Rush County meeting approves claims, adopts unpaid‑leave resolution and OKs GIS data agreement

At a Rush County meeting, officials approved routine financial claims and payroll, adopted a new resolution to allow unpaid leave for employees to attend school attendance and case conference committee meetings effective July 1, approved a GIS data‑sharing agreement with HWC Engineering, heard a request from the prosecutor’s office to apply for a grant to fund a domestic‑violence prosecutor, and tabled bids for courthouse landscaping and concrete work pending further review.

The board approved accounts payable for June 30 of $294,460.76 and payroll claims for July 3 of $264,512.31 by voice vote. A health‑insurance plan acceptance page and the client benefits summary were also presented and approved.

Speaker 2 told the group that a state law change effective July 1 requires employers to allow employees to attend school attendance meetings and case conference committee meetings. To implement the change locally, staff prepared a formal resolution to add unpaid leave for those purposes to the county’s personnel policy; the meeting approved the resolution and the auditor’s office will assign a number so it can be included in personnel policy.

Laura Holt, who introduced herself as a deputy prosecutor, asked the meeting to approve applying for a grant referred to in the transcript as the “stock grama,” which is due July 30. Holt said the prosecutor’s office requested the same grant amount as last year — $41,021.08 — with a county match of $13,673.69 that would be paid from diversion funds in the prosecutor’s office.

The meeting approved a GIS data‑sharing agreement presented with HWC Engineering (transcript reference was to “Brush County,” corrected here to Rush County for consistency with local naming). The agreement was motioned, seconded and approved by voice vote.

Regarding courthouse site work, staff reported that bid submissions closed at 9 a.m.; one landscaping bid for $79,229 (including labor and materials) and one construction/concrete bid for $162,625 were received. The board moved, seconded and voted to table consideration of those bids for additional review.

Jail staff reported maintenance problems in recent days, including a freezer compressor failure for the kitchen (staff obtained a portable freezer to avoid food loss) and air‑handler issues. The jail update also noted an incident in which a person who resisted law enforcement was brought to the hospital and to jail and there was possible blood exposure; speakers said the precise transfer point and details were unclear and are being reviewed.

The meeting also heard a brief note that the first coat/covering work on Bridge 94 is finished, with guardrail work and painting remaining.

Next steps noted in the meeting: the auditor’s office will number the new personnel policy resolution for inclusion in policy files; the county will review the courthouse project bids in more detail before taking action; and the prosecutor’s office will proceed with the grant application process before the July 30 deadline. The clerk’s office also announced a new hire who will start in a couple of weeks.