Supervisors hold pair of meetings within past week

by Bob Beach

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met last Tuesday, September 3 due to the Labor Day holiday and reconvened Monday, September 9. Coverage of both meetings follows:

SEPTEMBER 3
During its holiday-delayed meeting Tuesday, September 3 the Board met with Allamakee County Attorney Jill Kistler to discuss the County's legal representation in an ongoing union grievance. Supervisor Sherry Strub had previously expressed the opinion that the County should be represented during mediation on the matter by the County Attorney. Allamakee County Engineer Brian Ridenour told the Board that attorney Rick Zahasky had represented the County in union matters for years and Kistler questioned whether or not there is a formal agreement with Zahasky regarding that representation. Kistler said that one attorney should represent the County in all union matters for the sake of consistency, noting that Zahasky had developed union negotiations as an area of expertise over the years. She said that she would contact Zahasky to find out if a formal agreement is in place for his services.
In response to reports that the Board is considering selling some items at Makee Manor prior to the planned public auction and is also considering selling the building, Glen Monroe of Monroe Auction Service advised the Board to first auction the building and its contents. He said that if the building and contents do not sell, the County could proceed with the auction of the contents. In either case, he advised the Board not to sell the contents piecemeal prior to the auction.
The Board agreed, determining not to take any action on an offer for the purchase of several bedroom sets from the building. The Board also scheduled a public meeting on the future of Makee Manor for Monday, September 16 at 7 p.m. in the Board room at the courthouse.
The Board also met with Chris Sans Crainte of Gundersen Lutheran Health Care, who explained the County's obligations under the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). He said that 2014 would be a "big year for health care reform" and that federally mandated rule changes would go into effect on the County's policy for employees on the policy's renewal date next July.
He said that there would not be any dramatic changes to the County's policy, noting also that the County would not be affected by the so-called "pay or play" employer mandate since its contribution to employee health insurance is sufficient to qualify under that provision, which has been delayed until 2015. Sans Crainte said that the County's only immediate responsibility under the Affordable Care Act is to send a notice to all of its employees that exchanges to purchase individual policies for coverage January 1, 2014 will open October 1. He added that County employees would be unlikely to find a more affordable policy on the exchange than the County currently offers them.
Sans Crainte also told the Board that changes under the Affordable Care Act would likely result in an increase in the cost of the County's health insurance premium by as much as five percent in addition to any other annual increases.
In other business, the Board opened bids for the repair of Dug Road, which has remained closed since flooding this spring. Skyline Construction of Decorah was the only bidder for the project. Ridenour said that the bid of $225,997.69 is significantly higher than his initial estimate of approximately $197,000 and that he would review the bid and make a recommendation at the Board's next meeting.

SEPTEMBER 9
During its regular meeting Monday, September 9 the Board met with Allamakee County Engineer Brian Ridenour, who reported that Skyline Construction's bid of $225,997.69 was correct as read. He said that the bid exceeds the project's estimated cost by approximately 14.5%, adding that as a disaster-related project, the cost had not been included in the budget.
While 75% of the project cost will be covered by FEMA, the funds for the up-front cost aren't currently available. He said that he had contacted FEMA about an advance payment for the project, but had not yet received a response, adding that he would look into other funding options, such as a loan or inter-fund transfer. Ridenour said that he could not recommend that the Board accept the bid until he could determine how to pay for the project. The Board agreed to table the matter until Friday, September 13.
The Board also held a public hearing regarding an application by Paint Creek Cabins to change its zoning district classification from A1 (agricultural) to R2 (residential). Allamakee County Zoning Administrator Tom Blake said that the request was made to allow for construction on lots smaller than three acres and that the Planning and Zoning Commission had recommended approval. Hearing no comments from the public, the public hearing was then closed. The Board will consider the request at its next regular meeting Monday, September 16.
The Board was also scheduled to meet with the Postville City Council at 7 p.m. Monday night, September 9 to discuss the distribution of funds from the settlement for overdue property taxes with SHF Industries, owner of the Agristar meat packing facility.