TMCnet News
Board approves assistant county attorney [Daily Iowegian, Centerville, Iowa :: ](Daily Iowegian (Centerville, IA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Aug. 06--CENTERVILLE -- The Appanoose County Board of Supervisors Monday morning voted 2-1 to allow the county attorney to hire a part-time assistant county attorney at an salary of $37.34 per hour at 20 hours per week. Board members Jody McDanel and Neal Smith voted yes to the request and board chairman Dean Kaster voted no. Appanoose County Attorney Susan C. Daniels first made the request for a part-time assistant during the board's July 21 meeting. The board tabled the request as only two members were present at the time. Daniels said an assistant county attorney is needed because that person would have the power to sign documents when she's not there and would be able to take control over cases. She said they would have discretion over cases. Daniels said she's not confident a person can sign documents if not labeled an assistant county attorney. Daniels said she's not confident she has the additional funds to pay somebody. McDanel asked how the county will be able to find money for the assistant? Kaster said the county attorney's budget is going to have to be amended. Kaster questioned the wisdom of hiring a part-time assistant as Daniels has not been elected to office. The board selected her for the position on May 19. Kaster said the issue would be better dealt with during department head budget hearings, which won't happen again until early 2015. Kaster said this issue was brought up during the interview process. "It makes more sense to me to deal with it at budget time," Kaster said. Kaster said the county attorney has a heavy case load and could use the help. "I don't deny that you need help," Kaster said. "I know you have the ability to get additional help up there when you need it." The board in other action: --Approved a final design contract with French-Reneker-Associates, Inc. for resurfacing Highway T61 from Highway 2 to Route J3T. The contract now clears the way for a January Iowa Department of Transportation bid letting. --Approved a tax sale of land in Centerville to Jaime C. Seddon for $5 plus one year's taxes, cost of recording the deed and publication of public hearing notice. --Approved a tax sale of land in Moulton to Justin and Valarie Rhodes for $100 plus one year's taxes, cost of recording the deed and publication of public hearing notice. --Rejected all bids for the road improvement project known as the Wood Duck Marsh Project. The project was let by the DOT in July and all bids came in above the county engineer's estimate. The project is located north of Captain's Landing on J5T. The project calls for replacing culverts, which, as Gary Bishop, county engineer said, still have one more year left in them. "But they do need to be replaced," Bishop said. The project is going to be rebid with construction starting next year. --Approved a contract with the DOT for 50-foot paving approaches for the DOT's Highway 2 overlay project. The DOT overlay of Highway 2 west of Centerville is expected to start next summer. The project involves 16 roads that meet with Highway 2 west of Centerville. Each overlay approach is estimated to cost the county $10,000, but the cost could go up or down depending on the bids received, Bishop said. The 50-foot overlays provide a measure of safety for road graders so that they will not have to grade out into highway traffic. --Voted to show support for the Skilled Iowa Worker Program. The next regular Appanoose County Board of Supervisors meeting is 9 a.m. Aug. 18 at the Courthouse boardroom. ___ (c)2014 the Daily Iowegian (Centerville, Iowa) Visit the Daily Iowegian (Centerville, Iowa) at www.dailyiowegian.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |