Tama County meeting roundup: three-year financial consultant contract approved, claims cleared, budget hearing set, jail inspection discussed

The Tama County Board of Supervisors on May 11 approved a three-year contract with Cost Advisory Services, authorized its vice-chairwoman to sign the agreement, and approved routine claims with one claim removed for further information. The Board also set a public hearing for a fiscal-year 2026 budget amendment for Monday, June 8, 2026, at 8:45 a.m.

Supervisor Curt Hilmer moved to approve the Cost Advisory Services three-year contract; Supervisor David Turner seconded the motion. The county attorney reviewed the contract, and the motion carried on a unanimous vote. The minutes state Cost Advisory Services currently holds contracts with 92 Iowa counties.

On claims, the Board approved regular claims totaling $186,005.26 and health claims totaling $96.90 but removed an Eide Bailly claim pending additional information from the sheriff; the rest of the claims were approved by unanimous vote. Supervisor David Turner reported he is continuing to research copier contracts and has contacted vendors to explore consolidating leases to reduce county costs; he also reported work with the IT Director to fix a denial-of-service issue and address the 911 recorder.

The minutes record that at 10:30 a.m. the Board held a work session with the sheriff to discuss a jail inspection from earlier that morning and to review the county jail’s condition and future needs; the minutes summarize that the session occurred but provide no details of findings or follow-up actions.

Public comment was recorded during the meeting; speakers named in the minutes include Karen Murty and Stacey Zeman. The regular meeting adjourned at 9:06 a.m.