Perry City Administrator Sven Peterson spoke during the open forum at the Dallas County Supervisors meeting on Tuesday about potential usage plans for the Tyson building following the company closing its facility in June.

Peterson, along with a couple of representatives from Perry City Council, told the Board that there’s been much discussion about the future of the vacated building once Tyson officially leaves. Although a final decision hasn’t been made yet, Peterson did note that maintenance crews will be on hand after the closure to keep the building functional for a possible future buyer. 

The city is also creating a rapid response team to assist residents affected by the closure. Peterson highlighted that they understand there might be a shift in the school district as he detailed approximately 292 students having a family member working for Tyson Foods. Supervisor Chair Brad Golightly added that the Dallas County Community Services will help with setting up mental health counselors for residents.

Prior to the Board going through agenda items, they took a moment to recognize Tiffany Hysell of the Dallas County Treasurer’s Office for her five years of service. The items that were approved started with the sheriff’s office resolution to provide law enforcement to the City of Dexter, as well as purchasing a new vehicle for $48,695, a resolution for the City of West Des Moines Wetland Credit Allocation, a farm lease for David Mickelson with Dallas County for 0.27 acres, auditor elections for a resolution to canvass Woodward-Granger School Special Education, and a resolution for the 2024 Spring Valley Township Trustee. 

During the budget workshop, discussion continued in relation to building a new criminal court building in Adel. This item was tabled from last week due to the absence of Supervisor Kim Chapman. After extensive conversation between the Board and with Kristofer Orth of Farnsworth Group, Finance Director Rob Tietz thought it would be smart to keep sifting through things into next week.