March 29, 2024

JCCE makes last report under Jasper County jurisdiction

At Tuesday’s Jasper County Board of Supervisors meeting, Jasper County Community Empowerment Director Nicole Brua-Behrens delivered the 2013 fiscal year report, which will be the last report delivered before JCCE merges with Marion and Poweshiek counties.

“This will be the last year and the new fiscal agent is the Greater Poweshiek Community Foundation in Grinnell,” Brua-Behrens said. “This will be it for all of you and I think it’s been a great working relationship.”

JCCE provides many programs for children in the county between zero and five years of age and will continue to do so after the merger is complete. The board approved the last report, which listed $75,735.57 in expenditures for 2013.

Jasper County IT Director Celia Robertson and Jasper County Information Systems Network Administrator Ryan Eaton presented a bid for a PRI T1 fiber line to put in place to go forward with the county’s new phones system.

“PRI is all of our phone lines combined into one,” Eaton said. “It will reduce the cost per line from $55 per line to three-cents per line. It will continue to keep the fax lines in the event that the fiber gets cut or a disaster (happens), you can still pick up a phone and plug it into a fax machine.”

The wining bid came from West Des Moines-based Iowa Network Services for $1,338.44 a month for 36 months.

County Treasurer Doug Bishop delivered his semi-annual report to the board. On Jan. 1, the county had a beginning fund balance of $16,287,929.78 and as of June 1 the fund balance sat at $16,607,200.80. In the same time frame, the county had $36,381,762.72 in revenue and $36,062,491.70 in disbursements.

Bishop presented the county’s Local Option Sales Tax receipts from the Iowa Department of Revenue. The county is projected to receive $1,225,700.67, which Bishop said is around $4,000 more than last year. Bishop also received approval for an abatement on outstanding Digital Teleport taxes from 2001. Bishop described the abatement as old taxes in the system that needed cleaning up.

An item that was a last minute addition to the agenda, County Sanitarian Kevin Luetters informed the board that another request for a hog confinement had been submitted. Gregg and Larry Pleima of Elk Creek Township wish to expand their confinement to accommodate 2,592 animals units and 6,480 swine finishers.

The board set a public hearing date of Sept. 17 at 9:30 a.m. and public comment and inspections request can be submitted to the Jasper County Environmental Office at 115. N. Second Ave. E. in Newton until Sept. 16 between the hours of 7 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Jasper County Community Services Director/Central Point Coordinator Jody Eaton presented the recently written bylaws for the Central Iowa Community Services Region, of which Jasper County is a member.

The board accepted the bylaws and Eaton said she had County Attorney Mike Jacobsen look them over and liked the addition of the roll call vote being in the bylaws as well as the fact the chairman only has a two-year term.

In other business:

• Jasper County Highway Department received approval to purchase 48 steel beams for the completion of two future bridge projects. The winning bid came from Oden Enterprises of Wahoo, Neb. for $35,290.08.

• The office also received approval to accept a bid from Gilbert-based KAM Line Highway Markings to paint county roads, crosswalks, stop bars, and railroad crossings. KAM’s bid of $43,582.41 was almost $13,000 less than the nearest competitor.

• Jacobsen received approval to add an addendum to the county’s contract with Thomas Reuters Elite, to upgrade his office’s software to ProLaw XII. The upgrade will cost $3,632 and Jacobsen said it was necessary and if it didn’t take place now, the county would have to have it completed by early next year.

Staff writer Ty Rushing may be contacted at (641) 792-3121, ext. 426, or at trushing@newtondailynews.com.