Supervisors set committee to interview applicants for Veterans Affairs Commission under Iowa code

Pottawattamie County supervisors voted to form an interview committee to vet applicants for openings on the county Veterans Affairs Commission and to return the committee’s top recommendations for formal appointment.

County staff told the board the change follows Iowa Code guidance (cited as 35B.4) that requires consultation with the Veterans Commission and the veterans service administrator when filling commission seats. Peggy Becker, administrator of Veterans Services, told the board the code change dates to 2021 and that the county’s recent appointment cycles had been inconsistent with the statute.

The motion approved by the board named two supervisors and the veterans service administrator as committee members and authorized the commission to select two commissioners to sit on the interview team. A supervisor who made the motion asked that the committee interview the applicants and bring back the “top 2 interviews” as recommendations for appointment.

County staff said there are eight total applicants, including two who had applied to fill gender and branch “buckets” the commission is prioritizing; staff said two applicants who match those categories will be interviewed and that the committee may interview additional candidates if necessary. Staff expected to schedule interviews within weeks and to present an initial recommendation to the board by the end of the month.

The board also discussed an ex officio position (named Andrew Dewey in the meeting) and asked that the hiring committee make a recommendation about that appointment as well; any ex officio appointment would still require formal board action.

The board approved the committee formation and scheduling approach by voice vote; no individual supervisor vote tallies were recorded in the transcript.