Ames City Council members voted to reject a bid for a geothermal energy system on the Baker subdivision Tuesday after the bid exceeded the budget by nearly $1,404,866. Council members suggested exploring alternative energy-efficient methods like air-source heat pumps. The city’s plans for single-family housing remain unaffected. In March, the City Council approved plans for.
The Cache County human resources department is conducting an investigation into the exodus of five permanent female workers from the county clerkâs office since the beginning of 2021.
The Herald Journal also learned this week that disruption in the clerkâs office prompted a group of employees in other offices to approach the county administration with concerns about job security when new officials are elected.
County Executive David Zook said he requested the investigation in response to two written complaints lodged with the county administration along with his own concerns about high turnover in the office since Jess Bradfield took over as clerk last September following the mid-term departure of Jill Zollinger.
Jess Bradfieldâs arrival as the new Cache County clerk and auditor last fall has led to the resignations of four out of six longtime female employees in the clerkâs office, including one who gained a $97,000 out-of-court separation settlement, The Herald Journal has learned.
Bradfield was elected in a special session of Cache County Republicans on Sept. 19 following the departure of fellow Republican Jill Zollinger, who stepped down before the end of her fifth four-year term in office. Bradfield won out over two of Zollingerâs employees, Chief Deputy Auditor Diana Schaeffer and Chief Deputy Clerk Kim Gardner, and it was Gardner who won the separation payout roughly two months after Bradfieldâs arrival.