Supervisors Approve Preliminary Agreement For Highway 63 Bypass
November 8th, 2022
Oskaloosa, Iowa – The Mahaska County Board of Supervisors met in regular session on Monday morning, November 7th.
The Supervisors approved a new 28E agreement with the Iowa Department of Transportation for a driver’s license station inside the Treasurer’s office at the Mahaska County Courthouse.
This agreement is a continuation of the one approved in 2017.
The Supervisors then considered a predesign agreement for the Highway 63 Northwest Bypass.
The agreement between Mahaska County and the Iowa DOT helps facilitate the sideroad connections. It will also enable the transfer of the former highway after the bypass is open to the Oskaloosa city limits to the county jurisdiction.
The final negotiation of the transfer will occur when the bypass construction is completed.
That stretch of roadway will be approximately 2 miles in length.
The Supervisors approved the predesign agreement with the Iowa DOT.
Mahaska County Sheriff Russ VanRenterghem spoke with the Supervisors about the need for new body cameras. The current cameras were purchased in 2017, along with the server system that supports those cameras.
Body and in-car cameras provide evidence for law enforcement officials during their interactions with the public.
It also provides the public with the evidence they may need if an officer is accused of something. Finally, it also provides the agency a way to help dispel false accusations if one is made.
Sheriff VanRenterghem said the camera system has helped reduce false accusations by “probably 90%.”
The new camera system will cost approximately $170,000, which will include 11 car cameras and 15 body-worn cameras and all the equipment to support those cameras. The cloud storage for the system comes to 131,000 alone.
The agreement would be for 5 years and include all the maintenance, installations, licensing, and any upgrades that may occur during that time.
The system will sync up multiple cameras. This will allow for an easier and better review of an incident.
VanRenterghem explained he’s not asking for additional funds for the system. The Sheriff’s Office and the Oskaloosa Police Department are collaborating on the new system.
