County approves $450,000 debt service levy

Board of Supervisors
By: 
Kim Brooks
Express Editor

     The Jones County Board of Supervisors took action during their March 6 meeting to enter into a General Obligation County Purpose Loan Agreement with the intent to borrow $450,000. This is a not-to-exceed amount.

     The agreement also provides for the levy of a debt services property tax in the 2018-19 fiscal year.

     The funds will be used for the following county projects:

     • Repairs and improvements to county buildings and grounds, including the Jones County Courthouse, the Broadway Place Annex, Conservation Department facilities, and the Anamosa Secondary Road Maintenance Shop/Engineer’s Office.

     • Improving and equipping the regional transit authority (JETS).

     • Constructing the Temple Hill Secondary Road Maintenance Shop.

     • Constructing a public works garage.

     “You don’t have to use the money on every project,” explained County Auditor Janine Sulzner. “This just makes it eligible.”

     Anamosa resident Mike Davies asked the board why they had to levy taxes to do these projects. “Isn’t there money in the funds to do this?”

     Sulzner said it would put a burden on the county’s operating funds to do all of these projects. “The board determined these were needed projects,” she said. “Money has been shifted (around) because these are needed projects. It gets needed projects done.”

     Supervisor Ned Rohwedder said this is the third year the board has levied taxes for projects throughout the county.

     “It’s worked out very well to make capital improvements,” he said.

In other county business:

     • Supervisor Wayne Manternach reported that the Iowa Legislature would be passing a bill requiring all mental health regions in the state to implement new services as part of the mandate to force regions to spend down their budgets. Manternach said the list of required services would not impact the Mental Health/Disability Services of the East Central Region (MHDS-ECR), of which Jones County is a member.

         “We’re already providing those services,” he said.

         • County Engineer Derek Snead informed the board about damage to County Road D-65 due to an ITC utility project. The damage occurred two years ago, and both ITC and the county have been exchanging information concerning the cost of the damage. Now, Secondary Roads is looking to patch the cracks left behind by the heavy equipment.

         Snead’s initial request for pavement damage was around $540,000. He said ITC is willing to pay roughly $275,000.

         Despite the fact that the pavement on D-65 is 40 years old, Snead said it’s been holding up pretty well.

         “I think it’s a fair settlement,” Snead said of ITC’s counter offer. “We don’t run into this very often. We should accept what they’re willing to offer.” He said the last instance was on County Road X-44/Amber Road a few years ago. That damage amounted to $65,000 in damages.

         “That road was about 10 years older,” Snead said, prior to the repaving project on Amber Road.

         The board asked if D-65 was slated for replacement. Snead said it was not on their radar.

         • Snead gave the board an update on plans to add a 25-foot addition onto the Secondary Roads main shop in Anamosa and reconfigure the slope of the driveway off Highway 64.

         The addition, he said, would provide a larger wash bay inside, and allow for a half dozen more graders to be stored inside.

         “I think this would be a very good investment,” he said. “We plan to proceed with this project this summer.”

         Supervisor Jon Zirkelbach commented the investment was better than building a new shop to meet their standards.

 

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