County Officials Sworn In At Recent Supervisor Meeting
Henry “Willie” VanWeelden was sworn in on Friday as a Mahaska County Supervisor.
Oskaloosa, Iowa – The votes were cast, and those elected to county offices were sworn in on Friday to their next 4 years of service.
Those sworn in Friday are: Recorder – Diane Upton Crookham; Treasurer – Sone Scott; Supervisor – Mark Doland; and Supervisor – Henry VanWeelden.
The board set its organization for the next year, which included naming Mark Doland as Chairman. Doland assumes the role in the standard set forth by earlier boards that graduates the vice-chairman to that position. The former Chairman then assumes the role that has no executive power. Willie VanWeelden assumed the Vice-Chairman role, and Mike Vander Molen took his seat at the end of table.
After some discussion, the Supervisors decided to leave the meetings at the current time of 9 am on the first and third Mondays of the month.
Some discussion ensued about which Supervisor would serve on which commissions. Supervisors are appointed to serve the county interest on various boards and commissions. The appointments to the boards were mostly left intact, with very few changes.
When it came to the repair of the Mahaska County Courthouse roof, the Supervisors rejected both current bids for the repair because the amount was in excess of what they wanted to spend on the repair of the roof. The Supervisors asked Project Manager Darrell Smith from Terracon, who was hired by the Supervisors, to change the scope of the bid. The lowest bid had been $228,000, which was submitted by Koopman Roofing.
The issue of Courthouse security was brought to the table by Mahaska County Deputy Don DeKock.
DeKock is the past president of the Iowa State Sheriffs & Deputies Association. During his time in that capacity, DeKock said he was part of meetings held with the Iowa Bar, ISAC and members of the Iowa Judicial system. Some of these meetings including Chief Justice Mark Cady, in which some of the security concerns and discussions came from.
Mahaska County, like every other county, is required to have a courthouse security committee. DeKock said that he is unaware of when the last time that committee met for Mahaska County. This committee, according to DeKock, has to be coordinated with the Chief Judge of the district and is then approved by the Supervisors.
“Today is really to get some things started on where we need to go as Mahaska County,” DeKock said of reviewing security procedures.
The proposed changes would more than likely add to the taxpayer burden with having the addition of a certified peace officer being on site while a judge is in chambers or court.
Added cost may also be passed along to the taxpayer for additional security precautions, such as metal detectors, cameras and building alterations, in order to facilitate a safer environment for those working in the courthouse.
“How much? I don’t know for Mahaska County,” said DeKock.
Another aspect of security is providing enough training for employees in the courthouse. “Active shooter type training. There’s a program called ALICE. I’m an ALICE instructor. There are other people in this county that are ALICE instructors,” says DeKock.
DeKock said that after presenting the material to the Supervisors, he was going to contact the Chief Judge for District 8 for further instruction on how next to proceed.
The Board of Supervisors rejected an overlay project for former Highway 102. Supervisor Willie VanWeelden said he would prefer not to overlay, but have new concrete installed instead. The current base of concrete was poured in 1962.
Supervisor Mike Vander Molen agreed with VanWeelden and the project will be further evaluated. One of those evaluations will be a safety concern at the “T” intersection.
Finally, discussion was held about a possible exit strategy from RUSS. The county has been at odds with the agency, and looking for a way to part ways. The RUSS board members may offer a solution to that in the near future, which could include a pay-out of 3 to 5 years of membership dues. That would release Mahaska County from any further liability with the organization.
