Board approves claims, contracts, township loan and zoning ordinances; schedules budget hearings

Black Hawk County's Board of Supervisors on March 11 approved a bundle of routine and substantive items including claims and payments, a county contract to digitize historic minutes, a township loan, reductions to a substance-abuse contract, and two rezoning ordinances. The board also set public hearings on the county property tax levy and multiple proposed capital loan notes.

The board unanimously approved a claims-and-payments resolution authorizing bills for March with a total presented in the meeting of $361,417.07; the payment list noted vehicle purchases for public health (three Trail Blazers) and a hydroseeder for road work. The motion was adopted by roll call.

The board approved a contract with ArcaSearch to digitize minutes books and host them online; meeting discussion referenced a one-time scanning/indexing charge and an annual hosting fee that “runs with the contract.” The board also authorized acceptance of the vendor-hosted copy of scanned records, and staff said the county will retain its own copy for transfer if it later moves hosting providers.

Supervisors approved reductions related to county substance-abuse programming and contractor amounts. The board accepted an amendment to the county substance-abuse program reducing the county match (amount given in the meeting as 19,344) and then approved a related amendment to a contract with Pathways Behavioral Services Inc., lowering that contract from $39,412 to $25,204; the Pathways contract was identified as being funded with opioid settlement funds. Meeting remarks said the program runs through June 30 and that late startup meant the full award could not be spent before the grant end date.

The board approved a loan of $94,800 to Fox Township to cover that township’s share of a jointly owned fire truck. The county will disburse funds shortly so Fox Township can meet a vendor payment…