Mills County supervisors approve pay steps, personnel moves, purchases and adopt UEI policy; Tallgrass pipeline item tabled

Speaker 1 (Unidentified Speaker) presided over a routine Mills County Board of Supervisors meeting in which the board approved a series of administrative and personnel actions and set a public hearing on a budget amendment for March 3 at 08:15.

The board approved the consent agenda, which included minutes from Feb. 3, the jail report, accounts payable and the recorder’s report, after a motion by Speaker 1. Speaker 4 noted a problem with the accounts-payable report from the vendor Solutions — some items were missing after a second run — and said staff would reopen a support ticket to resolve the error.

The board voted to adopt a step pay system for nonunion employees after Speaker 6 described the protocol as intended "to promote longevity and reward that experience" to aid hiring and retention; the measure was described as effective in July. The supervisors also approved moving a universal clerk (Megan) from part time to full time at $29.28 an hour effective March 9, a change Speaker 4 said was already budgeted for the current and next fiscal year.

On purchases, the board approved acquisition of a VX20 floor scrubber for custodial supplies at a cost of $7,705.31 following a presentation by Speaker 3 outlining machine size, warranty differences and maintenance expectations. The board also authorized shredding older accounts‑payable records in accordance with the adopted Iowa County records retention manual.

Speaker 4 told the board that Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management now requires each department to have its own Unique Entity Identifier to receive grants, and the board adopted a UEI policy and authorized the chair to sign entity authorization letters so departments can pursue awards.

The board set a public hearing for Budget Amendment No. 3 (ending June 30, 2026) for March 3 at 08:15. Speaker 4 said the amendment includes additional funding for attorney office computer purchases partially covered by state reimbursement, IT software for the assessor, added public‑health grant revenue and expenses, and funds for pipeline inspections should those needs materialize before year end.

The board discussed a DOT proposal regarding the Risk Road bridge, reporting that DOT initially offered $1.5 million to take out or replace the bridge and later increased that figure to $1.75 million; Speaker 6 said adjusted-for-inflation estimates bring the 2020 offer close to $1.96 million and asked the board to provide a decision by the following week because DOT is preparing plans.

An agenda item concerning signing documents for the Tallgrass CO2 pipeline was left on the table. Speaker 6 (the county engineer, identified in the transcript as Jacob Pearl) said staff had not reached agreement with a participant named John, and that Deshond would review the paperwork when back in the office; the board agreed to table the item one more week.

The meeting concluded with routine updates on jail staffing (a new hire began work Feb. 2), vehicle insurance/repairs, and public‑safety training plans tied to Tallgrass’ community outreach; Speaker 1 said Tallgrass plans to offer roughly $5,000 grants to local departments and will provide CO2 response training in March–April.

Votes at a glance • Consent agenda: approved (motion by Speaker 1; voice vote). • Retail alcohol licenses (including Beliterra): approved (voice vote). • Step pay system for nonunion employees: approved (motion carried). • Universal clerk moved to full time at $29.28/hr effective March 9: approved. • Shredding of AP materials per records retention manual: approved. • Floor scrubber purchase (VX20 model): approved ($7,705.31). • Adoption of UEI policy and authorization to sign entity letters: approved. • Public hearing for Budget Amendment No. 3 set for March 3, 08:15: approved. • Tallgrass pipeline signing: tabled for further review.

What happens next: The board asked for a final decision on the DOT bridge offer by the following week, scheduled the March 3 public hearing on the budget amendment and left the Tallgrass signing on the agenda for another review. Several vendors and internal staff were tasked with follow‑up (repairing the accounts‑payable report, finalizing UEI authorizations, and processing personnel paperwork).