Board of Supervisors hears rural dumpsite update at Monday session

by Bob Beach

During the regular meeting of the Allamakee County Board of Supervisors Monday, May 23, the Board met with Allamakee County Solid Waste Director Dave Mooney to discuss recent changes related to the closure of the rural dump site near Waterville. Mooney said that since the Dalby dumpsite had been closed and a truck has been made available once a week to collect waste at the Secondary Roads shop near Waterville, 43 vehicles had dropped off nearly 3,500 pounds of waste.
Based on those figures, Mooney said that this solution is working in that area. Mooney said that while he had received some complaints about the closure of the rural dump site, “the bottom line is that the reason the Dalby site isn’t there is that it couldn’t stay there. People need to realize we’re under the DNR’s mandates. We don’t have a choice. There has to be some control.”
Mooney added that since the closure of the site near Waterville, other sites have seen an increase in abuse. Mooney suggested that a meeting be held with township trustees, who may suggest an alternative, though the options are limited. Chairman Larry Schellhammer said that he would like to continue a dialogue on the issue through the summer.

The Board also met with CPC Jan Heikes, who presented the Board with service contact renewals with Makee Manor, TASC, Northeast Iowa Behavioral Health and Northeast Iowa Transit. After the Board approved the contracts, Heikes updated the Board on proposed cuts in funding for mental health services at the state level.
Heikes said the proposed cuts are the result of “the perfect storm of political will,” with the Senate looking at changes in services and the House looking at tax relief. She explained that since Allamakee County provides only basic core services, the proposed cuts probably won’t result in any reduction in services here, but urban counties that provide more services now could potentially lose some of those services. Heikes added that she would continue to work towards regionalization of mental health services, which would help rural counties keep some measure of control.

During public comment time, Frank Gaines of Lansing suggested setting up an area that would illustrate the current requirements for driveways under the County’s zoning ordinance, including the 22-foot width, 60-foot right-of-way and 80-foot turn around. Chairman Schellhammer said Gaines’ idea is a good one and that of all the boards, the E-911 Board has “frustrated me the most.” Supervisor Sherry Strub added that she recognizes that a lot of people are not happy about the driveway requirements and the Board is trying to address it.

In other business, the Board met with County Engineer Brian Ridenour, who presented the Board with a resolution for the temporary closure of County Road B-25 (Lansing Harpers Road) for repairs to the bridge over Cota Creek. Ridenour said the repairs would begin May 31 with completion expected in two and a half to three weeks. The Board approved the resolution.
The Board approved the liquor license renewal for The Natural Gait and a fireworks permit for Tom Rothwell and the Allamakee County Republicans for a political event May 27 (rain date May 28). The Board also signed one-year contracts with the unions representing Secondary Roads and Sheriff’s Department employees that include a $50 per month increase in the health insurance benefit and a 50 cent per hour raise across the board.