Two Supervisors Continue To Resist Early Childhood Development Center

Mahaska County Supervisor Mark Doland has generally not been in favor of the county using a portion of it’s LOST fund for an early childhood development and rec center, but said he wanted to further review the project before making a decision.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – The Mahaska County Board of Supervisors started off the year with the traditional organizational meeting.

Early year meetings usually have little in the way of agenda items as departments and the county prepare for the budget hearing process.

Willie Van Weelden was appointed Chairman of the Mahaska County Board of Supervisors. Mike Vander Molen was appointed Vice-Chair, and the outgoing Chairman, Mark Doland, as is the custom for outgoing Chairmen, took the last seat.

The first and third Mondays at 9am were once again approved by the Supervisors as the official meeting times.

In regards to septic tank installations, a discussion at the last December meeting, the Supervisors discussed the possibility of changing the current policy to fall more in line with state regulations, and allow private homeowners to install their own systems as long as the system passed inspection. Mahaska County’s current policy is more stringent than the State.

On Monday, Mahaska County Sanitarian Eric Dursky asked that the Supervisors re-evaluate that potential change, saying that increasing regulatory rules over septic systems are in the works from the State.

The Supervisors said that they wanted to research the subject further and then bring it back for review in a future meeting.

Chairman Willie Van Weelden opened up the discussion about the use of LOST funds by the county. “I think after the December 2 meeting, the rec group I’ll call them, probably saw there wasn’t much support from the county. I think they went out and got signatures as a result of that, to show there was support, and they got a lot of signatures.”

Van Weelden also expressed a desire not to have the LOST fund go into the general fund to buy rock for gravel roads. “If we have to do that, we’ve got some serious problems that need to be addressed.”

Van Weelden said that he understands that if Mahaska County doesn’t help fund the project, the early childhood development and rec center would not happen.

Each government entity decides what portion of the Local Option Sales Tax will be used for various projects, and then it’s voted upon at an upcoming election.

Currently the City of Oskaloosa and the Oskaloosa School District have offered to provide assistance for the project, with both entities carrying the greatest majority of the proposed 24 million-dollar project. Mahaska County is being asked to carry a portion of that projected cost, which may be near 5 million.

Both Mark Doland and Mike Vander Molen have resisted putting language on the county portion of the LOST ballot for voters to decide on at the polls, to find out if the voters are for or against the project. This last meeting, Doland expressed a desire to get a group of people that are for it and against it into a room to see if there is any middle ground.

No action was taken by the board in regard to the LOST proposals.

Also approved were the bills and minutes from December of 2015.

Compensation Board members were discussed, and approved.