(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – The Board of Supervisors in Pottawattamie County during a closed session on Monday, formally voted 3-to-2 to deny a grievance filed by County Engineer John Rasmussen.

Their decision not to renew Rasmussen’s fiscal year 2026 contract last month and place him on administrative leave through June 30^th, came on the heels of a special meeting last week, during which no action was taken on a request by Rasmussen and his attorney to reinstate Rasmussen’s contract for a period of no less than three years, to uphold the grievance, and have the details of the contract hashed out between the attorneys.

Supervisors Scott Belt, Jeff Jorgensen, and Tim Wichman voted in favor, while Supervisors Susan Miller and Brian Shea dissented. Shea, who has also been supportive of retaining Rasmussen as the county engineer, feels the move will cost the county financially. Rasmussen’s attorney Raymond Aranza had argued that Rasmussen’s termination was in retaliation from when he “went to bat” for his department’s two female employees earlier this year, asking for higher pay from the board. Aranza says that retaliation would not be legal, floating the potential for a lawsuit.

Rasmussen had served as the Pottawattamie County engineer for more than 20 years.