Jasper County bypassed public input when purchasing the NewCare building in 2019, now they want taxpayer approval of $3.6M bond for renovations

Jasper County did not properly notify residents in 2019 of its intent to purchase the former NewCare building for $620,000 and is now asking taxpayers to vote in favor of a $3.6 million bond on Tuesday, March 2 to finance the construction costs of new administration offices.

On Oct. 8, 2019, the board of supervisors conducted its regularly scheduled meeting but did not include a more than $616,000 transfer order on its agenda. But according to the minutes published in the Oct. 15, 2019 agenda, supervisors unanimously approved the transfer in order to purchase the NewCare building.

Rather than placing the action on a subsequent agenda, supervisors instead amended the existing agenda at the Oct. 8 meeting to include the purchase at the last minute and bypassed any chance for public feedback.

All board discussions surrounding the real estate purchase took place during closed sessions, at which time supervisors negotiated with the buyer throughout July, August and September of 2019.

Open meetings law allows the county board of supervisors to discuss potential purchases of real estate in closed sessions, which are closed off from the general public and the press. Any final action on a real estate transaction must be taken in a public session.

Jasper County did so inconspicuously.

The purchase was omitted from the initial agenda and it was presented as another run-of-the-mill transfer order, receiving very little discussion as a result.

Only when prompted by the Newton News a week later to clarify some of the confusion did supervisors say what the building would be used for: a new administration office for county employees, many of which would be moving from the deteriorating Jasper County Annex Building.

Even with the supervisors’ assurances that the annex building issues were being addressed, the public had no prior knowledge of the county wanting to purchase the former NewCare building as a new location for administration offices until after the Oct. 8 meeting took place.

Jasper County citizens will decide fate of $3.6M bond referendum

Recently, the construction costs of the administration offices were estimated at $3.77 million, according to BBS Architects Engineers. The county pitched $3.6 million bond as a safe investment considering its low debt, which allows the bond to pass without raising the debt service levy past its current state.

Elected officials also say Jasper County will be debt free within six years.

About 13 county departments will operate from the new administration building:

• the county treasurer

• motor vehicle/driver’s license departments

• community development

• environmental health

• CICS (MH/DS)

• veterans affairs

• human resources

• public health

• economic development

• genealogy

• department of human services

• department of correctional services

• and juvenile correctional services

Apart from energy efficient amenities like LED lighting, the county administration office will come installed with a geothermal system and roof-mounted solar panels. Also included in the renovations are a backup generator and a “recharging room.”

The special election is held tomorrow — Tuesday, March 2. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some polling sites for some precincts have been changed. For more information contact the county auditor’s office at 641-792-7016 or email auditor@jaspercounty.iowa.gov.

Supervisors respond to Newton News

Newton News has yet to receive responses from supervisors as of presstime Sunday. Any and all responses from the county will be included in the online version of this article at www.newtondailynews.com.

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com