The Henry County Board of Supervisors held their regular board meeting on Thursday, July 18 at the Henry County Courthouse*. With ten agenda items and a full room of department heads and citizens, the meeting began at 9 A.M. and moved along quickly. Here are the highlights:
Henry County Engineer (Secondary Roads)
During the Henry County Road Department’s weekly update, the Supervisors approved the hiring of two individuals and signed fuel contracts with Cobb Oil. Makayla Kruse will begin a full-time position as Office Assistant on August 1, 2024, and Kyle Leichty will begin as a part-time Equipment Operator on July 29, 2024.
If you live in the northern part of Henry County, you might see the paint crews out painting lines on the roads this week. Also, drivers should remember that W55 between Salem and Mount Pleasant remains closed. And just like the rest of us, this last week has involved cleaning up storm damage and clearing debris and fallen trees throughout the county.
Henry County Public Health
The Henry County Public Health’s new director, Katie Rueter, was in attendance to introduce herself and give an update. Public Health as seen an uptick in immunizations this month as families register and get ready for the upcoming school year. Note they will be offering a Back-to-School Health Fair for families on Tuesday, August 13 from 4 to 7 pm at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in Mount Pleasant. Tune into KILJ next Thursday morning for a breakfast club with Rueter and learn more about Henry County’s new Public Health Director.
Henry County Treasury
The Supervisors reviewed the Annual Treasurer Report and the wages paid to county employees for Fiscal Year 2023-2024. No action or discussion on these matters occurred. The Iowa code requires each county to publish the Annual Treasurer Report in the local newspaper. Citizens may also request a copy to review by contacting the Henry County Auditor’s Office.
Henry County Attorney
Steven Giebelhausen, Assistant County Attorney, discussed recent Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests**. He noted there have been several FOIA requests from news outlets and private individuals recently and explained while the FOIA allows each agency to manage their own FOIA requests, the county attorney’s office has, in the past, worked with agencies to ensure compliance. Giebelhausen wanted to make the supervisors aware the Henry County Sheriff’s Department is not working with his office currently on these requests, which could potentially open the county up to litigation if FOIA is not followed properly on these recent requests. He also stated the county attorney’s office would be glad to assist the Sheriff’s Department with FOIA requests in the future if they changed their minds. No action or discussion was held.
Public Comments
Following last week’s meeting discussion regarding public comments, remarks from individuals were taken at the end of the meeting as requested by meeting attendees.
One individual in attendance commented on a recent law allowing individuals to conceal carry weapons inside of public spaces with or without a permit. Public spaces like the county courthouse, for example. They went on to bring up a new law just enacted that allows county attorneys to conceal carry in courtrooms. The concerned individual wanted to know how the supervisors plan to keep the citizens and county employees safe under these new laws and what training county employees had to go through to conceal carry. The supervisors mentioned some ideas and consulted the Assistant County Attorney Giebelhausen on the legality of their suggestions or if they would be compliant with the new law. Giebelhausen was not 100% certain of the Iowa Code surrounding this discussion. He plans to research the topic and get back to the supervisors.
Steven Giebelhausen, Assistant County Attorney, reiterated the comments section is not a Q&A, discussion, or “back and forth between the supervisors and the spectators.” He reminded everyone the Iowa Code did not require the county supervisors to hold public comments during their meetings at all but that the Supervisors and the attorney’s office both agreed they should and want to allow comments from the public. Please
Rachel Lindeen, Executive Vice President of the Mount Pleasant Area Chamber Alliance, updated the supervisors about Ragbrai coming to Mount Pleasant. She said, “We’re ready!” and thanked all the county departments who have been working hard and working together to make sure July 26th goes smoothly. She mentioned there will be no street closures in town when Ragbrai comes through except around the downtown. Roads will remain open and parking around the square is permitted until 4 P.M. on Thursday, July 25th. You may start to notice the set up for Ragbrai around town as early as Tuesday of next week.
Henry County Sheriff Rich McNamee was the last to comment. He read a 3-page prepared statement explaining the ongoing disagreement between County Attorney Darin Stater and himself regarding a particular string of cases that took place in 2022 and early 2023 to explain why he no longer would be working with the county attorney’s office on FOIA requests.
No other public comments were made, and the county supervisors adjourned their meeting at 9:45 A.M. The public is invited to attend their next regular meeting which will be Thursday, July 25th at 9 A.M. at the Henry County Courthouse.
*The Board of Supervisors meets regularly on Thursday mornings at 9 A.M. All meetings are open to the public unless, for purposes described in Code of Iowa Chapter 21, a closed meeting is necessary or advisable to protect the interests of individuals or the county. All persons are invited to take an active role in Henry County government. Agenda items need to be scheduled through Henry County Auditor’s Office. You may address the board without an appointment while they are in session during the Public Comment portion of the agenda.
**FOIA.gov explains the Freedom of Information Act as such: “Since 1967, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) has provided the public the right to request access to records from any federal agency. It is often described as the law that keeps citizens in the know about their government. Federal agencies are required to disclose any information requested under the FOIA unless it falls under one of nine exemptions which protect interests such as personal privacy, national security, and law enforcement.”
