The Mitchell County Commissioners met on Friday, December 29 to conduct their final business meeting of 2017. In their first order of business, the commissioners renewed the appointments of two Mitchell County Hospital Health Systems Board of Trustees members. They approved a new member as well.
Brigit Gasper and Brad Eilert were approved for renewal as members through December 31, 2020. Jerrica King is the newly appointed board member. She will replace long time board member Mike Heller. The commissioners thanked Heller for over 25 years of service in that capacity.
The commissioners then approved an across the board pay increase of 50 cents per hour for full time hourly employees effective January 1.
Also approved was a salary increase for county IT Specialist, Jeff Roburg, from $30,000 to $37,200 to help offset his health insurance costs. The commissioners announced they would not take a pay increase for themselves in 2018.
A meeting took place regarding the Little Red Schoolhouse on Thursday, December 28 in Beloit. Jerry Boettcher has provided initial funding for the project. Commissioner Tom Claussen said materials for the renovation of the structure were on order. Beloit City Attorney Katie Schroeder is putting the finishing touches on a contract between interested entities for the project and building upkeep in the future.
Director of Public Works Dale Housh appeared with Karm Princ before the commissioners. Princ made fund transfer requests. She presented those requests to the commissioners which she said had been approved by the county auditor. The first was a transfer of $275,000 from the Road and Bridge Fund to the Capital Outlay Fund, bringing its total to nearly one million dollars. These funds are expected to go toward funding a future new building for public works.
A transfer of $300,000 was approved from Road and Bridge to the Special Highway Improvement Fund. Another $200,000 from Road and Bridge was transferred to the Special Machinery Fund. Another separate transfer was approved for $47,000 from the Noxious Weed Fund to the Noxious Weed Special Equipment Fund.
Housh also said a total of four garage doors were recently purchased for the bridge shop and another building. The cost of the doors totaled $6,200.
County Treasurer Yvonne Melton joined the meeting. She requested and received signatures for the renewal of the lease/purchase agreement on Mitchell County Fire Station No. 3 in Solomon Rapids. The five-year agreement is with the Guaranty State Bank and Trust Company at an interest rate of 4.399 percent.
Sheriff Tony Perez stepped in to wish the commissioners a Happy New Year. He discussed a recently delivered Dodge Durango purchased by the county. It is waiting to be outfitted before it is put into service. He also said the population at the jail is down due to Saline County removing several inmates Mitchell County has been holding for them.
