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Residents urge Hardin County supervisors to reconsider pay raises and improve remote access
Summary
Public commenters criticized recent supervisor pay increases and urged the board to consider taxpayers’ financial pressure and add remote access (Zoom) for meetings; one commenter cited county rankings, poverty rates and supervisor pay increases over three years.
During public comment two residents raised concerns about county tax levies, supervisor pay increases and the accessibility of board meetings.
Speaker 6 said: “Population wise, Hardin County sits at number 45 out of 99,” and added that “close to 10% now of that population lives below the poverty level for Iowa.” The commenter urged supervisors to consider taxpayers’ financial pressure and asked whether officials “could take the taxpayers and the financial changes they are facing into consideration and skip this year for a change?” Speaker 6 also asserted that supervisors’ pay increases over the last three fiscal years totaled 19%.
Speaker 5 encouraged the board to offer Zoom and public-comment access like the City of Eldora and criticized an elected official who “trolls private citizens,” saying that behavior “needs to stop.” Speaker 5 said a Zoom option led to stronger public participation at a recent Eldora meeting and asked the county to follow that example.
The board did not take immediate action on the public comments during the meeting. The transcript records the remarks as part of the public-comment period.
