The Hawk Eye
The Des Moines County Board of Supervisors discussed the Department of Human Services Thursday, focusing on how much money the department spends versus how much it asks for every year at budget time.
During the budget meeting, supervisors noted that DHS regularly does not spend their entire budget yet continues to request the same amount of money. If you don t need it, we don t have to levy for it, said Supervisor Tom Broeker.
Des Moines County is one of 10 counties that pay for the Eastern Iowa Service Area for DHS. DHS is one of a handful of organizations for which the county provides funding without having any control over the budget.
Des Moines County supervisor Bob Beck steps down, Shane McCampbell steps up
Bob Saar
It was a good run.
Bob Beck, a Democrat, served as a Des Moines County supervisor for 16 years before losing his seat to former Burlington mayor Shane McCampbell in the Nov. 3 general election.
McCampbell received 8,347 votes, incumbent runner-up Jim Cary got 7,924, and Beck lost to Cary a slim 14-vote margin with 7,910.
The Des Moines County Board of Supervisors is the executive branch of county government; supervisors are the county s policymakers and administer county programs by reviewing budget requests, appropriating funds, establishing tax levies, enacting ordinances, filling employee vacancies and hearing reports from county officers. The board is also responsible for overseeing economic development in the county.
Bob Saar
for The Hawk Eye
The Des Moines County Board of Supervisors had a full house when other DMC elected officials joined members of other boards and committees in the public meeting room at the Des Moines County Courthouse on Tuesday, Dec. 29. The meeting was live-streamed on youTube and on the County website.
Supervisors Thomas Broeker, chair, and Bob Beck and Jim Cary welcomed sheriff-elect Kevin Glendening and Supervisor-elect Shane McCampbell, who were sworn in after the regular meeting.
COVID-19 update
Des Moines County Public Health Administrator Christa Poggemiller gave the newest numbers: seven-day total new cases were 86 for an 8% infection rate; 14-day total new cases were 150 for an 11% rate. There have been 3,458 cases of COVID-19 in Des Moines County since February.
Des Moines County supervisors get and give raises
County elected officials get 3% raises, townships get trustees.
Bob Saar
for The Hawk Eye
The Des Moines County Board of Supervisors held its regular session Tuesday in the public meeting room at the Des Moines County Courthouse. The meeting was live-streamed on YouTube and on the county website.
Chairman Thomas Broeker was vacationing with family, thus supervisor Jim Cary chaired. Cary and supervisor Bob Beck were joined by a handful of department heads.
COVID-19 update
Des Moines County Public Health Administrator Christa Poggemiller gave the newest COVID-19 numbers: a 7-day positivity rate of 8% with 94 cases.
With Fiscal Year 2021 revenues damaged by COVID-19, county budgets are tighter.
Bob Saar
for The Hawk Eye
There were no surprises at the Des Moines County budget meeting Tuesday at the First Church of Nazarene, 1015 S. Roosevelt Ave., in Burlington.
DMC budget director Cheryl McVey addressed the 21 public officials who attended, including department heads and the board of supervisors. McVey presented a slideshow highlighting the current fiscal year s budget and the proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2022.
The county s new fiscal year begins July 1 and ends June 30, 2022. The FY2022 budget hearings will run Jan. 5-15. A public hearing for the proposed budget will be March 23.