The Greene County Board of Supervisors met Monday in regular session.
The Board approved a public art policy for the Greene County Courthouse and its grounds. The policy allows the Supervisors to solicit works of art by way of a resolution with an identifying message from the Supervisors that they wish to convey. The Supervisors will maintain editorial authority over the works of art that are displayed. Following a discussion with Deb McGinn of Jefferson Matters: Main Street Tower View Team, the Board agreed to have a designated Supervisor be a public art liaison and attend the TVT meetings where public art is discussed. The Board will also consider grandfathering in the current sculptures from this year’s Ring Out for Art contest to continue on the grounds through November.
The Board also approved four applications for the disabled veterans property tax credit as presented and reappointed Sandra Miner to the Region XII Council of Governments Housing Authority Board. Additionally, the Board renewed the County’s property and liability insurance policy with MacDonald Insurance. MacDonald Insurance Representative Joan St. Claire said the ambulance building was estimated at $160,000 of valuation added onto the policy and there was an $860,000 increase overall to property valuations for the County’s property insurance coverage.
Finally, the Board discussed holiday lighting and courthouse renovations. The Board heard two proposals for holiday lighting from American Turf. One proposal was stringing lights from the roof of the courthouse. The other proposal was to uplight it from the ground. The Board took no action following the discussion.
As for the courthouse renovations, the Board discussed several improvements. One was installing a new heating and cooling system. Other improvements discussed included upgrading all network and security wiring, new windows and updating the restrooms. The Board also discussed moving offices from the courthouse to the former Hy-Vee building on the corner of Lincoln Way and Wilson Avenue temporarily as improvements are made. The Board felt they didn’t want any of the projects to go to a bond vote. The Board decided to discuss the improvements with Jeff Heil of Northland Securities and contact Ahlers and Cooney about the possibility of using tax increment financing.