29 news cases that the County Attorney’s office has had in January. He also talked about Greene County only having 10 trial dates per year and if the budget cuts from the state legislature go through, then those dates would be reduced and could impact how plea negotiations would be conducted in the future.