Benton County supervisors approve claims, tax abatement and negotiator designation; several routine items pass unanimously

The Benton County Board of Supervisors on Nov. 7 approved routine business including EMS claims, a $7 tax abatement for the Iowa Department of Transportation and a resolution designating a negotiator for the board in upcoming collective-bargaining negotiations.

The board unanimously approved the day’s agenda and prior meeting minutes before taking up claims. A staff member read EMS/ambulance claim line items that included Urbana Polk ($6,190.47), Van Horn ($948.09 and $1,126.68), Norway ($127.54), Keystone ($11.66), Bell Plains ($1,777.14 and $205.97) and other smaller items. The board voted to approve the EMS claims as presented.

Treasury staff reported one delinquent tax notice involving the Iowa Department of Transportation that carried $6 in tax plus $1 in penalty, for a total of $7. The board moved to adopt resolution 25-88 to abate that tax amount; the motion passed with named ayes recorded during the roll call.

Supervisors also approved a personnel item to carry over vacation time for an employee (Park Fetzer) and set a land-use hearing for Matt and Michelle Friedman on Dec. 2 at 9:15 a.m. The board approved a motion to temporarily increase a credit-card limit through Dec. 12, 2025; the amount discussed in the meeting record was not clearly stated and is recorded here as not specified in the transcript.

County Attorney Derek Warner presented a draft resolution under county code (chapter 20) that would allow the board to designate a negotiator for bargaining with labor groups. The board adopted resolution 25-89 to designate a negotiator for the next bargaining cycle; the motion carried on a roll call vote with named ayes recorded.

At the end of the open meeting, the board voted to enter a closed session under Iowa Code 21.5(1)(j) to discuss the purchase or sale of particular real estate where premature disclosure could disadvantage the county.

Votes at a glance • Agenda and minutes: approved (unanimous) • EMS claims: approved (unanimous); line items read into the record, total for the read segment $11,743.67 (per staff read) • Resolution 25-88 (tax abatement for Iowa Department of Transportation): approved (unanimous) • Carryover vacation (Park Fetzer): approved (unanimous) • Set land-use hearing for Matt and Michelle Friedman (Dec. 2, 9:15 a.m.): approved (unanimous) • Temporary credit-card limit increase through Dec. 12, 2025: approved; amount not specified in transcript • Resolution 25-89 (designation of a negotiator for collective bargaining): approved (unanimous) • Motion to enter closed session under Iowa Code 21.5(1)(j): approved (unanimous)

The meeting record shows roll-call style affirmations during votes (for example, “Tippett, aye,” followed by other named aye responses). The transcript does not include full roll-call tallies or identify every board member present; votes are reported where recorded in the minutes.