Supervisors approve temporary easement for box culvert repair, utility permit, two vehicle purchases and shared driveway agreement

The Jackson County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 26 voted to allow county staff and contractors to access private property to repair a deteriorated box culvert beneath 280 Eighth Avenue, and approved several other routine permitting and procurement items.

The culvert: County road staff described the box culvert near the Barnstormers entrance as severely deteriorated and inaccessible from the county right of way without entering adjacent private property. County staff said the culvert is more than 10 feet tall and that the repair approach will leave the roadway open, avoiding a full road closure and replacement. The county attorney and the property owner reviewed, signed and notarized a temporary construction easement that permits equipment access; county staff will remove and later restore any fence and disturbed areas. A motion to approve the temporary construction easement passed on a voice vote with all supervisors voting aye; the board authorized the chair to sign the document.

Utility permit: Supervisors approved a utility permit for Maquoketa Valley Electric Cooperative to bore a four-foot-deep underground electrical crossing at 21812 Rockdale Road. County staff said the application met typical clearance and depth requirements.

Vehicle procurement: The board awarded its second FY26 pickup-truck bid to Tills Auto for a 2026 Chevrolet Silverado in the amount of $46,015, after receiving two bids. The motion to award the purchase carried unanimously.

Shared driveway agreement: A property owner adjacent to the Lamotte county yard (Legacy Meats) offered to extend concrete paving over part of county property to reduce gravel washouts at a low point on D55. County staff and the county attorney drafted a driveway improvement and maintenance agreement under which the private owner accepts responsibility for all current and future maintenance, repair and replacement costs for the concrete extension. Supervisors approved the agreement and authorized the chair to sign.

Financial and administrative items: The board authorized publication of the Aug. 19 meeting minutes and approved claims and warrants in the amount of $473,649. Supervisors also authorized a handwritten warrant of $154.44 to Johannes Pitlow to replace a canceled Veterans Affairs mileage warrant. The board approved a letter of support for an ECIA Regional Transit Authority/RTAP application to the National RTAP Community Grants Program.

Decisions and votes: The meeting record shows motions were made and seconded and all actions above carried by voice vote with all supervisors saying "aye." No roll-call tallies with individual yes/no names were recorded in the minutes for those items that passed by voice vote.

Ending: County staff said construction to repair the box culvert will use an excavator and a mulching head to clear brush and then employ ready-mix concrete to repair the culvert in place; staff said the work is scheduled for this fall after the Barnstormers season ends.