‘It’s squeezing things for some departments’

By Nick Joos

Express Editor

Should next year’s county budget have room to account for the rising costs of postage, paper, utilities and other expenses? Will state-mandated restrictions allow for it? 

Those questions were on the minds of the Jones County Supervisors last week as they began planning ahead in developing the fiscal year 2027 budget. 

The budget is formed primarily over the first handful of months of the year and begins in earnest in January as the supervisors work to determine how much money to give to county departments as well as non-county organizations. Representatives from those departments will have the chance to present to the supervisors in January to justify their asks. 

In the meantime, the supervisors will provide guidance to the departments as they develop their budgets. 

County Auditor Whitney Hein asked the supervisors if they wanted to allow an increase in projected expenditures in county departments’ fiscal year 2027 budgets. 

“Do you want to keep the 0% increase (for expenditures)?” Hein asked. “We’ve been doing that for a few years for expenses like supplies, postage, electricity, or do you want to try a 1% increase and see what that looks like?”

“I don’t know how many years we can go with a 0% and be realistic about that,” said Supervisor Joe Oswald. “I would like to see, what if we did a 1%, to see what it is. Not saying we are going to go to 1%, but it would be nice to see the numbers.” 

Supervisor John Schlarmann asked what the sentiment is among county departments about a possible 0% increase. 

“I think it’s squeezing things for some departments that have more expenditures that are subject to increase,” Hein said. “I think about how postage has gone up, and for people who send a lot of mail, that can add up.”

She said the fee for hosting the county’s elections website increased $500, and the county’s general website cost is going up $1,000. 

Hein said her office can create spreadsheets that the supevisors can use come budgeting time to analyze a 0% expenditure increase and a 1% increase side-by-side. 

MontiPark cleanup bid approved

Supervisors opened a tall stack of envelopes from contractors hoping to earn the job of cleaning up two dilapidated trailers and other miscellaneous junk at a Monticello mobile home park. 

The county acquired the two mobile homes via tax certificate after their tax status became delinquent. The county then evicted a man officials identified as Charles Fellers who they say had taken up residence inside the trailers without permission. 

Officials said his eviction had gone through, but Fellers was still evidently living in the mobile homes as of last week, though it has been difficult contacting Fellers, as he does not receive postage, according to Jones County Land Use Coordinator Whitney Amos. 

“I have not contacted Chuck yet (about the eviction),” Amos said. “Last I heard he was probably living in there. I was looking to schedule a deputy to go tell him he needs to leave.” 

The supervisors received 13 bids to clean up the property and awarded the job to the winning low bid of $7,500 submitted by Wade Picray. Bids ranged from the second-place bid of $9,555 to $77,000. 

Amos said she requested the mobile homes be tested for asbestos prior to demolition. The work contract states the lots must be cleared, graded and covered with rock, and Amos said she requested the work be done by the end of the calendar year. 

Other Business

• The supervisors directed Amos to send an official letter to Todd Whitters, who owns the property at 22832 Ridge Road (E28) west of Anamosa, according to county documents. Amos said numerous complaints have been made about the property. 

“I got a call that there were at least 20 dogs out there and it was probably a kennel,” Amos said. “I sent them a courtesy letter that they contact me since dog kennels or breeding facilities are not allowed in residential zoning district. I have never heard from these people.”

A sheriff’s deputy visited the property. 

“Someone requested a welfare check on these dogs. When the deputy went in there there were 21 Dobermans -- 14 females, 7 males -- all intact …. I do not think anyone lives at this house,” Amos said. 

• The county’s IT director, Lisa Mootz, asked the supervisors if she could update the county’s policy book on workplace technology to include a policy on the use of artificial intelligence. She asked the supervisors if she could update the county’s entire tech policy. 

“When I started diving into our current policy, there is a lot of outdated things in there. I mean, it talks about floppy discs,” Mootz said. 

• A resident said due to a new road surface on X31 north of Anamosa that raised the height of the roadbed, all the mailboxes along the highway are now too low to reach from a car window. 

Jones County Engineer Derek Snead said the mailbox height is the property owner’s responsibility. 

“It’s no different than when we add granular surface to a gravel road,” Snead said. “As far as our projects go, we stay away from mailboxes since they are people’s property. If we do move them we could break them. Some aren’t standard and others have decorations on them.”