Supervisors approve addition of NEW Coop’s ammonia tank in Cooper

By Rick Morain

Jefferson Herald

The Greene County Board of Supervisors on May 2 approved NEW Cooperative’s plan to add another anhydrous ammonia tank at its Cooper location on Highway 4 south of Jefferson. The co-op hopes to have the tank operational by this fall. With the additional tank, the total anhydrous capacity at the Cooper site will be 120,000 gallons of storage.

In other action, the board approved the hiring of Samantha Frette as a full-time jailer at a salary of $34,000 per year, to increase by $1,000 upon completion of her certification.
The board approved the transfer of $115,000 from the county’s tax increment financing (TIF) special revenue fund to the debt service fund in order to pay principal and interest on general obligation urban renewal capital loan notes due June 1. The notes were issued to help construct the career academy operated by Iowa Central Community College at the new high school on Highway 30 in Jefferson.
The board discussed re-shingling the roof of the ambulance garage before the end of the current fiscal year, which ends June 30.

County attorney Thomas Laehn discussed the need to return to the county’s tax rolls any land parcels previously subject to railroad easements, which have since ended by law and are now in the hands of the adjacent landowners.
Laehn also thanked County conservation director Tanner Scheuermann and County engineer Wade Weiss’s office for help they provided to the Jefferson Rotary Club’s tree project at the Greene County Elementary School last Saturday.

Laehn also said that Vern Foje of Jefferson, longtime volunteer for the county’s youth community service program, will be stepping back from the position. Laehn suggested further discussion with the Boone/Greene County probation program to help find a solution to provide both youth and adult community services. The board agreed with him.

Laehn added that there are currently 69 pending criminal cases in the county. The next district court trial here is scheduled for Tuesday, May 10.

The supervisors meet every Monday at 8:30 a.m. in the board room on second floor of the courthouse.