Floyd County courthouse update project closer to completion

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

The Floyd County Law Enforcement Center and Courthouse Update project is inching ever closer to being completed.

That regular topic was part of the agenda for the county Board of Supervisors meeting this week, along with a discussion of credit card use by two county administrators.

The new fire suppression sprinkler system installed in the courthouse has passed inspection, and the two new elevators in the atrium passed inspection, said County Auditor Gloria Carr.

One of the new elevators is a public elevator, but the other is one the public likely will never see, as it is for use by the Sheriff’s Office, including transferring detainees between the county jail in the Law Enforcement Center and the court facilities on the third and fourth floors of the courthouse. That elevator does not open into public spaces.

At each regular weekly board meeting a report is given on progress made on the project, which mostly now involves the courthouse and the atrium connecting the courthouse to the new Law Enforcement Center, which was occupied at the beginning of last year.

“A lot of things are wrapping up with Young Plumbing. Paulson Electric expects to be done pretty much, wrapping up here in the next week or so, also,” Carr said at the meeting this week, about the two Waterloo companies that are among the primary contractors on the project.

One of the renovations that will most directly affect the supervisors – turning the former garage area on the northwest corner of the courthouse ground floor into the new supervisor boardroom – is almost finished.

The most recent milestone to that part of the project was filling and leveling the floor to cover a floor drain that had been in the garage. That was done and carpeting installed.

Getting furniture and audio-visual equipment in place are the largest tasks left on the boardroom project.

The sidewalks leading to the new main entrance in the atrium are complete and the outside area in front of the atrium is ready to have dirt put in for grass, Carr said. A couple of large boulders to be placed there for decorative and security purposes have been found, she added.

Also at the meeting this week, two department heads were asked about apparent violations of the county’s credit card use policy, with one having use of the card suspended for six months and the other receiving a warning. Both actions passed on a 2-1 vote with a different supervisor opposing the action on each.

Jeff Sherman, the county zoning administrator and environmental health administrator, had used his county credit card for a personal purchase in April, and again this month. He said both times it was accidental because he had grabbed the wrong card and the transaction had gone through before he noticed it. The first time was for a little over $32 and the second time a little over $56.

Both times he reimbursed the county for the charge as soon as he realized what had happened, he said, and Auditor Carr verified that he had reimbursed the county both times as he turned in the claims.

Supervisor Chair Mark Kuhn said the board has a responsibility to enforce its policies and Sherman had received a warning the first time it happened, although Sherman disputed that he had ever received an official warning.

Kuhn made a motion that Sherman’s use of the card be suspended for six months, and Supervisor Dennis Keifer seconded that and voted with Kuhn to approve the motion.

Supervisor Jim Jorgensen said since it was unclear whether Sherman had received an official warning after the first incident, he would prefer that this time be the official warning and a suspension be imposed if it happens again. Jorgensen voted against the motion to suspend use of the card.

In the other credit card matter, county Conservation Director Adam Sears was questioned about a purchase where state sales tax had been charged. The county is sales tax exempt, and part of the county credit card policy is that employees who use the cards are to make sure that sales tax is not charged.

Sears said the charge in question was for an online order with a company that had the county’s tax exempt number on file and the correct tax exempt notification button had been checked when the order had been placed, but because the order was with a different department within the company, a clerical error apparently occurred and the county was charged sales tax. Sears said the company credited the sales tax to the county when it was notified of the error.

Jorgensen said the total amount due should have showed that sales tax was being charged before the order was confirmed, and he moved that Sears be given a warning. Sears said the online order confirmation screen did not show sales tax was being charged before the order was approved.

Keifer said it didn’t look like Sears was at fault for what had happened.

“I’m stuck on that this was a clerical error. What could he have done?” Keifer asked.

Kuhn said he would second the warning motion because “it is the policy we are obligated to enforce.”

The motion passed 2-1 with Kiefer voting no.

Also at the meeting, the supervisors noted the hiring of Eliza Fields as a new jailor with the Sheriff’s Office, and approved use of courthouse property to stage the fireworks display over the Cedar River for the community Independence Day celebration on Tuesday, July 4.