Kossuth County approves West Bend utilities work; supervisors review road projects, drainage investigations

The Kossuth County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a request from West Bend Municipal Utilities to install roughly 200 feet of underground three-phase electrical line within the county road right-of-way along County F40 (Fortieth Street) in the city limits of West Bend.

"We have one request for construction within the road right of way. This is ... from West Bend Municipal Utilities. They are planning to put in about 200 feet of underground 3 phase electrical," said Doug, the county staff member who presented the request. Supervisor Garmin moved to approve the request and Supervisor Wagner seconded. The board approved the permit by voice vote; the record shows the motion carried.

Doug also briefed the board on ongoing and upcoming road work: contractor clean-up and sign pickup on research projects, guardrail installation and shoulder preparation in Kossuth after contractor work, patching and resurfacing by Blacktop Service at Western Hills, and centerline and edgeline painting that was scheduled to begin. He said construction on Highway 18 at Sexton is being realigned and should be resurfaced soon, which will reduce detour traffic onto county roads.

Staff reported a resignation at the Lakota shop and said the county will advertise to hire a replacement. Doug told supervisors he had received notice from Renee Von Volker, who represents Kossuth County in negotiations, that the International Union of Operating Engineers did not plan to pay for a recertification retention election; "that means there's no secondary road collective bargaining unit and that we will not have any negotiations this year unless our road department gets affiliated with another ... union to represent them," he said.

On long-range planning, Doug said that if projects the county has programmed for 2027 were advanced to be included with this year's work, the county would need an additional $5,600,000. He said some projects had been planned for farm-to-market funds and that the county could consider borrowing or using urban renewal to advance the work.

Supervisors also addressed drainage issues. One speaker urged obtaining elevation shots to determine whether structures or vegetation are impeding flow in a drainage district and recommended a third-party assessment; the speaker said an engineering site visit might cost about $1,000 to $1,500. The board approved a separate maintenance request in Drainage District 105 in Irvington Township to address an area that had been missed by a contractor's plan and where trees had grown into the ditch. The board approved that motion on a voice vote.

County staff noted Iowa Code 468.68, which governs drainage warrants and improvement certificates; the auditor may set warrant amounts but the code includes a $5,000 cap on warrant amounts unless otherwise provided. Supervisors discussed whether the historical $1,000 threshold had been raised to $5,000 and whether that change affects interest payments and the timing of clearing warrants.

No contested votes were recorded on the agenda items covered; board actions on permits and maintenance requests were approved by voice motions during the meeting.