Supervisors Spar Over Recreation Funding

Mahaska-County-Courthouse

Oskaloosa, Iowa – The Mahaska County Board of Supervisors met Tuesday morning at 9am. This meeting date was a departure from the normal Monday meeting because of the Presidents Day holiday.

On the agenda for the Supervisors was a request for recreation and economic development funds to help fix the swimming pool at the Prairie Knolls Country Club in New Sharon.

The City of New Sharon has committed to help pay for half, or just over $13,000 of the project, and the request from the country club was to have the county help pay for the other half of the amount.

Mahaska County Supervisor Mike Vander Molen said he believes that all communities in Mahaska County should be included to utilize the 40 percent of the local option sales tax on a per-capita basis. The county has on the upcoming ballot, language for a new early childhood development and recreation project, being developed near the Oskaloosa Elementary School and Lacey Complex, that would utilize LOST funds from the county.

“This is why I don’t want to be in the recreation business. I don’t want to have to pick this specific project and not that project,” said Vander Molen. “I don’t think that’s fair to the community at large.”

Vander Molen proposed a change to the upcoming ballot language to allow for the distribution of that 40 percent of LOST revenue to be distributed to the communities on the per-capita basis.

Without a second, the motion died.

Supervisor Mark Doland then proposed that the $13,000 for the swimming pool repair could come from the county general fund.

That measure passed on a 2-0 vote from Doland and Vander Molen.

Also approved was a seasonal payroll change for the Mahaska County Treasurer’s Office.

The board also approved setting a public hearing for a road speed ordinance and cell phone contract for secondary roads.