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

During reports, County Attorney Thomas Laehn talked about Governor Kim Reynolds’ veto on House File 639 concerning the use of eminent domain and underground hazardous liquid pipelines. He stated that he was not surprised by Reynolds’ decision that would not allow any company that are proposing underground hazardous liquid pipeline projects to use eminent domain on agricultural lands unless they were defined as a “common carrier,” among other criteria. Laehn noted that one of the investors in a project by Summit Carbon Solutions, Bruce Rosteter, has not only contributed several thousands of dollars to her campaign, but also stands to become a billionaire with the federal tax credits that are included in the project. 

Laehn also addressed the Hardin County lawsuit with Central Iowa Juvenile Detention Center in Eldora. He said the lawsuit is for improper 28E agreements that were filed and the members that joined after the original 28E agreement was created are also invalid. He told the Board that due to Greene County becoming a member in 1999, the lawsuit alleges anything after 2000 to be under question, the Board did not have to worry about it. 

Greene County Sheriff Jack Williams shared that two youth from the county were taken to the Boone YMCA Camp on Sunday as part of the program from the Greene County Peace Officer’s Association and that the youth had a lot of fun.

County Engineer Wade Weiss went over several road and bridge project updates. He mentioned the South Grimmell Road Street bridge was completed last week and the deck was poured on the Apple Avenue bridge in Ralston. Paving is currently happening on the County Road E-26 project, and crushing of the existing concrete is going on now on the County Road P-29 project. 

The Board then approved the cigarette, tobacco, nicotine, and vaping permit for the Paton Pit Stop.

Finally, a lengthy discussion took place about the HVAC project for the Greene County Courthouse. The full plans were shared about what the project will include as far as infrastructure upgrades and additions, including replacing a steam boiler to hot water system, along with installing a ventilation system and chillers for air conditioning. One other item that was mentioned was about adding a roof replacement as an alternative to the bid documents, due to additional work happening. 

The proposed timeline included two weeks will be the start of bid letting, with the end of July being when bids are received. The attic renovation to include the new heating system would start this fall, with the substantial completion slated for June 29, 2026. The estimated cost for construction was $2,660,000 and $462,000 for the roof alternate. The total cost for everything, excluding the 10-15 percent contingency, was $3.1 million. The Board agreed to get needed dates from the county to correspond with the construction timeline.