At their Monday meeting, the Wright County Board of Supervisors signed a letter of support for the City of Belmond’s application for a Community Development Block Grant for the Colt’s Corner Daycare project. Like many towns, Belmond is experiencing a childcare shortage as was verified after a 2019 study the city had completed. A proposed plan involves renovating the Ramsey School building in Belmond and turning it into a daycare. The city is seeking $500,000 in funds for the project through Iowa Economic Development Authority.
Another letter of support was also signed, this time for proposed legislation in House File 2602. This bill would establish a funding mechanism for essential emergency medical services for long-term sustainability. It would allow Iowa counties to impose taxes for emergency medical services. Wright County already has such taxes due to a special vote in 2018. If passed, county supervisors could levy taxes but citizens could still employ a reverse referendum to overrule such taxes.
A teleconference call with Hancock County to discuss the 28E sharing agreement of the county engineer was held. Currently, Wright County Engineer Adam Clemons also works with Hancock County. That county explained they just want to keep Wright County up-to-date with their plan. They are seeking to hire a full-time engineer, but for now, Clemons will continue in his present position working for both counties.
In other agenda items, the board also signed an amendment to the Cooperative Agreement with the Child Support Recovery Unit, extending the date of this contract. Supervisor Rick Rasmussen was appointed to the Homeward, Inc. Board. This organization assists rural Iowa families with their housing needs and helps small communities and employers in rural Iowa.
During the conference call with ISG and Reilly Construction on the Agri-Business Park, the supervisors called for an on-site meeting to be held next week with all parties present. They hope to discuss progress and what’s coming up in the project.
Supervisor Karl Helgevold reported on behalf the Emergency Operations Center on COVID-19 in Wright County. In total, the county has had six positive cases of COVID-19 with five of those people being from the county. Four people have recovered while one is isolating at home.
