Supervisors okay transport officer pool for county sheriff

By Mary Zielinski
Creation of a transport officers pool for the Washington county Sheriff’s Department not only will pay for itself but also bring some additional funds to the county, Sheriff Jerry Dunbar told the board of supervisors Tuesday.
Cost for the officers, which Dunbar said would be a pool of ten available for on-call service, works out to $7,175 annually. The figure is based on an hour wage of $12.50 for 575 hours annually.
Reimbursement for the transporting of federal prisoners is $20 per hour which, using the 575 hours per year, means payment of $11,480, Dunbar explained.
He added that the department currently has $10,000 in its budget to pay for the officers. He said it would not start until after the first of the new year.
Dunbar explained that the officers may also be able to help with transportation for the Community Mental Health Services. However, an issue is where those clients would wait since Dunbar said, “They would not be under arrest,” and that waiting at the jail could be upsetting.
He added that he thinks something could be worked out.
In other business, the board:

• received detailed report from Duane Royer about the county’s GIS system that has greatly facilitated county mapping ranging from subdivisions to flood plains. Auditor Bill Fredrick said it also has saved the county money since it previously had to hire out such services at a cost of $40,000 to $50,000 annually plus the fees for the actual maps. Fredrick added that the county still needs to find a proper office for Royer who currently finds space where he can
• approved a $9,850 contract for preliminary bridge design services with Calhourn-Burns Associates of West Des Moines to replace the county bridge on G38 (old Highway 92). County Engineer Dave Patterson said the bridge replacement “has been on our five-year plan for the last ten years.” A key factor is gaining height on the bridge where there has been flooding
• approved the recommendations of the county employee committee regarding group health insurance plans and rates for the county’s self-funded system that will not increase the county’s payments. The plan includes a higher deductible and a common drug card (including $4 generic drugs). However, the road workers elected to stay with current plan, and they will see a slight increase in the rates paid by the employees.