Supervisor Heather Knebel (R-Traer).

I hope everyone stayed cool with the hot weather we experienced in July.

County roads were one of the main topics of discussion during Supervisor meetings in July. E29 still has an embargo on it due to the West Bridge Approach being damaged. We’ve approved a quote for these repairs, but the road will continue to be under the embargo until the work is completed.

We have been sharing County Engineer duties with Iowa County on an interim basis since February. Nick Amelon had many projects in his own county to address, so as of June 30, we could no longer continue this sharing agreement. I really appreciate the work Nick has done for Tama County. He reviewed the secondary roads budget thoroughly and gave us lots of recommendations. While we wait to hire a full-time County Engineer, we have been working closely with the DOT to ensure we stay compliant. We are required to have a licensed County Engineer to close out four projects that are currently in progress or have recently been completed. The Board of Supervisors signed a contract with Calhoun-Burns and Associates to finalize the projects and continue to stay compliant.

The Board of Supervisors met with the Board of Health and Tama County Public Health / Home Health Services. During the work session we discussed the current status of the county’s Public Health Department and brainstormed ideas for additional services that would generate income, as well as specifics regarding the open Public Health Director position. It was a beneficial meeting for both parties, and we will continue to meet quarterly.

As usual, please reach out with any questions or concerns.

Supervisor Heather Knebel (R-Traer), the first elected female supervisor in Tama County history, represents District 3, including the townships of Spring Creek, Crystal, Perry, and parts of far northern Carlton (excluding Garwin) and Howard. She can be reached at 641-481-2532 or hknebel@tamacounty.org.