Supervisors Hear From Pella On Urban Renewal Plan
Oskaloosa, Iowa – The Mahaska County Supervisors met in regular session on Tuesday, September 3rd. The day of the meeting had been changed due to the Labor Day weekend.
The Board approved the August 19th, 2019 minutes, as well as the August bills.
Dane Jones was hired as a full-time jailer for the Mahaska County Jail. He had been serving in a part-time capacity.
A transfer from the General Fund to the Law Enforcement Center (LEC) Fund was made in the amount of $9732.01. The LEC Fund was funded by the one-cent sales tax when the structure was built. Money was placed in that Fund at the time to help with the maintenance of the building.
That Fund is now depleted, and General Fund money from the County was needed to finish paying for repairs to the building.
The LEC Fund will now be defunct unless the Mahaska County Board of Supervisors chooses to move money back into the Fund.
The Supervisors heard from Deanne DeGroot, Director of MCARD, about a revolving loan fund application from Kelderman Manufacturing.
The committee that oversees that Fund did approve the application on August 23rd, 2019. The loan amount is $150,000 at 2.5% for five years.
The Mahaska County Supervisors approved the loan to Kelderman Manufacturing.
The Mahaska County Board of Supervisors heard from Pella City Manager Mike Nardini regarding a proposed Lely Urban Renewal Plan.
Lely is a company that provides products to the dairy industry, such as robotic milking systems, as well as feeding systems, among other things.
Lely currently employes over 1300 people world-wide, and currently employ 55 individuals at their Pella location. It’s thought the company would expand its local workforce by 15 jobs with the new facility.
The new facility would be Lely North America’s new headquarters and would be located just south of Highway 163, at the intersection with 250th Avenue.
The need for the facility took place as the current facility Lely is leasing won’t be available to them in 2021.
The 65 acre parcel would allow other companies to develop at the site. Lely would use 15 acres to not only build their new headquarters, but a production facility, and future development.
The Mahaska County Supervisors were presented this information because of an upgrade to the road from Exit 44, which is part of Mahaska County.
Nardini said the improvements to the road would be paid for by the City of Pella, and there would be no cost to Mahaska County.
A decision from the Mahaska County Board of Supervisors is expected at the September 16th meeting.
The next scheduled meeting for the Mahaska County Board of Supervisors is Monday, September 16th, 2019, at 9 am in the 3rd-floor conference room.
