(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors held a regular meeting Tuesday morning, in Atlantic. The Board received a monthly report from Cass/Guthrie County Environmental Health Director Jotham Arber, and set March 25th as the date for a public hearing on the proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Tax Levy. The Board also passed a resolution to vacate a portion of 350th Street that crosses the Cass-Audubon County line. Board Chair Steve Baier…

The road is 40-feet wide and contains about 1.69-acres of road right-of-way in Audubon County, and about 1.45-acres in Cass County. The total length of the 350th Street/Akron Road vacated is 1,951 feet. The Board then passed a related resolution to sell Bridge #389 on the vacated road over Troublesome Creek, to John Kilworth, for the sum of One-dollar. The County agreed to put “Road Closed” signs in place to keep traffic off the vacated road.

Cass County BOS mtg., 2-18-25

The Board received a Quarterly report from Cass County Conservation Executive Director Micah Lee, and a regular report from Cass County Engineer Trent Wolken. During a public comment period toward the start of today’s (Tuesday’s) meeting, a couple of Cass County residents asked if something could be done to smooth out the ruts on County Road K (690th St.), north of Wiota.

The County is working on the same road south of Wiota, but because the northern part of the road has a low traffic count, Wolken said it isn’t a priority right now, but could be considered for a future project.

The Board authorized Board Chair Steve Baier to sign the plans for a bridge replacement project on Rockport Road, west of Massena. Engineer Wolken said the current 16-foot wide bridge on a Farm-To-Market route, is “structurally obsolete.” The new, slab bridge will be wider and longer.

It’ll also have longer, sloped abutments, as opposed to the current, straight up abutments. And, following their regular meeting, the Cass County Supervisors, acting as the Cass County Compensation Board, met to specify the data to compare salaries (In accordance with Iowa Code), and vote on the recommended compensation schedule for county elected officials for the Fiscal Year 2026.

Iowa “Senate File 2442, which was signed into law by Governor Kim Reynolds on May 1, 2024, introduced significant changes to Iowa’s property tax laws and the structure of county compensation boards. One notable change allows county boards of supervisors to assume the responsibilities of the county compensation board, which traditionally recommended compensation levels for elected county officials. In response to the legislative change, the Cass County Board of Supervisors chose not to re-establish the separate compensation board. Instead, they have taken on its duties directly. The decision was formalized during their meeting on October 15, 2024.

During the Compensation Board meeting that follows today’s regular Supervisor’s meeting, the Board voted 4-to-1, with Supervisor Richter voting No, to set compensation at flat rate increases of $1,000 for the Board of Supervisors, $2,000 for the Treasurer and Recorder, and $3,200 for the Auditor, Attorney and Sheriff. They took into account counties of comparable size and population, the cost of living and other factors, including taxable valuation.