Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Millage topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Barry County commissioners agree to pursue August 2020 millage for jail and senior center
Summary
Barry County commissioners agreed to pursue placing a single millage question on the August 2020 ballot to address facility needs for the sheriff's department/jail and a new Commission on Aging facility, and directed staff to hold additional public forums and draft ballot language with consultant TowerPinkster.
The Barry County Board of Commissioners agreed to pursue placing a single millage question on the August 2020 ballot to fund facility needs for the sheriff's department and jail and for a new Commission on Aging (COA) building, and asked staff and their consultant to expand public outreach before finalizing ballot language.
At a Jan. 28–29 goal-setting committee meeting, consultant Nancy Ohle reviewed facility recommendations from the county's TowerPinkster master plan and the group applied a set of decision-making criteria—including risk, capital available, number of citizens served and confidence in a millage passing—to prioritize county goals. The commissioners said the top 2020 objective is to inform voters about facility challenges and seek approval through an August millage.
The board did not record a formal roll-call vote in the minutes; the document states there was consensus among commissioners to pursue the single-ballot approach. Commissioners also directed staff to schedule two additional community forums (target weeks of Feb. 10 and Feb. 24, with a third session in March), consider a community survey by TowerPinkster to validate support, and develop public information talking points and ambassadors to lead outreach. Action items recorded in the minutes include: Michael Brown contacting TowerPinkster about a survey; Commissioner Heather Wing checking availability of the Johnstown Fire Barn; and Commissioner Ben Geiger coordinating Facebook publicity for the forums.
Minutes list a timeline for drafting ballot language in early April with TowerPinkster's assistance and call for clear, measurable SMART goals before placing the question on the ballot. The minutes state the board's aim is to present a single issue on the August ballot and to inform voters of facility needs in advance of that election.
The next procedural steps recorded are the scheduled public forums in February and March and the April ballot-language draft; the minutes do not record any formal ballot language or a final board vote at this meeting.
