Wright County

Emotions run high at last week’s WC Board of Health meeting- Decertification of home care and layoffs topics of discussion

Published by editor on Wed, 09/09/2020 - 10:22am

Even though the meeting took place at 7 a.m., several members of the public tuned into the Wright County Board of Health meeting via Zoom last Thursday. The big topic of interest was again  the county’s decision to decertify skilled home care services that are reimbursed by Medicare, Medicaid, the VA and insurance beginning November 1 and the layoffs of staff that will result from this.

Wright County Board of Health votes to decertify nursing side of Public Health

Published by editor on Wed, 09/02/2020 - 9:50am

 

Supervisors get earful about home care decertification

Published by editor on Wed, 09/02/2020 - 9:37am

The Monday meeting of the Wright County Board of Supervisors was at full capacity, in addition to over 20 attendees on Zoom. The large crowd was there to give input during the public forum time regarding the county’s recent announcement that they will not continue to provide skilled home care services that are reimbursed by Medicare, Medicaid, the VA and insurance, beginning November 1. Everyone who spoke voiced unhappiness with the decision.

Supervisors look at bids for drainage district repairs

Published by editor on Wed, 08/26/2020 - 9:30am

The Wright County Board of Supervisors held the bid letting for work on drainage ditch 107. This is an open ditch a few miles south of Kanawha. Dan Wiedmeier of McClure Engineering noted that the work will include removing silt, widening side slopes, replacing outlets and controlling trees and stumps. All the work will take place in Wright County though it is a shared district. There were six eligible bids received for the project. The low bid was from Reutzel Excavating out of Burt, Iowa for $413,297, well below the engineer’s estimate of $589,660.

Prestage withdraws request for employment numbers extension

Published by editor on Wed, 08/19/2020 - 10:17am

At their regular Monday morning meeting, the Wright County Board of Supervisors discussed the developer agreement with Prestage Foods of Iowa with regards to their agreed upon employment numbers. In the agreement, Prestage committed to having 922 full-time equivalent jobs to get a 32% tax rebate off their annual property tax of $2.5 million. However, the company noted that due to labor disruptions caused by COVID-19, they have been unable to achieve that number.               

Supervisors hear about Belmond Test Iowa clinic

Published by editor on Wed, 08/12/2020 - 6:13am

             Sandy McGrath updated the board on COVID-19 in Wright County. She noted that the county has seen an uptick in daily cases in the last week or two. McGrath said that in mid-July, Wright County COVID numbers had started to flatten but are now back at 4 to 6 per day, which moves the county from the “Minimal to Moderate” to the “Substantial Controlled” category. She said that this is likely due to group gatherings, which she still cautions people to avoid. The case count stood at 472 in Wright County as of Monday.

Wright County Charitable Foundation celebrates 15th anniversary supporting local worthy causes

Published by editor on Wed, 08/05/2020 - 10:21am

Fifteen years ago is when Wright County embarked on establishing a charitable foundation to enhance the lives of county residents. To date, nearly 600 non-profit grants have been funded, totaling about $1.23 million. Another nearly $3/4 million has been given to worthy causes by the 37 private endowments held by the Wright County Charitable Foundation (WCCF).

 

From the beginning

 

Supervisors work on Agribusiness Park matters

Published by editor on Wed, 07/29/2020 - 8:50am

In the weekly COVID-19 update from the Emergency Operations Center, Sandy McGrath reported to the Wright County Board of Supervisors that, as of Monday morning, there were 429 positive cases in the county with 3,038 people having been tested. She added that there are 370 listed as having recovered, but that number lags a bit and she had personally reported 20 more recoveries over the weekend. McGrath said they are working with businesses to encourage signage about wearing masks. “We all have to do our part,” she emphasized. “Stay out of large crowds and wear a mask.”

Supervisors establish speed limit near Agribusiness Park

Published by editor on Wed, 07/22/2020 - 8:34am

At the Monday morning meeting of the Wright County Board of Supervisors, Jeremy Abbas, Assistant to the County Engineer, presented two resolutions for the board to consider. The first was to establish a speed limit on Clay Avenue in the Agribusiness Park. The board approved a 25 mph speed limit on the road between 320th Street and 330th Street. They also approved a stop sign at the intersection of Clay Ave and C-56 (320th Street).

Supervisors discuss hefty tax abatement for Clarion property

Published by editor on Wed, 07/15/2020 - 9:04am

At the Monday meeting of the Wright County Board of Supervisors, Clarion City Administrator Clint Middleton and City Attorney Zach Chizek appeared before the board to discuss two lots in the Gates Subdivision in the City of Clarion. Chizek explained the history of the property. In 2016, the city entered into an agreement with IHB Technologies, Inc., formerly known as Superior Coating Group, LLC out of Minnesota. The city gave the corporation the lots on the east side of Clarion, plus $200,000 to develop the property. There was also a minimum assessment on the property of $4.3 million.

Wright County Monitor

P.O. Box 153
Clarion, IA 50525
Phone: 515-532-2871
Email: news@wrightcountymonitor.com

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