March 22, 2022

Presiding Commissioner Bill Walker called the meeting of the Nodaway County Commission to order at the commissioner’s office. In attendance: Walker, Chris Burns and Scott Walk, associate commissioners, and Melinda Patton, county clerk.

Walk made a motion to approve the agenda as presented. The motion passed. Walk made a motion to approve prior commission minutes dated 3/17/2022. The motion passed.

Approved: invoice to J & A Traffic Products;.

Requisitions: juvenile office to Northwest Cellular for new iPad.

Public comment: None.

Andy Macias, Snyder and Associates, met with the commission March 17. Macias left engineering contracts for signature for Bridge #0261006, #0521004, #0700001 and #0910002. These were signed and returned via email.

The Commission spent the morning meeting with local school children for County Government Day.

Burns made a motion to adjourn for lunch. All in favor.

Holly Cronk, owner of Ferluknat, stopped in to talk with and thank the commission about the American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) small business grants they had done with the ARPA funds. Cronk briefly discussed the idea of forming a Nodaway County Tourism Committee to try to pull some more to this area.

Judge Robert Rice, Mental Health Initiative, conducted a meeting with representatives from Atchison, Gentry, Holt, Nodaway and Worth Counties to discuss the formation of a multi-county mental health board. The group watched a follow-up video that was put together by St. Francis Foundation. Rice presented three potential changes that would be allowed by the statute for the group to consider and discuss. These changes included: increasing the number of board members, changing the board composition to Atchison, two, Gentry, two, Holt, two, Nodaway, seven and Worth, one; allowing a county to withdraw from the board with notice to the board and budgeting allocations from each county will be used to benefit that county’s residents. After discussion, each county seemed interested in the changes and would take back to discuss with the commissioners that were not able to make it. Those present included: Jim Quimby, Atchison County commissioner, Susette Taylor, Atchison County clerk, David Carroll, Holt County commissioner, Mike Sager, Gentry County commissioner, Gary Carlson, Gentry County commissioner, Carol Reidlinger, Gentry County clerk, Tyler Paxon, Worth County commissioner, Roberta Owens, Worth County clerk, Beverly Jones, Jones Law Office, Marilyn Jenkins, collector/treasurer and Geoffrey Woehlk, Maryville Forum.

A call was put in to Mark Wilson, Polk Township road supervisor, regarding 270th Street. The commissioners have received calls from residents travelling the road that have safety concerns. Due to the removal of a bridge on Highway 136, a detour has been set up to follow specific hard surfaces, however traffic has chosen to take the gravel road(s.) As this is a public road, Wilson did not see any solution. Wilson plans to add gravel when the rain ends and will look into signage.

Andy Abbott, MTE, stopped in with some numbers for phones for the new office space being renovated for the Crimes Against Children CAC grant. The commissioners unanimously agreed that putting the new lines on with the county’s existing system was the most economical answer. Abbott also gave updates on the servers the county agreed to purchase and install.

Burns made a motion to adjourn until 3/24/2022.