Supervisors hear multi-priority action plans on training, economic development, safety and mental health

Black Hawk County staff and action-planning teams presented four interlocking priorities to the Board of Supervisors on July 7: professional development and accountability, economic development, facility safety and a three-year mental-health strategy.

Professional development: Amanda Fosmer (human resources) and colleagues urged a countywide, standardized 1-on-1 coaching process to build trust and accountability. The team recommended an initial 60‑minute meeting followed by 30‑minute quarterly check-ins and a small set of one‑time implementation supports including templates, supervisor practice workshops and a $15,000 one‑time training ask. "Our first recommendation here is that we need to focus on building trust first," Trevor Davis, a park ranger and team member, told the board; "the accountability will follow." The presenters said the model is low cost but requires a leadership expectation that supervisors schedule and prioritize the time.

Economic development: A supporting team led by County Engineer Cathy Nicholas reported on stakeholder outreach to local cities, planning and zoning staff and Grow Cedar Valley. The group said county authority is constrained in many development areas (sewer, water, subdivision rules and lot-size requirements driven by state agencies), recommended better policy alignment with cities and proposed a short list of potential actions—streamlining event liquor licensing, exploring shared services and evaluating whether a county economic development role is warranted. The team plans one or two additional meetings before returning with a final set of recommendations.

Safety and security: Brad Metcalfe, safety coordinator, proposed an annual countywide safety-and-training day (CPR, Stop the Bleed, active assailant response, fire and tornado drills) and suggested assessing existing camera systems and video-analytics vendors to improve threat detection and mass notification. Metcalfe noted the county ran similar active-assailant training in 2018 with positive feedback and recommended a predictable training calendar and use of in-house instructors where feasible.

Mental-health plan: Caitlin Emrick presented a final draft of a five-strategy, three-year action plan focused on coordination with existing behavioral-health systems, prevention and literacy, pre-booking justice workflows, county-as‑employer supports and data stewardship. The plan emphasizes partnership over creating a standalone county system and includes a quarterly implementation timeline beginning 07/01/2026. Emrick asked the board for feedback and eventual approval of governance and sustainability arrangements for the plan.

What happens next: The board generally endorsed moving forward with the action planning work and asked teams to refine implementation steps, budget requests and measurement approaches; several supervisors suggested follow-up work sessions to resolve details before formal funding decisions.