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Kossuth County supervisors approve claims, select architect and raise well and septic permit fees
Summary
At their Feb. 17 meeting, the Kossuth County Board of Supervisors approved $915,670.56 in claims, acknowledged budget transfers, approved a PILOT for Maplewood Apartments (Algona), authorized up to five replacement copy machines, selected Bergland & Cram as architect for an Emergency Response Complex and raised well and septic permit fees; Supervisor Kyle Stecker abstained on the permit-fee vote and later left the meeting.
The Kossuth County Board of Supervisors met on Feb. 17, 2026, and handled routine financial and administrative business, approved several procurement and capital decisions, and continued budget workshops. Chairman Carter Nath called the session to order at 8:00 a.m.; Supervisors Howard Haas, Kyle Stecker and Amber Garman were present and Supervisor Josh Waechter was absent.
Most immediately, the board approved the agenda and the minutes of the Feb. 10 meeting after a motion by Supervisor Amber Garman and a second from Supervisor Howard Haas. The board then unanimously approved claims, conservation claims and drainage claims, which were listed in the published claims register with a reported grand total of $915,670.56.
The board acknowledged two transfers processed by the Kossuth County Auditor on Feb. 12: a $50,000 transfer from General Basic to Capital Projects and a $500,000 transfer from Rural Basic to Secondary Road for Local Option Sales Tax purposes. The board also noted that a monthly update with the Veteran’s Affairs Director is scheduled for next week.
On specific items, the board took the following actions: it approved a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) for Maplewood Apartments in Algona after a motion by Supervisor Amber Garman and a second by Supervisor Kyle Stecker. The board authorized Information Technology to order up to five replacement copy machines in fiscal year 2025–2026, by a motion moved by Supervisor Kyle Stecker and seconded by Supervisor Amber Garman.
The board selected Bergland & Cram as the architect for the planned Emergency Response Complex following a motion from Supervisor Amber Garman with a second from Supervisor Howard Haas. The motion carried unanimously.
The board approved an increase in county permit fees to $125 for well permits and $150 for septic permits after a motion by Supervisor Howard Haas and a second by Supervisor Amber Garman. Supervisor Kyle Stecker abstained from that vote; the remaining supervisors voted in favor. Shortly after that vote, Supervisor Stecker left the meeting.
The meeting record shows a discussion with the Kossuth County Engineer and an item noting there was no construction in the county right-of-way; the transcript does not capture the substance of the engineer discussion. Melissa Loehr of the Iowa Primary Care Association gave an update and overview; the transcript does not record the content of her remarks. Budget workshops continued during the session with a focus on self-insurance and departmental budget reviews.
The board adjourned at 12:39 p.m. after a motion by Supervisor Howard Haas and a second by Supervisor Amber Garman.
Votes at a glance: The meeting record shows unanimous approval for the agenda and minutes (motion by Amber Garman, second Howard Haas); unanimous approval of claims, conservation claims and drainage claims (motion by Howard Haas, second Amber Garman); unanimous approval of the PILOT for Maplewood Apartments (motion by Amber Garman, second Kyle Stecker); unanimous authorization for IT to order up to five copy machines (motion by Kyle Stecker, second Amber Garman); unanimous selection of Bergland & Cram as architect (motion by Amber Garman, second Howard Haas); approval to raise well permits to $125 and septic permits to $150 (motion by Howard Haas, second Amber Garman) with Supervisor Kyle Stecker recorded as abstaining; and unanimous adjournment (motion by Howard Haas, second Amber Garman).
Several items referenced in the record—chiefly the Iowa Primary Care Association update and the details of the engineer and auditor discussions—are not described in the transcript and therefore are reported here as not specified in the meeting record.
The next scheduled county item noted in the transcript is a monthly update with the Veteran’s Affairs Director next week, and budget workshops are expected to continue.
