The Greene County Board of Supervisors met Monday in regular session.

During open forum, County Veterans Affairs Director Michael Bierl gave an update. He reviewed a special dedication ceremony that was held last Thursday for the Churdan American Legion Post namesake, Edward English, with a permanent display on the first floor of the courthouse. He also mentioned an outreach program that will take place on the Greene County Fairgrounds on December 10th with the mobile VA unit on site.

Also during open forum, County Conservation Director Tanner Scheuermann gave an update. He said all county parks have been winterized for the rest of the year. They are also working on office improvements and building a new garage at Spring Lake Park. 

County Attorney Thomas Laehn then gave an update on the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate. He said rules and regulations were issued last week by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OHSA) that said any company with 100 or more employees were required to implement and enforce a COVID-19 vaccine mandate by January 4th. If employees are not fully vaccinated by December 4th, they must wear a mask while at work. Laehn believes the county would qualify for the mandate, however, he spoke against drafting a policy or enforcing it. He believes the unilateral executive decision by the Biden Administration is unconstitutional. He suggested the county prepare to file a lawsuit. The Board took no action following the discussion.

Next, Jefferson City Administrator Mike Palmer gave an update. He mentioned the animal shelter contract was approved by the city council, with an anticipated opening timeline of next fall. The council will also look at preliminary designs and funding for a new sewer plant, as required by the Department of Natural Resources, and the runway extension project at the airport was recently completed. 

The Board then approved the appointment of Peg Gannon to the Greene County Conservation Board, the County Recorder’s report of fees for October of $26,093, established an ad hoc jail advisory committee, with Sheriff Jack Williams, Supervisor Dawn Rudolph, Scott Weber, Anthony Minnehan, Jonathan Marshall, Tom Heater and Laehn to be on the committee for a new county jail. They also approved a wine permit for Deal’s Orchard, a certificate of completion with the Department of Transportation for signage on the Raccoon River Valley Trail, homestead credit and military disallowances as presented, and the canvass of votes from last Tuesday’s city/school board elections, with no change in those who won from the preliminary results.

Finally, the Board heard about a proposal for a three-year Diversity Project that involves Latinos to fill available jobs throughout Greene County. The Board took no action following the discussion.