Wayne County Board of Supervisors
May 18, 2020
Meeting of the Wayne County Board of Supervisors was held on the 18th day of May 2020, in the Boardroom of the Wayne County Courthouse, Corydon, Iowa, pursuant to notice duly given in compliance with Iowa Code Section 21.4. The Board noted due notice of meeting subject to said Code Section.
Present were David Dotts, Tom Swearingin, Don Seams; members of the Board, Sue Ruble, Rhonda Bennett, Jen Reed, Angie Horton, Kim Swearingin, Roger Shindell, Michelle Dooley
Unless otherwise noted, all motions were approved unanimously.
Dotts called meeting to order at 9:01 AM
Pledge of Allegiance
Seams made motion to adopt the agenda with the addition of discussing Supervisors schedule for being at the courthouse, seconded by TSwearingin.
TSwearingin made motion to approve minutes from May 4, 2020, seconded by Seams.
TSwearingin made motion to approve claims, seconded by Seams.
Seams made motion to approve payroll, seconded by TSwearingin.
KSwearingin presented request made by Stephanie Grim to have certificate 2018-00709 assigned to her. TSwearingin made motion to assign certificate 2018-00709 to Stephanie Grim for the amount of $109, seconded by Seams.
Joella Perry, Veteran Affairs Director presented to the Board that the VA Commission is exploring the options of telecommunication. They may use state allocation funds to purchase IPADS for the commissioners in FY21. Veteran Affairs will be doing appointments one day a week starting June 10th. Perry is very concerned with the increased confirmed Covid-19 cases involving veterans. Perry and Commissioners will be working on the Veteran markers at Clio Cemetery, the week of June 1-5. Perry has done home & hospital visits to accommodate the needs of local veteran’s during the Covid-19 pandemic. Perry ran public notice for Commissioner Appointment. Three applicants applied. Perry made recommendation of Hubert Staggs being reappointed to the VA Commission for another term. Seams made the motion to accept the recommendation, seconded by TSwearingin.
Perry mentioned that Bill Byrns, EMA & 911 Director has relocated his office to the Lower Level with Veteran Affairs and it is going well.
The purchase contract between Wayne County and Richard & Pinporn Stafford has matured on April 1, 2020. The contract is for the purchase of 7.85 acres located at the County Farm. Al Wilson, County Attorney has been in contact with the Staffords. They are currently unable to pay the balloon payment but are still paying their monthly payment. Wilson recommends to extend the due date until after Covid-19 pandemic is over. Seams made the motion to extend the contract by one year, seconded by TSwearingin.
Linda Fain, New Venture Director, requested the Boards approval of being paid out for 25 hours of vacation that she was unable to use before anniversary date. This occurred due to limited staff. TSwearingin made the motion to approve vacation payout of 25 hours, seconded by Seams.
Seams is requesting public transparency regarding moving county offices within the courthouse. Treasurer’s office is needing more room and trying to provide more privacy for customers. Auditor’s office is willing to relocate to the end of the hall where EMA & Wayne County Development were located. This move would allow the Treasurer’s office to double in space but would still require some remodeling. Seams is concerned that we are in a recession and that now is not the time to spend any tax dollars for a remodel. FEMA funding may be available to cover 85% of the cost of the remodel because currently it is impossible to practice social distancing in the Treasurer’s office but those dollars are not guaranteed. A remodel may result in the electricity needing to be brought up to code. After much discussion of different options Seams made a motion to allow at least 3 contractors to come in to review the project and to submit estimates to see if feasible, seconded by Dotts.
Seams made a motion that county offices will begin taking calls May 26th to schedule appointments. Appointments will start June 1st. The county recommends individuals to wear mask when entering the courthouse and limiting one person per appointment unless additional individuals are required for the business transaction, seconded by TSwearingin. Alternative work schedules to limit the spread of Covid-19 will be at the discretion of the department.
The Treasurer, Recorder and Auditor will review permanent lockbox options with the assistance of Bill Byrns. They will check with Iowa Prison Industries to see what options they offer.
Roger Shindell, Carosh presented to the Board the current status of HIPPA compliance and training program. Currently, the county has the HIPPA Expert package which names Carosh Compliance Solutions as the “On Staff” Chief Privacy & Security Officer. This package limits the county’s risk exposure if there was HIPPA violation but the cost $16,234. TSwearingin made a motion to participate in the Select Level Package with Carosh for the upcoming year beginning July 1st, seconded by Seams.
April Department Reports
Clerk of Court deposited $ 443.80.
Recorder deposited $ 5,214.25.
Sheriff deposited $ 26,104.84.
Seams made motion to accept April Department Reports, seconded by TSwearingin.
Supervisor meetings:
Dotts attended WRD Landfill meeting. The landfill is open to the public. There has been no further discussion of adjusting the dump fees. A new cell is being dug and a new tractor purchased.
Seams attended Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) meeting by phone. The State has approved the merge of Area 15 and Area 6. The new area is made up of 14 counties. Services contracts for area colleges have been extended through December 31, 2020.
TSwearingin attended Public Health Meeting by Zoom. Dr. Wells and Shelley Bickel, Public Health Director are very slow about moving forward reopening the county. TSwearingin also attended 1015 Transit meeting. They are still proceeding with taking over the Ottumwa Transit program.
TSwearingin made a motion that the Supervisors will work out a schedule among themselves and get it to Abby for the calendar starting June 1st, seconded by Seams.
Public Comments: Sue Ruble was present during the meeting. She would like to commend the county officials and employees for their sacrifices during the Covid-19 pandemic. Ms. Ruble also mentioned that many individuals have been severely impacted by the Covid-19. Ms. Ruble voiced concern that public distancing was not being practiced by county officials and that she wore a mask for the entire meeting while no one else did. TSwearingin mentioned he felt guilty for not wearing one. Seams stated “He recommended moving the location of meeting, for more space.” Ms. Ruble also brought up her concerns regarding the sample ballots published in paper did not include Democrat Ballot. The Supervisors were aware and stated it was a publication error and that the correction would be in the paper this week. Ms. Ruble also stated that she did not get an answer to her question at the March 17th Budget Hearing regarding General Basic and Supplemental expenditures for elections and that she is fully aware of how the budget works. Ms. Ruble expressed concerns about minutes that were published regarding the Candidate filing period but she also stated she received a phone call from the Auditor’s Office regarding the publication. Ms. Ruble also brought it to the Board’s attention that the May 4th meeting minutes stated the next meeting would be May 20th which was not correct.
Claims paid May 18, 2020
TSwearingin made motion to adjourn at 12:00PM, seconded by Seams.
The Board will meet in session on the 1st day of June 2020 at 9:00AM.
____________________________________ Attested___________________________
David Dotts, Chairperson Michelle Dooley, County Auditor