Tama County Engineer Ben Daleske. PHOTO BY MICHAEL NEWLY ENGINEERED DAVIS

Trudging through the biting cold air that frosted everything at its touch, the supervisors gathered on Tuesday after having a day off for Martin Luther King Jr Day. The most interesting item on this week’s agenda was also the most somber, as late last week, Tama County Engineer Ben Daleske submitted his resignation. The Supervisors accepted the resignation and wished Daleske well with his future pursuits. Ben will be moving on to work for the city of Marshalltown. His last day will be Monday, Feb. 16.

The supervisors subsequently talked about going forward and posting for the position.

As Daleske remains the Tama County Engineer for a few more weeks, he still started off the meeting with his report. They’ve been brush cutting with the tractor mowers and stockpiling road rock in Traer and Chelsea. On Friday, they had trucks plowing snow. Ben is also working on a list of all the things that have to be finished before his departure, the main items being: the county budget, the DOT budget, and the County Five Year Program.

A utility permit for the Iowa Regional Utilities Association was approved.

Tama County Conservation Director Curtis Behrens gave the supervisors his annual report that covered all of 2025. Curtis said that much of the year was focused on “revamping” things. The department is trying to strengthen relationships and educate more, with the hope of hosting programs in local schools. Curtis walked the supervisors through the laundry list of improvements and changes that were made in the year. The supervisors approved the report.

Tama County Engineer Ben Daleske giving his report to the supervisors. PHOTO BY MICHAEL NEWLY ENGINEERED DAVIS

The Auditor’s Quarterly and the Treasurer’s Semi-Annual reports were both approved as well.

The supervisors set the drainage election canvass for 8:15 AM on Jan. 26.

The supervisors approved moving the health fund from the Lincoln Savings Bank (LSB) to the WCF Financial Bank in Toledo due to incurring fees at LSB. WCF will have a matching interest rate. It was also approved for the Auditor, Treasurer, and Treasurer’s Tax Assistant to be signers on the WCF account.

The last bit of business was the approval of the Home Base Iowa (HBI) Resolution. This resolution states that, “Tama County, Iowa, is committed to supporting, welcoming, and encouraging the successful transition of U.S. military veterans and their families to civilian life.” HBI is a statewide initiative that connects veterans and military service members with opportunities and resources. $7,500 was allotted to the program for this year. A ceremony for this resolution will be held next Monday.

Claims totaling $51,509.76 were approved.