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Supervisors approve RFP to sell county property as concerns raised about alleged misuse at group home
Summary
The board approved an RFP to hire a realtor to sell surplus county property; during discussion a supervisor cited a lengthy news article alleging misuse of residents’ donated funds at a group home and asked the county or the group to brief supervisors on the claims.
The Des Moines County Board of Supervisors approved a request for proposals to engage a realtor to market county-owned surplus property, including an old redemption center and adjacent lots. Staff said the county plans to solicit at least three brokerages, post the opportunity on local platforms, and allow about a month for responses before returning with resolutions to dispose of property.
During discussion, a supervisor raised a multi-page newspaper article alleging that a group home (referred to in the transcript as the Walton Group Home or Hope Haven) had used some residents' donated funds for office furniture and other nonresident items. The supervisor said the article covers multiple years and expressed concern about whether donated funds had been used as intended.
"Some of it sounded like abuse to me," the supervisor said, and asked county staff to invite representatives or the organization to brief the board and to clarify whether the alleged issues have been fixed. The supervisor emphasized they were not making an accusation of any specific named person but wanted transparency for Des Moines County residents who donated money for services.
After the request for follow-up, the supervisor moved to approve the RFP and another supervisor seconded the motion; roll-call responses were recorded and the RFP authorization carried. The board did not take a separate formal action on the allegations during the meeting but asked staff to follow up and to arrange any briefing requested by board members.
No representative of the group named in the article appeared during the meeting to respond to the claims. The board did not direct a formal investigation in open session during this meeting.
