The Henry County Board of Supervisors met on Wednesday morning for their weekly meeting, due to the 4th of July holiday landing on Thursday this year.
A time at the beginning of the meeting was set aside for public comments, in which no one from the public spoke. Afterwards, the monthly department head meeting started. Roger Pitzenbarger with the Veterans Affair’s office noted that they have gifted 37 markers and flags to the Burge Cemetery in New London after the devastating storms in April ruined many headstones and markers. An additional 15 were given to Green Mound and White Oak cemeteries. The Veterans Affair’s Office will be closed on Friday, July 5th. They will reopen on Monday, July 8th for regular business hours.
The conservation director, Caleb Waters, mentioned their hiring of a new office manager, with 15 applicants already. The deadline for that is Monday at 4:30pm, as the person currently in that role has opted for early retirement. Rivers are rising rapidly, so please remember to use caution, especially this weekend.
Robin Detrick, who is running uncontested for the Henry County Auditor position, spent last week at a conference where she learned all about the role. Shelly Barber, current Auditor, announced that absentee ballots can now be requested for the upcoming September 10th special election.
The treasurer’s office will be short staffed July 10th-12th due to mandatory training, and they ask for patience during those days.
Shelly Van Dorin is off to a new adventure, as her last day as the director of public health is today. Katie Reuter will take over as the director.
A member of the public did speak up at the end of the meeting, voicing his concerns with property taxes, after attending a meeting on Friday in which legislators spoke on this issue. No Henry County supervisor was in attendance at the meeting, but board chair Greg Moeller, believes a happy medium can be found between new revenue sources and staffing cuts. He thinks that cuts will happen regardless because the dollars are not there to fund every position in the county.
The next Henry County Supervisors meeting is scheduled for next Thursday, July 11th.