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Clinton County supervisors approve hires, continue legal representation and certify corrected election abstract
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Summary
On March 16, 2026 the Clinton County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved multiple consent-agenda items, including the hiring of a Medical Examiner Transporter, continuation of legal representation with Eric Updegraff at his new firm, several utility permits and claims totaling $373,385.59; the board also certified a corrected election abstract for a Delwood School Director race for record-keeping.
The Clinton County Board of Supervisors met March 16, 2026, and unanimously approved a consent agenda that included the hiring of a Medical Examiner Transporter, several utility permits, continuation of county legal representation with an attorney who changed firms, and certification of a corrected election abstract.
On the consent agenda the board approved Resolution 2026-45 appointing Benjamin Ludemann as a Clinton County Medical Examiner Transporter, to begin March 16, 2026. The resolution specifies a per-trip rate, an hourly on-call rate of $1.42 and an hourly training rate of $18.00. The hire was adopted by roll call vote: Irwin — Yes; George — Yes; Srp — Yes.
The board also approved Resolution 2026-46 to grant property tax suspension petitions under Code of Iowa Section 427.8 for Brenda and Thomas Cooper (Parcel #1208370000) covering the 2024 and 2025 assessment years; eligibility had been verified by Kim Ralston, CAP Director.
Supervisor Irwin moved — and the board approved — a series of utility permits authorizing work by ITC Midwest and Comcast in county right-of-way. Permits authorized mowing and brush removal and hardware replacement for ITC Midwest (Utility Permits No. 35-8 and 35-10-26) and boring new fiber-optic lines for Comcast (Utility Permits Nos. 39-3-26, 39-4-26 and 39-5-26) in specified Clinton County townships; each motion carried by unanimous roll call.
By Resolution 2026-47 the board resolved to continue legal representation with attorney Eric Updegraff following his transition from Hopkins & Huebner, P.C. to the law firm Hinders, Updegraff, and Franklin, P.L.C. The resolution directs the County Attorney and staff to cooperate in transferring files for pending matters, including White et al. v. Board of Supervisors of Clinton County, Case No. CVCV051285.
The board accepted a Wage Study Committee recommendation via Resolution 2026-48 to correct Appendix D separation percentages for the Sheriff’s Office command staff in the Clinton County Compensation Policy.
Sitting as the county Board of Canvassers, the supervisors acknowledged a Corrected Abstract of Votes for the Nov. 4, 2025 Delwood School Director District 4 race (Resolution 2026-49). The county auditor discovered a clerical error in write-in tallies; the corrected materials indicate Lyndsey Eberhart received the highest number of valid write-in votes. The board certified the corrected abstract for record-keeping but noted Iowa law precludes reopening the official canvass after the statutory deadlines for recounts and contests had passed.
The board authorized expenditures for replacement boilers at the Law Center to be paid from Capital Projects following a motion by Supervisor Irwin; that motion carried at 9:14 a.m.
Finally, the board approved vendor claims as presented, with a grand total of $373,385.59 distributed across county funds. Major fund totals recorded in the claims list included General Basic $255,899.90 and Secondary Roads $84,638.67. The roll call on claims approval was Irwin — Yes; George — Yes; Srp — Yes.
County Auditor David Troester certified the claims list as complete and accurate. The board adjourned and scheduled its next meeting for Monday, March 23, 2026, at 9:00 a.m.