A Pleasant Hill resident told the Polk County Board of Supervisors on a public-comment agenda item that a county supervisor
s concurrent state employment and county salary is wrong and should be publicly examined.

Ray Sears, of 1795 Waters Edge Drive, told the board he estimates the supervisor has collected about $180,000 so far this year and warned the practice could mean roughly $600,000 more in county salary before voters next decide the matter, putting combined state and county pay near $1,000,000 over four years. "I assured this board and citizens of this county that this issue is not gonna go away," Sears said.

Sears framed his remarks as a matter of public interest and fairness. "That money, dollars $600,000 could be better well spent feeding children, providing transportation for people to get to work," he said.

A board member responded during the meeting that Iowa law and the applicable code permit outside employment for county supervisors and that the supervisor at issue has sought and followed informal and formal advice to comply with state law. The meeting record shows the board did not take any formal action on the public comment during the session.

Nut graf: The exchange placed a political-ethics question into the public record but did not produce a formal investigation or vote. The board
s comments at the meeting indicated legal compliance is being cited as the basis for allowing outside employment, while the resident urged a public review and possible policy response.

The body of the meeting continued with routine agenda items after the public comments. Sears said he had previously raised the matter directly with the named supervisor and would return to the board to continue pressing the issue. The meeting transcript does not record any motion to investigate or any referral to county legal staff or the county attorney related to the comment.

Ending: The transcript shows the matter remained public comment only; any future formal action, referral, or staff report would have to be placed on a subsequent agenda for board consideration.