The Muscatine County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 22 appointed Corey Talkington to serve as interim Muscatine County attorney beginning Jan. 5, 2026 and through the November election period.

Chair said the appointment followed a committee process that included Sheriff Reese, Kayla, Eric Furnace and local attorney Jamie Boston. "She was very widely recommended by folks in the law enforcement and people who worked with her," the chair said. The board moved, seconded and approved the interim appointment by voice/roll-call. Staff said Talkington’s interim appointment positions her to run for the office in due course.

The board also canvassed the Dec. 17 Montpelier Sanitary Sewer District election: County Auditor Tybee Vanderlyn reported that Kim Cox received 22 votes and Randy Firkle received 5 votes for the trustee six-year term, and Kim Cox was declared elected.

In other business the board accepted a recommendation from County Engineer Brian to award the county pavement-marking contract to Advanced Traffic Control. Brian said the biennial project drew three valid bids (a fourth was not included after being mailed to the wrong address), and that the winning bids were roughly 10–12% higher than county estimates; the board approved the contract award by motion and voice vote.

County Development Director Eric Furnace recommended appointing Justin Yant to the Muscatine County Building Board of Appeals for a three-year term ending Dec. 31, 2028; the board approved the appointment. The board also adopted two administrative policy updates: a revised lease-asset policy to add subscription-based technology assets under GASB guidance and a revised claims submittal policy reflecting accounts-payable payroll responsibility moving to the administration office.

The board approved the minutes of its Dec. 15, 2025 meeting and discussed budget planning for FY 2026–27, including whether to budget for an additional county attorney position. County staff identified forfeiture/fine funds previously transferred to the board as a possible partial funding source but did not provide final allocations.

Auditor Vanderlyn and appropriate department staff will follow up with administrative documentation and contract paperwork as needed.