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

During open forum, Supervisor Pete Bardole acknowledged that Greene County Development Corporation did not receive a grant for the Greene County Diversity Project and are re-grouping as far as how to pay for the expenses of this project.

County Attorney Thomas Laehn addressed the Board. He talked about having the county publish its code of ordinances every five years. The Board agreed to do that later this year. Also, Laehn mentioned an approved list of hotels that have gone through the human trafficking training to be considered a “Safe Harbor” as required by state law. He said if a county employee reserves a hotel room for a conference, they wouldn’t be reimbursed for expenses if the hotel isn’t on that list. 

The Board also held a public hearing for a temporary moratorium on utility-scale solar farms for six months. The hearing lasted 45 minutes with residents speaking against the project, but appraising the Supervisors for considering a moratorium. The company looking to install a 150 megawatt solar farm south of Grand Junction is National Grid Renewables, who is also in favor of the moratorium. Following the hearing, the Supervisors approved the first reading of the ordinance, and waived the second and third required readings to go into immediate effect. The ordinance will be effective for either six months or if the Iowa Legislature passes a law addressing solar farms. 

The Board also approved a resolution for the Iowa State Association of Counties (ISAC) group benefits program 28E agreement as presented, the ISAC dental and vision plans that are effective July 1, 2022 and an amendment to the Tyler Technologies agreement to move its renewal deadline from March 31st to June 31st, to align with the county’s fiscal year and an increase in annual fees to $39,000 to over $41,000. Additionally, the Board approved a resolution for placement of this year’s Ring Out for Art contest sculptures and adding a stipulation that the art projects be subject to inspection for public safety issues. 

Finally, the Board held a discussion about its policy for using the courthouse and its grounds. A current policy has been in place since 2007, but has not been enforced. The Board is directing Laehn to draft a revised policy to be considered for approval at a future meeting.