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In the public hearing, County Auditor Bill Fredrick said Iowa Codification, Clear Lake, updated the county ordinance to comply with state code at a cost of $3,500.
Fredrick explained that the revised code was updated to make sure that the county code complies with changes made by the Iowa Legislature and new county ordinances that included LOST and SILO local option taxes. He noted changes in Iowa law also voided the "keg" registration ordinance passed at the county level.
County Engineer David Patterson said the re-codified code also stipulates that neither county nor state snowplows can plow snow for each other unless there is a 28E agreement between the DOT and the county. That 28E agreement has not been approved. Therefore a state snowplow can not put its blade down on a county road on its way to a state highway even if the road has not be cleared.
Fredrick also noted that civil penalties for violation of any county ordinances have been increased to up to $750 fine for the first offense and up to $2,000 a day on recurring offenses.
The board approved the purchase of a new Caterpillar road grader from Altorfer Cat, Cedar Rapids, for about $207,715 less trade-in of $49,000 for a 1992 road grader for net cost of $158,715. The new road grader will be delivered in October to Crawfordsville./Patterson said that secondary roads replace at least one major piece of equipment each year on a rotating basis.
Patterson also announced that his two assistant engineers, Jacob Hotchkiss and Jacob Thorius, had completed training to be certified engineers. The board approved switching them from hourly pay of $311.51 an hour to $2,712.80 semi-monthly. Patterson noted the pay increase equally about 100 overtime hours. They will no longer be paid for overtime.
Supervisor chair Jim Miksch informed the other board members that seven firms had submited proposals to the request for qualifications in conjunction with facilities for the Public Health Offices.
He said those four firms will be asked to submit detailed proposals on evaluating current offices and three options for different facilities. The four finalists are Rohrbach Associates, Iowa City; Shive Hattery, Iowa City; Solum-Layne Architects, Cedar Rapids; and Martin Design, Marion. The Board of Health is to meet August 12 to select a firm.
The board also approved the hiring of Ahlers & Kooney, PC, Des Moines bonding attorneys, to assist William Sueppel in the county's dispute with City of Riverside over paying of $175,000 annually for use of county's bonding ability to help finance the Riverside sewage treatment plant. Riverside paid the first year's fee, but has refused to pay anything further. The payment due July 1 this year was not paid.
