Johnson County Board of Supervisors reflect on past year’s goals in annual report
The Board of Supervisors’ annual State of Johnson County report was released on Thursday, addressing changes and advancements across county offices and departments.
In this composite photo, businesses line Clinton St. in Iowa City on a summer evening. Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017.
October 14, 2018
The Johnson County Board of Supervisors released the annual State of the County report in a meeting on Oct. 11, which focused on the supervisors’ goals over the past year.
The report covers information on the finances of the county for fiscal 2018, running from July 1, 2017 to June 30.
Johnson County Supervisor Mike Carberry opened the meeting by outlining the four priority goals of the supervisors for the previous year: developing the Crisis Intervention Team, supporting local food, developing a plan for the Historic Poor Farm, and addressing poverty in the county.
“I’m pleased to say that we’ve made very good progress on all four of those priority items,” Carberry said.
Carberry said the budget showed $104,312,037 had been collected in revenue. Property taxes were the highest source at 54 percent of revenue.
County expenses totaled $100,551,387, with the largest expense being public safety and legal services at 23 percent.
The report covered numerous elected officials and departments in the county and outlined any advancements the agencies had made.
RELATED: Johnson County historical Poor Farm bringing in charitable food production, low-income housing
Supervisor Lisa Green-Douglass, covering the county auditor, said the Auditor’s Office purchased new voting equipment that is easier and more convenient for voters and for the county. In addition, the office developed an online payroll service that will allow employees to view pay statements online, reducing the amount of paper the county uses.
“We’re doing our part toward ‘paperless-ness,’ ” Green-Douglass said.
Sustainability was a common theme among the departments outlined in the report. It showed a number of county departments and offices conducting more business electronically, trying to cut back on paper.
The county also installed solar panels at the Ambulance Service & Medical Examiner Facility and introduced an electric-car charger at the County Administration Building.
The Planning, Development, and Sustainability Department is another area that focused heavily on environmental concerns. The department ran the “Solarize Johnson County” program, which saw 1.16 megawatts of solar energy installed in 181 houses across the county.
“[Planning & Development] is doing a great job on climate change, and everyone can get involved,” Supervisor Janelle Rettig said.
Another highlight of the report was a reduction in the daily average of inmates at the county jail, from 91.5 in 2016 to 88.5 in 2017. Rettig said most of the decrease is due to the jail-alternative program, which provides treatment for individuals with mental-health issues who would otherwise have gone to jail.
Other departments covered in the report included Public Health, Mental Health/Disability Services, Human Resources, and Social Services.
“We’re always open to questions about this report or anything else,” Carberry said at the close of the meeting.
