Commission advised to fill openings on planning commission

By Charlene Sims, info@linncountyjournal.com

MOUND CITY – As two Linn County Planning and Zoning Commission members turned in their resignations on Monday, July 14, County counselor Jacklyn Paletta reminded the commissioners that it takes a quorum of five members for the planning committee to make decisions. Paletta pointed out that only six members were present at the July 8 meeting. 

Commission Vice Chair Paul Porter and member Morgan Brown resigned from the commission. Alison Hamilton, who represents District 2 on the county commission will need to appoint a member to Brown’s position. District No. 1 Commissioner Jason Hightower needs to appoint a member for Porter and another position that is open.

The Linn County Planning and Zoning  Commission is a nine-member committee with three people representing each commissioner district. The resignations of Porter and Brown and the other vacant seat in District 1 leaves only six members on the planning commission. 

In other business, the commissioners:

•  At the recommendation of Appraiser Lisa Kellstadt the commissioners hired Yur Yang for the Appraiser’s Office at $17.99 per hour.

• Hired Frank Palumbo for part-time maintenance at the Linn County Park at $16.91 per hour.

• Learned that Economic Development Director Chasity Ware was waiting for two bids to come in on remodeling the commissioners room at the annex as requested by Hamilton. Ware said she hoped to have that to the commission by July 28.

• Learned that Ware has the first round of the branding logo fonts, color tones, and will present them next Monday.

• Went into an executive session for a seven-minute trade secret meeting in regards to a piece of property with Ware. No action was taken.

• Went into an executive session for 10 minutes for employee job performance with County Clerk Danielle Souza and two commissioners. No action was taken.

• Went into executive session to discuss hiring a public works director for 15 minutes with the two commissioners and human resources staff person Rose Mohler.

• Voted to go into another 10 minute executive session with Mohler, County Clerk Danielle Souza, and the two commissioners after hearing from Souza that one of the public works director applicants had just contacted her asking if the commission had made a decision because he had two to other offers but would really prefer working in Linn County. 

Hamilton said she wanted the executive session so that she could know who Souza was talking about and then discuss this. There was no action from the executive session.

• Went into executive session for 15 minutes regarding attorney client privilege about pending litigation with the two commissioners and Paletta. No action came from this executive session.

• Went into a five minute executive session at the very end of the meeting, requested by Paletta with the two commissioners regarding trade secrets for proprietary business of a business in the county and its relationship with the county. No action was taken.