The Wright County Board of Supervisors offered March 4 to refund just over $250 in property taxes to Clarmond Country Club.
The private golf course, located near Lake Cornelia, had been paying taxes on a small piece of sovereign lake bed land for decades before the error was discovered by members of the country club board recently. The Clarmond board had requested a refund of $12,000 last month.
Iowa law limits property tax refunds to only the last two years of the erroneously paid amount. County officials calculated that amount to total $256.51 on the 3.5 acres of sovereign lake bed.
A representative of Clarmond said their board of directors “is completely split” on the matter. Some members will be satisfied with the refund, while others are in favor of taking legal action to get the full amount requested. Those in favor of taking the matter to court feel that the state was negligent in notifying the Clarmond board about the disputed land. “They are very, very disappointed there was no notification.”
It was also pointed out that the 500 or so stockholders at Clarmond may be entitled to compensation. Although it was noted that “half of them may be dead.”
The Clarmond board will meet soon and a decision will be relayed to the supervisors.
The supervisors approved the low bid for two paving projects that will be completed this year. Blacktop Service of Humboldt was awarded the contract with a bid of $667,248. The projects are C-32 (west of Goldfield to Highway 17), and R-33 (south of C-70 to the county line east of Woolstock).
County Engineer Adam Clemons said “great prices” were received from all three bidders, and each bid was lower than the estimated $731,000 cost.
Clemons also noted that recent good weather has allowed his department to start tile and culvert work.
In other business, the board:
—heard that talks with a prospective business for the industrial park are still moving forward, although still in early stages;
—approved raising the pay for precinct election officials from $13 to $15 per hour, and the precinct chairperson to $17 per hour. Auditor Betty Ellis said the pay increase will cost the county $600-$700 during a general election or primary election;
—set fees for the transfer of human remains by a funeral home. The businesses will receive $400 for transfers in the county and $600 for transfers from the state medical examiners office in Ankeny. The fees were set after the county received a “rather outrageous” bill for transferring remains from the medical examiner’s office;
—and appointed Sabrina Beck to the county planning and zoning commission. She will replace Candy Fjetland.
