Olson appointed supervisors chair, Turman appointed to conservation board

The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors is continuing to fill vacant positions in county boards and townships.
At the regular Board of Supervisors meeting Jan. 3, the supervisors reviewed three candidate applications for the Montgomery County Conservation Board. The applications were from Steve Turman, Robert “Tripp” Narup, and Abigail Shipp.
Supervisor Mark Peterson asked if the supervisors needed to wait for a recommendation from the conservation board due to the multiple applications.
“I know we haven’t used recommendations from the conservation board in the past, but that was because we haven’t had a contested race, so to speak,” Peterson said.
Supervisor Donna Robinson said that there was nothing listed that indicated input from the board was required, though occasionally, discussions were held privately.
“I know that in the past at least a couple of us have had conversations with one board member that made a recommendation,” commented Robinson. “But in the case of other boards, such as the Montgomery County Planning and Zoning Commission, we did not ask for a recommendation from that board. Typically, when it comes to boards and commissions, it’s up to us to reach out and solicit participation.”
Supervisors Charla Schmid said that out of the three candidates who had applied, she favored Turman.
“I do know him, and based on his background and experience, I think he’d be an excellent person on the conservation board. That’s just my recommendation,” Schmid said.
The supervisors unanimously approved the appointment of Steve Turman to the conservation board.
Robinson asked if there had been any updates on the townships that had a trustee but had yet to appoint a clerk. County Auditor Jill Ozuna said the trustees had been notified they needed to find a clerk for appointment, and said she had given each trustee three names for potential candidates.
Robinson said the positions needed to be filled sooner rather than later, as without a clerk, according to Iowa Code, the townships could not function.
During the secondary roads update, County engineer Karen Albert was asked about the timeline for the 250th Street bridge replacement, located west of G Avenue over the East Nishnabotna River.
Assistant to the engineer, Barry Byers confirmed during the Dec. 27 meeting of the supervisors that $2 million in federal funding had been secured through the U.S. House FY 2023 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development funding bill. Albert advised the supervisors plans were for work to begin at the end of the year.
“We’re anticipating to let for the bridge in the fall to try and get winter work, if everything goes as planned, and there are no glitches,” Albert advised. “Doing the project in the winter will allow crews to work when the river is down, and get some of the piers in.”
The supervisors also approved a $5,000 annual renewal membership for the Hungry Canyons Alliance. Supervisor Mark Peterson sits on the Hungry Canyons Board. The amount was the same as the renewal last year.
“The Hungry Canyons Alliance is associated with Golden Hills RC&D. They work on mitigation in regards to erosion and secondary roads,” commented Peterson.
The supervisors also held its organizational meeting on Jan. 3. After declining re-election to the position, Supervisor Donna Robinson moved to appoint Supervisor Mike Olson as Chairman and Supervisor Charla Schmid as Vice-Chairman. The motion was approved unanimously.