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Board approves easements, pipeline-inspection contract and several personnel and finance moves; denies Speak Up Be Safe funding
Summary
At its Feb. 24 meeting the Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors approved a contract for pipeline inspector services, granted easements for a City of Underwood trail, approved transfers to the county impact fund and personnel actions, and denied a $10,000 Speak Up Be Safe funding request. The board also met in closed session on labor negotiations and held a budget study session.
Pottawattamie County supervisors on Feb. 24 approved a series of routine and project-specific measures while denying one community funding request.
The board unanimously authorized the chairman to sign an agreement with engineering firm Snyder & Associates to provide inspector services for the Trailblazer CO2 Pipeline project (motion by Tim Wichman, second by Susan Miller). The board also approved Resolution No. 17‑2026 to grant a perpetual 10‑foot easement and a temporary 5‑foot easement on County Parcel 764216376002 (25103 Railroad Highway) to the City of Underwood for construction and maintenance of a multimodal trail; the city will install a new 6‑foot chain‑link fence along the perpetual easement after construction. Roll call on that resolution recorded AYES: Brian Shea (Chair), Tim Wichman (Supervisor), Susan Miller (Supervisor), Keith Jones (Supervisor); Jeff Jorgensen was absent.
On funding, the board denied a $10,000 request for the Speak Up Be Safe program. The denial motion (Wichman/Miller) passed 2–2 with Wichman and Miller voting yes and Shea and Jones voting no; because no majority supported the appropriation the funding request failed. A later motion by Jones to approve $5,000 from the Public Health budget failed for lack of a second.
The board approved transferring building permit fee overages to the Pottawattamie County Impact Fund at the end of fiscal 2025–2026 (Jones/Wichman) and approved a job description and pay for an Office Clerk–Civil Division position and authorized posting (Wichman/Jones). The minutes record several personnel filings received and filed, including hires in Conservation and payroll status paperwork for the Auditor's office, and an out‑of‑state travel notification for Medical Examiner Karen Foreman.
The board discussed a multicounty 28E agreement related to the Juvenile Detention Center and emergency juvenile services and requested that Melissa Vanderpool, Director with SWI Juvenile, attend the March 3 meeting for further discussion. Several items were discussion‑only and no formal action was taken on the 28E agreement at this meeting.
The board entered closed session under Iowa Code 20.17(3) to discuss labor negotiations and then exited closed session. The minutes note Supervisor Susan Miller disconnected from the meeting during this period. The board also held a budget study session; the minutes list Mitch Kay as appearing for the Farm‑to‑Market road discussion (identified earlier in the minutes as Mayor of the City of McClelland) and later identify a Mitch Kay as Chief Financial Officer for the budget discussion. The minutes supply both titles; the record does not reconcile the discrepancy.
The board adjourned at 12:19 p.m. on a motion by Keith Jones, seconded by Tim Wichman.
Votes at a glance: Res. 17‑2026 (Underwood easements) — approved, AYES: Shea, Wichman, Miller, Jones, ABSENT: Jorgensen. Snyder & Associates agreement — approved, unanimous. Speak Up Be Safe $10,000 request — denied (Wichman and Miller yes; Shea and Jones no); $5,000 substitute motion failed for lack of a second. Building permit fee overages transfer — approved, unanimous.
