Floyd County supervisors favor appointing county reporter to fill upcoming vacancy

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

Floyd County supervisors are leaning toward appointing a deputy in the county Recorder’s Office to fill the position of recorder when that office becomes vacant Feb. 1.

The supervisors took no action on the item at their workshop meeting this week, but agreed that Deputy Recorder Amy Assink would be a good choice to step in for Recorder Deborah Roberts when Roberts retires effective Jan. 31.

Supervisors Linda Tjaden and Roy Schwickerath both mentioned that a special election to fill the position would cost the county money, and both said Assink was likely to win a special election, anyway.

As the Press reported previously, Recorder Roberts sent the supervisors a letter on Dec. 18 announcing her retirement effective Jan. 31.

Roberts, who began working in the office part-time in high school, began working there full-time in 1994 and first ran for and won the position of county auditor in 1998, taking office the first of the year in 1999.

“It’s been a joy to serve all the people and I really enjoyed it,” Roberts said at the meeting Monday morning. “But with the timing right now it’s just perfect for me to be able to spend time with my husband and my kids while we’re healthy and able to. I think if 2020 showed me anything it was that we need to really make sure that we spend time with our families as much as we can.”

Roberts said her staff has known she was considering retiring from that position for a while, and she has been pushing off more responsibility to her staff to prepare them to take over.

Assink has worked at the Recorder’s Office since 1997, Roberts said, as she recommended the supervisors appoint her to fill the remaining two years of the current term.

“And she is very willing to run in 2022,” Roberts said.

“She will be fantastic,” Roberts said. “If I did not have 100% confidence in my staff I would not be doing this at this time, but they are absolutely up for the challenge. They will be absolutely fine without me there.”

Earlier in the meeting, during the public comments time, former Floyd County Recorder Marilee Monroe said she had hired both Roberts and Assink for the office and also recommended that Assink be appointed recorder.

“Of course she and Deb have done a wonderful job and I think they would continue to do that and I’m sure you don’t want to spend money on an extra election,” Monroe said.

Auditor Gloria Carr explained the process outlined in Iowa Code to fill a vacancy in an elected official’s position.

To appoint to fill the position, the Board of Supervisors needs to publish notice of its intent. Since the resignation was announced prior to its effective date, the board could publish notice at least 14 days before the effective date of Jan. 31 and then make the appointment effective on Feb. 1.

The supervisors could also decide to hold a special election, or residents in the county could submit a petition calling for a special election. If a special election is held, someone could be appointed to the position temporarily until the results of the election are known.

“This is an elected position,” said Schwickerath, attending the meeting remotely. “We obviously have a situation where we can appoint someone and I think that’s good, and an election obviously would cost us money and very possibly not change the outcome.

“The public does need to speak up if they want something different done, but I think we’ve got a direction we sure can go,” he said.

Tjaden said, “Yes, the people do have the ability to get that petition and do a special election, but again, special elections cost money and I’m hoping that we’re not having to go through something like that, because we do have someone who’s qualified. And I agree, it probably wouldn’t change the result anyway.”

Also at the workshop meeting this week, the supervisors began a discussion regarding the upcoming fiscal year county budgeting process that quickly developed into a discussion on the potential need for additional staff in at least a couple of areas of county government.

Tjaden said the board has recognized that with the addition of the new county law enforcement center, scheduled to be completed this spring or early summer, additional custodial staff may be needed.

While looking for a new emergency management director, a job that previously included county safety and planning and zoning duties, those responsibilities can also be shifted, with the possibility that a person could be hired to provide help in a variety of areas, including planning and zoning, Veterans Affairs and Board of Health.

Schwickerath suggested such a person could be located near the new entrance to the courthouse that is being created as part of the law enforcement center project, but the other supervisors were skeptical of that unless they could be sure that person had real work to do and wouldn’t just be a greeter.

Supervisor Doug Kamm said the feeling in the county is to cut spending, not increase it, and the way the county offices have shifted more work online and adapted in other ways because of the COVID-19 pandemic may be an opportunity to look at reassigning workers rather than adding them.

Auditor Carr said it’s time to look at the work she does for the Board of Supervisors — much of which isn’t part of the duties of her office as auditor — including all of the budgeting paperwork, human resources work and more.

“I just need to cut back,” Carr said. “I’m doing 60-80 hours a week, and most of my week is attributed to things for the Board of Supervisors, not the county auditor. … I can’t keep going 60 to 80 hours a week.”

She said additional help could be put in the supervisors’ budget or in her budget, but she was looking for direction.

After discussing the situation, supervisors tentatively agreed to look at adding a position to their budget.

Tjaden said, “I’m not here to add head count if we don’t need it. That’s the last thing I want. But the work doesn’t go away.”

She also emphasized that any talk of additional personnel was just discussion at this point and nothing was being promised.