The Polk County Board Commissioners met Tuesday morning at the Polk County Government Center.
SHERIFF’S OFFICE CALL REPORT FOR MAY
The consent agenda began with Sheriff James Tadman, who announced dispatcher Matt Bellamy will be medically retired on July 1, 2023. This position is now vacant, and the board approved the vacancy to be filled.
Tadman reviewed the month of May service calls for the Polk County Sherriff’s office. We listed the top 10 frequency calls below-
Civil Process-262
Traffic Stops-144
School Patrol-90
Inmate Transports-41
Public Assist-20
Animal Complaints-14
Assisting Another Agency-13
Traffic Complaints and Hazards-12
Child Protection Reports-12
Fire Calls-12
POLK COUNTY HIGHWAY UPDATES
Polk County Engineer Richard Sanders requested to purchase 10,000 tons of gravel that were crushed up on Trunk Highway 2. “We have a contractor down at Gowan Construction that had crushed some gravel,” said Sanders. “They had a pile left over and were wondering if the County would be willing to purchase it.” The county was sent an agreement to purchase the gravel at $4.45 per ton, and the board approved it.
Two ditch maintenance requests were made regarding the condition of County Ditch 45 and County Ditch 117. “County Ditch 45, we had a field approach that is washed out, and the culvert is damaged,” said Sanders. “As part of Polk County’s policy, the ditch maintains field and farm approaches, so the county approved us to hire a contractor and replace the culvert.” The same maintenance request was approved for County Ditch 117 to replace culverts. “Any culverts through county ditches that go underneath a public road, such as a township, are the responsibility of the road owners,” said Sanders. “Roome Township requested approval to replace two culvert crossings on County Ditch 117”.
The board also approved the maintenance of County Ditch 99. This road currently has corrosion problems and needs to be re-sloped. This project is estimated at the cost $712,332.
PLANNING AND ZONING-PERMITS
The Polk County Board approved the following permits to individuals and businesses-
Interim Use Permit for Jordan Olson and Sidney Williams to allow operations of an Animal Rescue Home-Based Business; this is a nonprofit organization.
Conditional Use Permit for Kevin Groven over 2,500 sq ft of Accessory Structures on a Parcel of Land Between 2-5 Acres in Size. This addition is for personal use.
Conditional Use Permit for Joel Manecke over 2,500 sq ft of Accessory Structures on a Parcel of Land Between 2-5 Acres in Size. This addition is for personal use.
Conditional Use Permit for John Gingrich to Operate a Sawmill/Home-based business. This addition adds 2,400 sq ft for improved agricultural operations and custom wood cutting.
SEPTIC SYSTEM FIX-UP PROGRAM GRANTS
The Septic System Fix-Up Program is an income-based system where individuals can apply for a grant that pays up to 80% and as low as 20% for installing a new septic system. There were 13 applications, and 12 were approved. “It might be that their tank has collapsed or that their drain fill is going in the ditch; I mean, we have fixed a lot of bad septic systems,” said Assistant Environmental Services Administrator Jacob Snyder. “We take all those applications and rank them by the condition of their septic system, where they are located, or is it a priority area. We rank them by need, and today we had action to help five households get septic systems fixed through our grant program.” This year the program received over $25,000 to distribute to these applicants.
CONSENT AGENDA
The Polk County Board was to approve the payment of bills and disbursements on the amount of $659,657.55.
The next Polk County Board meeting will be on July 11 at the Polk County Government Center.
