The Henry County Board of Supervisors met Thursday morning, February 12th, at the courthouse in Mount Pleasant, with several presentations and continued discussion surrounding the County Attorney vacancy.
Under new business, Lisa Oetken, Director of Main Street Mount Pleasant, provided the board with a financial support presentation and annual update. Oetken reported that although 2025 was described as a quieter year, the organization successfully completed the second phase of the National Historic District designation. The designation expands opportunities for downtown property owners to access historic tax credits, whether or not individual buildings are listed on the registry.
Oetken noted the designation could create redevelopment opportunities for properties such as the former True Value building, which she said has the potential to house seven to nine apartments — a project Main Street has expressed interest in seeing move forward.
Downtown Mount Pleasant saw four new businesses open and one expansion over the past year, with vacancy rates remaining under five percent. Data shared during the presentation shows shoppers travel between 50 and 70 miles to visit the downtown district.
Main Street directors are required to complete multiple trainings annually, and the organization continues to host and promote events including Ag Music, the Easter Egg Hunt, and Witch Way to Main. Those events serve as fundraisers to support the organization’s operations.
She also highlighted long-term sales tax growth in Mount Pleasant. According to data from Southeast Iowa Regional Planning, taxable sales increased from $132 million in 2012 to $235 million in 2024 — a 77.7 percent increase, with the largest gains occurring between 2019 and 2024.
The board also heard from Emily Davis, Executive Director of All God’s Creatures, which provides animal pound services for Henry County. The service contract costed the county $15,000 in 2025. Davis presented intake data from 2025, noting that approximately 30 percent of the county’s animal intakes originated from Mardan Trailer Park.
Supervisor Chad White emphasized the importance of responsible pet ownership, including spaying and neutering animals, proper feeding, and preventing pets from roaming.
In other business not listed on the agenda, Supervisor Steve Detrick raised concerns about the resignation of County Attorney Administrative Assistant Cara Ferguson, stating supervisors were not notified. Chairman Chad White said he had requested a copy of the resignation letter from the County Auditor but was denied. Steven Giebelhausen, from the attorney’s office responded that resignation letters are personnel documents and should remain in an employee’s file. Detrick stated that established HR procedures were not followed and that Human Resources was not notified.
During public comment, Tim Liechty addressed a letter submitted by the Henry County Watchmen group regarding the recent hiring of his daughter, Abbie Liechty as Assistant County Attorney and the resignation of former County Attorney Darin Stater.
The letter raised concerns about a potential conflict of interest, noting that Ms. Liechty’s father serves as a Magistrate Judge in District 8. The letter also alleged that Stater had “hand selected his successor” prior to resigning.
In his comments, Liechty addressed the conflict of interest concerns and responded to claims made in the letter.