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

During reports, County Attorney Thomas Laehn discussed the Board’s resolution that was recently approved opposing the bill that is proposed in the Iowa Legislature to change how Local Option Sales and Services Tax (LOSST) is administered. Laehn presented the Board Senator Jesse Green’s response to the Board’s resolution. Green’s response was that the county could receive more revenue because LOSST would be a statewide tax instead of the current counties that participate, however, Laehn thought the additional revenue would also be spread across the entire state. Laehn was also concerned with the loss of local control of LOSST and instead it would be controlled by the Legislature.

Jefferson Matters: A Main Street and Chamber Community Executive Director Matt Wetrich, along with Pam Olriech and Mary Weaver discussed the Board possibly passing an ordinance for vendors when the Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) comes through the county on July 25th. It was mentioned that a committee is looking to establish vendor fees and what kinds of vendors would be allowed in the rural portions of the county. The Board wanted to move forward with an ordinance and will discuss the topic at next week’s meeting.

Then the Board approved 28E agreements with several non-profits, including Bell Tower Festival, Central Iowa Tourism, Congregate Meals with ElderServe, The Children’s Center, Greene County Historical Society, Heart of Iowa Habitat for Humanity, Jefferson Matters, New Opportunities, and RSVP 55+ Volunteer Program. Laehn said this was a recommendation by the Iowa Auditor’s Office to have these agreements in place with organizations that request funding from the county. 

The Board also approved the county substance abuse prevention services grant application and naming Billie Jo Hoskins as the authorized signatory, along with the agreement with New Opportunities to be the sub-contractor for the program. Finally, the Board approved a three year agreement with Cost Advisory Services for $4,450 per year. The company submits a report of space that the Department of Human Services uses in the courthouse as well as salaries so that the county is reimbursed from DHS.