Pottawattamie County supervisors approve interim engineer sharing with Harrison County, allow extra township meeting pay and fund Loess Hills Alliance

Pottawattamie County’s Board of Supervisors approved three administrative measures at a county meeting: a 90‑day agreement to share an interim county engineer with Harrison County, payment for an additional Lincoln Township meeting, and a $2,000 contribution to the Loess Hills Alliance.

The interim engineer agreement—filed as Resolution 11 20 25—was amended on the floor to run for 90 days and must still be approved by Harrison County, supervisors said. The agreement as discussed calls for roughly eight hours of engineer services per week and includes a provision that the county will be reimbursed for costs, board members said. The board approved the amended resolution by roll call.

Why it matters: the sharing arrangement is intended as a short‑term staffing fix while Pottawattamie County advertises and hires for the open county engineer position. Supervisors described prior difficulty recruiting for similar openings and said the shorter, 90‑day term was intended to provide time for hiring without committing to a longer interim period.

On the Lincoln Township item, Dixie Wilson, accounting technician, explained the township requested payment for an extra meeting after a trustee absence left insufficient votes at a scheduled meeting. Board members discussed whether to set or remove a limit on the number of reimbursable township meetings in future budgets. The board approved payment for the additional Lincoln Township meeting by voice vote.

The board also approved a $2,000 contribution to the Loess Hills Alliance, an organization that the board and county conservation staff said supports habitat conservation and local recreation promotion. Board members noted the county had funded the group in prior years and that the grant amount has been the same since 2018. The motion to fund the group passed by voice vote.

Discussion details and conditions: supervisors emphasized the following constraints and next steps—Harrison County must separately approve the interim engineer agreement; the interim arrangement does not transfer construction inspection authority that the Iowa DOT restricts; the interim agreement can be canceled on 30 days’ notice and will return to the board for reauthorization at the end of the period; and the board intends to tighten budgeting rules for township meeting reimbursements in the coming budget cycle.

Votes at a glance

- Resolution 11 20 25 (interim county engineer sharing services with Harrison County): amended to a 90‑day term; approved by roll call. The agreement as discussed provides about eight hours per week of engineer services and anticipates reimbursement from Harrison County; Harrison County must also approve the agreement.

- Lincoln Township: approved payment for an additional meeting beyond the three‑meeting limit currently used in township budgeting; approved by voice vote. Board members discussed whether to set a fixed numeric or dollar limit in future budgets.

- Loess Hills Alliance: approved a $2,000 annual contribution to the Loess Hills Alliance; approved by voice vote. Board members said the county has sought grant reimbursements for conservation work that this contribution helps support.

The board scheduled the interim engineer arrangement for a 90‑day review and said any extension would return to the board. No additional formal motions or ordinances were adopted during the remainder of the meeting.