Humboldt County approves payments for road and bridge work, greenlights Midland Power undergrounding and updates MOU with Wright County

The Humboldt County board voted to approve several payments for road and bridge projects, granted Midland Power permission to convert an overhead electric line to underground near Thor, and approved an amended memorandum of understanding with Wright County to eliminate a required joint conference call for levy assessments.

The board approved pay voucher actions tied to recent construction. Staff reported pay voucher No. 1 for project LC102290 — a bridge replacement near the property referenced as Bob Nellis’s — is complete except for retainage. The board also approved payment on voucher LC102291 (amount not specified in the transcript). The board approved a separate voucher for an STBG swap project inside the Thor city limits: the motion to pay $127,379.43 (voucher listed as STBG swap parent 601) carried. Meeting discussion noted the STBG swap was initially funded from the county’s farm-to-market account and the state of Iowa will reimburse the county for the project costs.

County staff described the county’s approach to bridges shorter than 20 feet: those structures “fell off” the Iowa Department of Transportation inspection list in the late 1980s/early 1990s, so the county began its own inspections about five years ago, with outside inspector Chuck Britzen participating. The county inspects sub-20-foot spans on a five‑year cycle and has replaced several with box culverts or repurposed railroad cars; staff said the life expectancy of those replacements is roughly 75 years. Two more box culvert installations remain for the summer, described as Bridge No. 33 (near Dean Kitley’s old place on Texas Avenue) and Bridge No. 36 (on Iowa Avenue south of C49). Staff also said crews were working to re-open 250th Street once the roadway firms up after rain.

The board approved an application allowing Midland Power to relocate an overhead line to underground west of Highway 169 near acreage identified in the record as Phil Maves’s. The work will install a single vault adjacent to an existing pole at the east end of the underground run; the board voted to carry the permit motion.

Separately, board members voted to approve an amended memorandum of understanding with Wright County that removes the requirement to hold a joint board meeting for levy assessments while keeping existing paperwork and signature exchanges in place. Wright County’s board voted in favor; the Humboldt County board also voted in favor.

Votes at a glance - Agenda: approved (motion carried). - July 7 minutes: approved (motion carried). - Claims: approved (motion carried; transcript records one dissenting vote on the claims roll call). - Pay voucher LC102291 (bridge project): motion to approve payment carried (amount not specified in transcript). - STBG swap (Thor) — voucher/pay request for $127,379.43 (STBG swap parent 601): approved. - Midland Power application (overhead-to-underground near Thor/Phil Maves acreage): approved. - Amended memorandum of understanding between Humboldt and Wright County about joint levies: approved by both counties. - Motion to go into drainage and exit drainage (procedural): recorded and carried. - Adjournment: motion carried.

Why this matters: The approved payments advance multiple local bridge and street repairs and replacements that affect farm-to-market access and harvest-season traffic. The STBG swap reimbursement structure means the county fronts costs but will be reimbursed by the state. The MOU change with Wright County reduces the administrative step of a joint conference call during levy assessments, a change that county officials said will streamline inter-county levy administration.

The board’s discussion included clarifying technical points rather than policy debates: which small bridges remain under county inspection, the timing of remaining box‑culvert installations, and short-term road firmness after heavy rain. Several operational items — driveways, driveway framing calls from residents, and temporary soft spots created by contractor equipment — were reported by staff as issues being addressed.