Supervisors make appoints in new year

By Kim Brooks, Express Editor

A new Chairman and Vice Chair were appointed at the first Jones County Board of Supervisors meeting of the year on Jan. 9. Keith Dirks will assume duties as chairman, with Ned Rohwedder as vice chair.

The Board also voted on and approved the following Board member committees:

Keith Dirks

• Integrated Roadside Vegetation Management Committee

• Jones County Board of Health

• Jones County Safe & Healthy Youth Coalition

• REAP (Resource Enhancement and Protection)

• Jones County Fair Board (alt.)

• EIRUSS (Eastern Iowa Regional Utility Service System) (alt.)

• Jones County Economic Development Commission (alt.)

• Solid Waste Commission (alt.)

Ned Rohwedder

• Abbe Mental Health Center

• FEMA

• Heritage Agency on Aging

• Jones County Tourism Association

• Mental Health Advisory Board

• Senior Dining Advisory Board

• Solid Waste Commission

• Jones County Fair Board

• Integrated Roadside Vegetation Management Committee (alt.)

• I.S.T.E.A. Policy Committee (alt.)

• Regional Mental Health Services Board (alt.)

Joe Cruise

• EIRUSS (Eastern Iowa Regional Utility Service System)

• R.C. & D. Commission

• Solid Waste Commission

• Abbe Mental Health Center (alt.)

• Area Substance Abuse Council (alt.)

• ECICOG (alt.)

• HACAP-District (alt.)

• Sixth Judicial District Dept. of Corrections (alt.)

Wayne Manternach

• Decategorization/CPPC

• ECICOG

• East Central Iowa Housing Fund

• GIS Committee

• HACAP-District

• I.S.T.E.A. Policy Committee

• Jones County Economic Development Commission

• Emergency Management Agency (alt.)

• Jones County Board of Health (alt.)

• Mental Health Advisory Board (alt.)

• Sixth Judicial District Dept. of Corrections (alt.)

Joe Oswald

• 540 Board Child Support Recovery

• Advancement Services of Jones County

• Area Substance Abuse Council

• DHS Service Area Advisory Board

• E911 Service Board

• Emergency Management Agency

• JETS Advisory Board

• Sixth Judicial District Dept. of Corrections

• Workforce Development

• I.S.T.E.A. Policy Committee (alt.)

In other county business, the Board:

• appointed the Monticello Express, Anamosa Journal-Eureka and Midland Times as the official county newspapers for county legal publications for 2013.

• appointed Dr. Michael Weston, Anamosa, as Medical Examiner, and Kevin Weber, Anamosa, as Medical Examiner Investigator for 2013.

• re-affirmed the appointments of Dusty Embree, Jones County Economic Development Director, and Alan Johnson, Anamosa City Administrator, to the ECICOG Board of Directors for three-year terms.

• re-appointed Wes Gibbs as Weed Commissioner for 2013.

• heard from County Auditor Janine Sulzner regarding the property valuation report. Sulzner provided a report to be used for FY 2014 budgets, showing a 5.2 percent increase in total taxable value.

• heard from Supervisor Wayne Manternach on the mental health regionalization. Manternach said he met with Deb Schultz, County Community Services coordinator, to discuss establishing an emergency fund for regional services that will be required for each region. The region of counties will meet on Jan. 17 to finalize a 28E agreement and by-laws.

• approved a contract and notice to proceed with Ricklefs Excavating Ltd. for the courthouse garage. The contract is to have the project completed on or before May. 1.

• heard from County Egineer Derek Snead regarding county snow removal. Snead said they are still widening county roads from the snowfall.

Snead reported that people from outside of Jones County have commented on the excellent condition of Jones County roads after the snowfall.

• appointed Janine Sulzner as Title VI Coordinator of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Derek Snead as Assistant Coordinator. The Board also approved agreements and assurances with the Iowa DOT to become compliant with Title VI.

County Attorney Phil Parsons informed the Board that if the county is not in compliance, they will not receive any funding from the DOT for various projects.

• voted to give Fairview residents with delinquent wastewater sewer bills a 30-day notice to pay their bills before the cost is assessed to their property taxes.

The Board will look into amending their Fairview wastewater ordinance to allow for a service charge for delinquent bills.