The Polk County Board of Commissioners met on Tuesday morning inside the Polk County Government Center. The agenda included Polk County Sheriff James Tadman, A repurchasing of a tax-forfeited property, and Polk County Administrator Chuck Whiting providing a few updates.
The meeting began with the board reappointing Gerald Amiot to the Northwest Regional Development Commission. His term representing public interest for the commission was set to expire in December. Amiot reapplied to stay on the commission, and the board approved the application unanimously without hesitation.
SHERIFF TADMAN
Polk County Sheriff James Tadman sought the board’s approval to post & refill a position within his department. He talked more about the specifics of the job that needs to be filled. “We had one of our secretaries in our records office resign and take another position in a different county,” said Tadman. “So, we are just looking to backfill that position as soon as possible, and I was seeking the board’s approval to start that process.”
The position will become vacant on October 29. The board approved the request to refill the position.
PROPERTY RECORDS
Polk County Tax Administrative Assistant Sam Melbye represented a resolution from Daniel & Chezzire Netland for the repurchasing of their tax-forfeited property. They were looking to repurchase their parcel after it was forfeited on September 22. The board approved the request unanimously, and the parcel will be repurchased for $604.73.
CHUCK WHITING
Polk County Administrator Chuck Whiting discussed three collective bargaining agreements with the 49ers Maintenance, Solid Waste, and Engineering Divisions. Whiting discussed changes made to the new bargaining agreements and why the new changes benefit the groups a little more. “We generally have been doing three-year agreements with our 49ers groups,” said Whiting. “We made some cost-living adjustments to these agreements. We also had some changes with our health insurance premiums with the hope of retaining more employees. The groups are good, and we got some good employees we wanted to keep, which is what the effort was going into this.”
The board approved all three requests unanimously. Whiting also gave a 2021 budget status update, as well as an American Relief Program Status update. There was nothing new to report on the budget, and Whiting is still looking for a few ways to spend American Relief Funding. The County has until the end of 2024 to spend the remaining American Relief Program Funds.
The last item on the agenda was approving the sale of the Polk County Justice Center jail bonds to the Bank of New York. Whiting said that the most savings were encored by going forward with the deal. “This is the second refinancing of the bonds that built the jail out at the Justice Center,” said Whiting. “Our financial advisor saw an opportunity to save some money on interest, and the market showed that to be true. The Bank of New York put in a bid, and for the final four years of those bonds, we should be able to save around $126,000 now.”
The board approved the resolution of the sale unanimously.
OTHER ITEMS
Karen Warmack of Social Services also visited with the board and was seeking approval to reclassify the position of an Office Support Specialist to a Case Aide position that will be supervised by Betty Solie. The board approved the request unanimously. Warmack was also seeking the board’s approval for a contract agreement with Occupational Development Center. They will provide coaching and supported employment services for individuals for a total amount of $23,000. The board approved the contract agreement for the upcoming year. The last item Warmack had was a 2022-2023 County MFIP Biennial Service Agreement Plan. The goal of the Biennial Plan is to ensure people served through MFIP are equipped to obtain and sustain gainful employment that will ultimately lead to greater self-sufficiency. The board approved the request for the agreement plan unanimously.
The next board meeting will take place on Tuesday, October 26, at 8:00 a.m. inside the Polk County Government Center.
