Harrison County Supervisors Meeting April 10, 2025 Chairman Brian Rife called the meeting to order with members Tony Smtih and Rebecca Wilkerson in attendance. Motion to approve the tentative agenda was made by Smith, second by Wilkerson. Motion carried. Motion to approve minutes from April 3rd by Smith, second by Wilkerson. Motion carried. Attendance: Auditor Megan Reffett, Thad Pothast, Paul Rhoten, Curt Nelson, Teresa Crosgrove, Debra Straight, Michele Stirtz, Marty Loftus, Susan Bonham, Mari Jo Mentzer, John Straight, Rashelle Wohlers, Mike Blackley, Diane Crha, Brad Doyle, Bonnie Castillo, Stephanie Blackford, Laura Soetmelk, Shelia Phillips Contract with Frank Salter for Seig Pump The Board met as Trustees for the Board Supervised Drainage Districts and discussed the following: Seig Drainage District: A maintenance contract with Frank Salter was presented by Michelle Kersten, Drainage Clerk, to the Board with a contract stating that Frank Salter agrees to monitor and adjust pumps when needed, with the contract ending on December 31st, 2025. The contract also contains a clause allowing termination of the contract by either party with 30 days’ notice. Approved on a motion by Smith, second by Wilkerson. Motion carried. Mike Blackly -Discussion on Roads in California Junction Mike discussed with the Board that there hasn’t been work done on California Junction roads for several years. He asked that the Board consider maintenance work and provided photos of areas that are deteriorating. The Board discussed with Interim Engineer Rasmussen if he thought these were areas that needed work and what should be done. He agreed that the work could be done through maintenance with the current states of the roads, and he would discuss with the department what needs to be done. Melody Oaks Trail Resolution for Road Reclassification The Board reviewed a resolution to reclassify the road from level B to Level C. Discussion was held on the requirements that needed to happen, and Interim Engineer Rasmussen stated the area would need to be surveyed and a driveway would need to be installed. Chairman Rife asked who would pay for these expenses and was advised it would be at the Engineer’s expense. Rife stated he opposed reclassification for public safety reasons. The motion to reclassify from Level B to Level C was made by Smith, second by Wilkerson. Wilkerson Yay. Smith Yay. Rife Nay. EMA Discussion on Governor’s Proclamation EMA Director Castillo presented the costs that she is working to have reimbursed from the March 19th blizzard. Chairman Rife requested information regarding the reimbursable amounts from Secondary Roads and what was being done for that. Castillo stated she had reached out to the Engineer’s office for amounts but hadn’t received information back, so she was unable to submit those costs. County Safety Manual County Safety Coordinator Wohlers presented the Board with the Safety Manual that the Safety Committee drafted last month as part of the high-risk plan that the County is on with IMWCA. Motion to approve by Smith, second by Wilkerson. Motion carried. County Credit Card for Conservation employees Conservation Director Pothast requested the approval of county credit cards for Kim Crispin, Lane Vennink, and Samual Raine. Motion to approve by Smith, second by Wilkerson. Motion carried. Agreement with HUB Auditor Megan Reffett presented the board with the HUB agreement for a 1-year contract. Member Wilkerson requested that they Board proceed with a different company to save costs. Reffett advised that the open enrollment meetings have been set for later this month and starting over at this point would put the County on a very tight schedule. Member Wilkerson stated that the recommended broker could have the quote done in two weeks. Auditor Reffett advised her this was not a practical time frame for the work that would be required from her office and the insurance committee. Member Smith agreed he would be open to receiving a quote from another company next year. Motion to approve the one-year contract by Rife, second by Smith. Rife Yay. Smith Yay. Wilkerson Nay. Invoice for Missouri Valley School Special Election The Board approved the invoice presented by the Commissioner of Election, Megan Reffett, for the March 4th Special Election. Motion to approve by Smith, second by Wilkerson. Motion carried. Mari Jo Mentzer - Discussion on Public and County Videography Discussed with the Board the video taping of the Board of Supervisors meetings and being posted to YouTube by a member of the public. She voiced concerns that it appears these videos are being posted by the Board of Supervisors and reflect negatively on the County. She also brought up concerns that the videography could be distracting to other citizens attending the meetings and requested the board make a policy regarding videography during meetings. She read portions of the County IT policy and voiced concerns that employees should not be posting videos that reflect negatively on the County. She requested that the board investigate the taping and posting of the videos to determine who owns the site they appear to be coming from. County Attorney Delanty explained to her that she doesn’t believe the videos are owned or operated by a county employee and are affiliated with YouTube and are not coming from a county owned website. Mentzer requested the Attorney or Sheriff’s office investigate who owns the site that appears to be posting the videos on behalf of the County. Attorney Delanty assured Mentzer that this site and the videos are not associated with the County. Delanty stated that she would review the request and discuss case law regarding the use of social media and videography with her. FY26 Budget Budget Director Megan Reffett gave updates on the budget and what the proposed levy rates were published at. Member Wilkerson requested additional information or cuts from line items in the Auditor, Treasurer, Recorder, Planning and Zoning, General Welfare, Elections, General Services and Non-departmental budgets. Auditor Reffett offered answers to budget questions when possible and agreed to cut from her extra help salary line item. Wilkerson also commented that she discussed the Sheriff and Attorney budgets with them privately but did not provide additional information. Public Comments Tony Smith - Gave comments that he visited SWITA last week and was impressed with their operations. Mary Jo Mentzer - Gave comments regarding job descriptions and the County Employee Handbook. Curt Nelson – Gave comments on the reclassification of the Melody Oaks Trail. Brad Doyle – Gave comments on the budget hearing notice. Michele Stirtz – Gave comments on the budget timeline. Shelia Phillips – Gave comments on the Treasurer’s Office budget. Rebecca Wilkerson - Gave comments on adding back in her mileage reimbursement. With business of the day completed, the Board adjourned motion to adjourn by Smith, second by Wilkerson. Motion carried. ATTEST: Megan Reffett, Auditor Brain Rife, Chairman NOTE: These minutes are as recorded by the Clerk to the Board of Supervisors and are subject to Board approval at the next regular meeting. MVTN 4-16-25 TDR 4-17-25
