TOP STORY: Supervisors Manage Budget Despite Statewide Changes

DECORAH — In the latest Winneshiek County Supervisors meeting, the Supervisors received a brief update from County Engineer Michael Kueny, held a public hearing on the FY25 budget, and reached a settlement agreement with IT company CTI. County Engineer Update The meeting began with a briefing from County Engineer Michael Kueny, who detailed recent activities and plans. Noteworthy updates included the completion of a dog survey on Friday, April 19 and ongoing coordination efforts with the Army Corps of Engineers for Bridge 208E. Updates on personnel matters were also shared, including interviews held for bridge crew positions and the hiring of engineering interns, who will likely begin working in May. Eli Nymeyer, of Fort Atkinson, was unanimously approved by the Board of Supervisors for a bridge crew position after having interviewed for the position. Kueny is still actively seeking a dedicated Roadside Management summer intern. The conversation concluded with updates on gravel road maintenance and dust control applications. County Budget Public Hearing The County Supervisors held a public hearing to discuss the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget. During the meeting, County Auditor Ben Steines provided a handout that gave an overview of the budget and discussed the county's expenses and revenues. "You look at the whole county's budget. So we've taken those 200 pages and got it down to this one, so you're not going to get a detail on this one," Steines said. "But it gives you a good overview." Steines went on to explain the factors that have contributed to an increase in levy rates, such as the cost of the IT person at Emergency Management, the cost of the 911 towers, and the increase in property insurance rates. "So, you can see there is a big jump this year in the general supplemental," Steines said. "The two biggest things are the, well, the three biggest things are, the new IT person at Emergency Management, which we haven't had success in hiring yet. So, that one may not come to play. [Then] the cost of the 911 towers, the 63 cents of that increase is directly attributable to the cost of the 911 towers." Supervisor Mark Vick noted that despite the seemingly high cost of the recently installed 911 towers, Winneshiek had actually gotten a much better deal than comparable situations across the state. "Just to give you a heads up, a lot of counties are having to bond for that and they could be talking between $8 and $10 million. We got it done for probably half that total. And, we're gonna have the same coverage," Vick said. Steines also pointed out that even though property values went up in some areas, taxes didn't increase much for farmers because their taxes are tied to how much they are able to produce. "So, those are the basic factors that are increasing those levy rates. You can see the general fund rate and the row fund rate are the same as last year and that's both by design and actually by law. Now the county does not have the ability to raise those rates. Depending on our valuation growth each year, we may actually have to lower the rates." Steines stated. Member of the public, Elaine St. Clair, took a moment to praise the Supervisors' negotiations that helped the county pay for things like 911 towers without paying extra interest. County Attorney Negotiates Settlement in CTI Case County Attorney Andy Van Der Maaten addressed the County Board regarding an invoice submitted by CTI, sparking discussion on a proposed settlement. Van Der Maaten mentioned an email sent by CTI, proposed a discount of approximately $4,100 as their final offer. This number set the stage for deliberations. County Auditor Ben Steines emphasized the need to consider the offer seriously, given its implications for litigation costs. Supervisor Mark Vick expressed reservations about the settlement but acknowledged the impracticality of prolonging the legal dispute. Eventually, Supervisor Chair Dan Langreck proposed a motion to accept CTI's settlement offer, swiftly seconded and approved by the board. With unanimous agreement, the motion passed, signaling a decision to finally settle with CTI for $5,379.61. Amidst concerns about the potential ramifications of prolonged litigation, the board moved to adjourn the public session, transitioning into a closed session for further deliberations.