During its final meeting of 2023 on Monday, the Monroe County Board approved the final revision of an expansion project for the Monroe County Jail which will begin in 2024. 

Project manager Michael Schneider of Quadrant Design reported the version approved in November, which excluded a basement addition to the facility, will save the county an extra $26,498.01.

The credit issued is a reflection of additional savings on labor and materials. 

Commissioner Vicki Koerber remarked she hoped the planned 5,000 square foot basement could have been included in the jail project.

“I really think there should be a basement involved for future use, because 30 years later, we’re still (going to be) at that same jail without a basement,” Koerber said, adding the board wanted to keep the expansion project funded solely with American Rescue Plan Act funds.

“It was a factor of the funds available without going out to taxpayers for additional funding,” Koerber explained.

The final cost of the expansion is $2,865,301.99.

Monroe County Maintenance Supervisor Joe Lewis added that construction is expected to begin Jan. 2. 

Work was set to begin this week, but Lewis said there was a delay in getting an excavator on site. 

Schneider added the delay was only a few days, but it was decided to start the project in the new year in light of wet weather in the forecast and the upcoming holiday schedule.

Lewis gave a general schedule of the construction once it begins.

Since the jail must remain open on the weekends for visitation, work on the main public entrance will be done first with what Lewis described as a “tunnel” being built around the entrance walkway until construction of that section is finished and a new entrance door can be installed.

The storage shed in the northwest corner of the facility is expected to be removed next week.

“We look forward to the progress and updates as we go,” Koerber said.

Lewis was also involved in a discussion of repairing and relocating a mobile generator which is currently connected to the county’s 9-1-1 dispatch center in the Monroe County Courthouse.

Monroe County Public Safety Director Kevin Scheibe reported the generator “had issues” during a weekly test, and it was determined condensation was getting in the generator fuel tank through a small crack. 

Last week, the Monroe County 9-1-1 Board approved the purchase of a fixed generator for the dispatch center, which Scheibe said would be a better fit for its intended use than the mobile generator.

Lewis explained that while the new generator will be paid for by the 9-1-1 board, the county is responsible for delivery, installation and maintenance.

He estimated it will take about 4.5 months for delivery and cost between $25,000-30,000 to install, leading to a discussion of how to fund the project.

For the current year’s budget, it was determined to leave Lewis’s department “project fund” empty and discuss projects as they arise. 

Lewis said maintenance costs are already budgeted, and it was determined the board will perform a transfer from the general fund to the capital improvement fund at a future meeting.

The mobile generator is still operational and will remain at the courthouse until the new one is installed.

Scheibe noted the mobile generator must be repaired as part of the agreement in the grant funding used for its purchase to keep it “readily employable.”

He also suggested, and Koerber agreed, the mobile generator should be relocated to the Monroe County EMS headquarters on Illinois Avenue in Waterloo once it is repaired – adding the process to fix the generator would be completed in 2024 but a possible move likely would not happen until 2025.

The issue will be discussed further during a January meeting.

Koerber pointed out the county is able to fund the repair and installation of the generators through a surplus in county funds, a topic Monroe County Treasurer Kevin Koenigstein discussed Monday morning during a report of the county’s end-of-year financial position.

Koenigstein said there is over $5 million in the county’s general fund, which is a reserve of approximately six months of the current county budget.

Monroe County Clerk Jonathan McLean said there are “not a lot of counties” which could boast a six-month reserve, and he credited “fiscal restraint” of the county’s department heads for the surplus.

Koerber also thanked office holders for being fiscally conservative and  their “prudence” in operating within their budgets.

Board chairman George Green also lauded the county’s “pride” in its “fiscal responsibility.”

In other highlights, Koenigstein noted there was a 4.33 percent increase in county sales tax revenue – though it was offset by rising inflation.

He also commented on the county’s interest revenue during the previous fiscal year – almost $500,000 – and projected nearly $750,000 of investment interest to be collected in the current fiscal year. 

Koenigstein reminded taxpayers the second county property tax payments are due this Thursday, Dec. 21.

Monroe County Engineer Aaron Metzger also commented on the property tax cycle during his semi-annual department report to commissioners Monday morning.

“I will try to discreetly, with a little decorum, vent a little frustration,” he began. “Creating and doing the budgets and finalizing numbers – and my secretary is now trying to do the year-end for the road districts – we all have timelines that we have to meet and deadlines. But these taxes not coming in until the next fiscal year when a certain office doesn’t seem to have a deadline… creates an unjust burden on a lot of (county) offices.”

Metzger then asked commissioners if there is a mechanism which could ensure property tax collection in a more timely manner, adding late tax distribution has been causing unnecessary year-end “tension” for the past several years.

Monroe County State’s Attorney Ryan Webb stated the county’s supervisor of assessments is an elected position, although the county board may exercise “prerogative to call in any official… and ask for an update.”

Koerber added elected officials answer to the voters unless there is an allegation of illegal or unethical behavior, adding the board has called in current Monroe County Supervisor Carl Wuertz on several occasions in the past to inquire about the status of the property tax process and “question the tardiness of the tax bills.

Green said it is the board’s “intention to see some improvement” in the timeliness of property tax assessments and subsequent collection. 

Metzger also outlined his department’s five-year improvement plan.

One of the major projects Metzger has on the 2024 schedule is an extension of Rogers Street in Waterloo to the north and Country Club Lane to the west, which will eliminate a problematic traffic area on Country Club Lane and also facilitate a future extension of Rogers Street north to connect with Rose Lane.

Metzger said he is hopeful construction can begin in the new year, but added there is still preliminary work to be done before any start date can be established. 

Shari Kruep, administrator of the county-owned Oak Hill senior living and rehabilitation center in Waterloo, also gave commissioners her monthly report. 

She began by saying while a recent COVID-19 outbreak has mostly subsided, it has hampered admissions as the facility cannot admit any potential residents who currently have the virus.

She also reported the facility has recently filled seven certified nursing assistant positions and cut reliance on staffing agencies by 25 percent in what she described as a “constant battle” to recruit qualified employees.

Kruep also asked the board to approve three “write-off” balances totalling just over $32,000.

She explained Oak Hill was not going to be paid resident charges of about $20,000 and $11,000 due to a flaw in “admission procedures” in which the facility did not obtain proper pre-authorization prior to admitting residents.

Kruep said the procedure has been fixed, which was a condition  Koerber said was necessary for her to approve paying the write-off balances.