Supervisors approve pay raises for elected officials

By Rick Morain
Jefferson Herald

The Greene County board of supervisors accepted the county compensation board’s recommendations of salary increases for the county’s elected officials at a meeting Feb. 2. The increases, to take effect at the start of the next fiscal year on July 1, call for a boost of 13.5 percent for the sheriff and increases of 6.5 percent for the county attorney, auditor, recorder, treasurer, and supervisors.

A detailed resolution to specifically adopt those increases will be considered after a public hearing on the county’s proposed fiscal year 2023-24 budget.

After discussion of the costs and benefits connected with participation in an 18-county workforce development consortium, the board voted to withdraw from the consortium, which was formed in July 2020. County attorney Laehn explained the procedural details involved in the withdrawal.
The board on Monday approved an amendment to the current fiscal year’s county budget. The vote followed a review of revenue and expenditure adjustments proposed in each category by County Auditor Jane Heun. This fiscal year’s budget was originally adopted in March of 2022.
The amendment included an increase to revenue for opioid settlement funds from the state following a successful nationwide lawsuit against opioid manufacturers. Former Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller had helped lead the lawsuit. Greene County Attorney Thomas Laehn discussed how the funds could legally be expended.

Approval of the budget amendment followed a public hearing on the amendment proposal, with no oral or written comments received.

NOTABLE ACTION

• The board raised meal reimbursement rates for county personnel who attend reimbursable meetings. The board increased the county’s rates to the state’s level: breakfast $8, lunch $10, and dinner $19.

• The board approved two sizable payments regarding the construction and purchase of the new E911 communication tower and equipment: $428,197.84 to Motorola Solutions as a 25 percent down payment for the project, and $13,750 to S&P Global for analytical bond rating services for the $3.3 million general obligation capital loan notes to finance the project.

• Laehn also reported that a county grand jury was empaneled earlier last week, composed of seven members and three alternates. The grand jury opted to visit the county jail to inspect conditions there.

The supervisors meet every Monday and Thursday at 8:30 a.m. in the board room on second floor of the courthouse. After the coming year’s budget is finalized in another month or so, the Thursday meetings will be discontinued.

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