Linn County board approves nearly $3 million in claims, signs two easements and moves into closed session

The Linn County board met Monday, March 31, at the Gene Oxley Public Service Center and approved a package of claims and two temporary easements tied to the county’s road department headquarters project.

During the meeting the board approved claims dated March 28, including payroll deduction checks of $12,704.79 and ACH payments of $61,264.91, and it recorded a Ceridian Funds Trust wire of $2,160,697.81. The transcript also records an EFT wire amount that appears garbled in the record; a total of $2,992,937.06 was stated as the total paid. The motion to approve the claims carried on a voice vote.

The board also authorized the chair to sign a temporary storm sewer easement and a sanitary sewer easement in right of way for the road department headquarters project; both motions were seconded and approved by voice vote.

Earlier in the meeting the board opened a public hearing on naming a new private road associated with the Wabeek Bluffs subdivision (proposed name: Wabeek Bluffs Road). Garrett Redish, identified in the record as county assistant engineer, told the board he did not believe the hearing required publication because the item is for establishment of a new private road rather than a road name change. No members of the public spoke; the board closed the hearing without further action.

The board approved payroll authorization and an employment change roster by voice vote. Linn County Attorney Nick Maibanks presented a vacancy form for a full‑time felony prosecutor position and said the office intends to promote from within; the vacancy discussion was placed on the consent agenda for future processing (see separate item).

Toward the end of the public session the board voted to enter closed session to discuss pending litigation, citing the Code of Iowa (the transcript records the citation as "code of Iowa 21.51 C." as stated by a board member). The meeting recessed upstairs for the closed session. A board member also announced a joint meeting with the Linn County Farm Bureau at 4 p.m. at the Farm Bureau building, 1323 Boyson Road, Hiawatha.

Questions and clarifications recorded during the meeting included staff confirmation that HR and Budget & Finance had signed the vacancy form, and a staff clarification that the road‑naming item was an establishment of a private road. The transcript contains some garbled text for one EFT figure and for the statute citation; those items are noted in the clarifying details below.