Supervisors approve assistant county attorney’s move to full-time status

By Rick Morain
Jefferson Herald

The Greene County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 12 approved reclassification of assistant county attorney Laura Snider from part-time to full-time, effective immediately. Snider’s new full-time salary is $92,500 per year. She will be on probationary status in her new classification until the end of the current fiscal year (June 30, 2023).

Snider will receive 15 days’ paid vacation per year, a reduction from her present vacation allotment. She will be entitled to employment benefits as a full-time employee.
Snider has been employed officially for 25 hours per week, but county attorney Thomas Laehn, who recommended Snider’s reclassification, told the board that she has been working about 40 hours a week. Laehn said that Snider’s hourly rate as a full-time employee will be less than her 25-hours-a-week hourly rate.

Snider told the board that with her child now in kindergarten, she will have more time to serve in her position. Laehn strongly endorsed Snider’s job performance.
Laehn also said that Greene County is processing seven Class A or Class B felonies, and he anticipates several criminal jury trials in early 2023, a record for the county. Because of the work demands of those trials and the increased workload of his office, Laehn said he is setting aside the new courthouse building and grounds policy for now.

OTHER NOTABLE ACTION    

• The board approved about 50 disallowances for homestead credits and military exemptions. The disallowances apply to recent purchases of properties whose previous owners were qualified the exemptions. The new owners will need to apply for any credits for which they qualify.

• The board discussed with Laehn and county engineer Wade Weiss possible lighting plans for the Mahanay Tower.

• The final 15 percent of funds approved for this fiscal year for all departments and county offices were apropriated by the board. They had previously appropriated 85 percent of the funds.

• Paving of granular secondary road approaches on Highway 144 north of Grand Junction was approved, with Weiss explaining the funding process. Also approved were Weiss’s 2022 weed commissioner report and his 2023 county weed commission certification form. Weiss also discussed funding possibilities for the improvement of Jackson Bridge over the Raccoon River on Grimmell Road just southwest of Jefferson

• The county is required to have a right-to-use lease asset policy as recommended by the state auditor, and the board approved the policy.

• The board is beginning to receive funding requests from various organizations for the 2023-24 fiscal year, which begins July 1, 2023. At Monday’s meeting, four such requests were received, together with reports on services they provide.
Elderbridge Agency on Aging filed a written request for $8,320 for the fiscal year, an increase of $600 from the current year’s allocation.
Michelle Hull, director for the RSVP 55+ volunteer program, and county coordinator Sheilah Pound requested $2,500 for the coming fiscal year, the same amount as in the current year.
Roger Aegerter, director of the Greene County Historical Society, requested $6,000 for the coming fiscal year, the same amount as in the current year.
Central Iowa Tourism requested, by letter, $400 from the county, the same amount as in the current year.
As is its practice, the board took no action on the requests, instead taking them under advisement until the budget preparation period, which begins after the first of 2023.

• Jefferson city administrator Mike Palmer updated the board on city projects, including the new animal shelter, renovation of the wastewater plant, the downtown façade matching program, and the library architectural study.
The supervisors meet regularly every Monday at 8:30 a.m. in the board room on second floor of the courthouse. When budget preparation begins for the 2023-24 fiscal year, the board will also meet on Thursday mornings until the budget work is completed, probably toward the end of February.

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