Heather Knebel.

I have one month on the books as a new Tama County Supervisor and wanted to share some highlights with everyone! I was sworn in on Dec. 30, 2024, along with the four other Supervisors, the Sheriff, and the Auditor. There is always work involved with newly elected officials, but the upside is many new ideas and fresh perspectives to benefit taxpayers. I’m excited to be representing District 3 including Traer and Gladbrook and just north of Garwin.

Our first meeting was an organizational meeting held on Jan. 2, 2025. I was selected as Vice-Chair for the Board of Supervisors. The external boards I will be covering are the following: Heartland Risk Pool Insurance, South Central Iowa Workforce, DECAT, and Kid’s Corner Daycare. I’m ready to learn all I can about these boards and be an asset for the community and county.

At the Jan. 6 meeting, we were able to select agenda items for the first time. We had a full list and here are some highlights from that board meeting:

-We got new county cellphones so we are accessible by email and phone to taxpayers and county employees. You can find our numbers and emails listed on the Tama County website.

-Livestream/Zoom will be available in the next couple of weeks as we ordered an Owl Camera and a laptop to record the meetings for better public transparency. I realize not everyone can be at the meetings on Monday mornings, so this was critical to get in place.

-We repealed an Ordinance put into place in 2024 that restricted public comments to agenda items only. We will follow the Iowa Code, Robert’s Rules of Order, and allow two opportunities for public comments on any topic the public desires to discuss. I want to listen to my constituents and understand their concerns and needs.

-We dissolved the compensation board as this is not a requirement anymore by the state. The board often recommends way too high of raises that burden the budget, and the Supervisors may have to lower the raise percentages.

-Moratoriums were enacted on Wind Energy Conversion Systems and Utility-Scale Solar so the Zoning Commission can meet and update the ordinances. The wind ordinance is from 2010 and there is not a Utility-Scale Solar ordinance which puts our land, people, and county at risk.

-We approved Brent Heeren, Tama County Attorney, to be contacted first on any issue or question that a department head or employee has.

During the January 13 meeting, the engineer discussed the open motor grader position in the Traer area. There were 34 applicants, which is great to see in our small community. The Board hired PJ Greufe & Associates LLC for a Human Resources audit for Tama County. This will give us a baseline with their suggested improvements and updates.

For the January 20 meeting, it was decided to have Mark Doland and I be the two Supervisors selecting a replacement for the open seat on the Conservation Board. We will work with the Auditor to interview and select a candidate in February. I was able to add Farmers Savings Bank Traer and Pinnacle to the list of potential depository banks for the county. FSB in Traer is a Charter bank and it is wise for the county to include it when seeking the best depository terms. An IT Audit was approved to be done mid-February in Tama County by the ISAC Tech Team. It is extremely important that Security and IT be up to date, and the final report will highlight improvements that should be made.

The four new members of the Board of Supervisors (including myself) undertook a 2-day training in Des Moines with ISAC (Iowa State Association of Counties). This was a great opportunity to meet with other elected officials outside Tama County and understand the responsibilities involved in being a county supervisor.

The Supervisors have been busy meeting with each department head to work on the Fiscal Year 2025-26 budget. It’s an interesting process and the goal is to reduce expenses and save money for Tama County taxpayers.

It’s been a very busy first month, but we are making lots of progress! We have a great Board of Supervisors working and learning together for the people of Tama County, with discussions taking place in full view of the public. Tama County is in good hands with the new five-member board!

Please reach out if you have any questions, concerns, or ideas!

Supervisor Heather Knebel (R-Traer), the first elected female supervisor in Tama County history, represents District 3 which includes the townships of Spring Creek, Crystal, and Perry, and parts of far northern Carlton (excluding Garwin) and Howard. She can be reached at 641-481-2532 or hknebel@tamacounty.org.