The Webster County Supervisors approved a $2.75 million mediated settlement payment Tuesday for a 2022 motor vehicle accident involving a county snowplow.

According to Webster County Attorney Darren Driscoll, the payment from the Iowa Community Assurance Pool (ICAP) to Regina Rhea will resolve the contested civil matter in exchange for full release of all claims against the County. The funds do not come from the county budget, but instead from the ICAP risk pool, which Driscoll likened to insurance.

“Prior to litigation there was a mediation a few weeks ago where our counsel and represented parties met with opposing counsel and Ms. Rhea and they started out with a $10 million demand,” said Driscoll. “The negotiated resolution was $2.75 million. No fault is admitted by the county as part of the settlement. This individual was significantly injured and required multiple surgeries as a result of the collision and based on ICAP’s recommendation, they recommend that we accept the settlement.”

The supervisors also approved the first consideration of a new ordinance for animal control and welfare which provides provisions for shelter fees and procedures, rabies control, biting and attacking other animals or humans, control of a dangerous animal, vicious dogs, exotic animals, standards for private kennels, animal welfare and care and animal hoarding.

“Some folks might not be aware that the animal control officer’s hands are frequently tied by what can be done in the county,” said Webster County Supervisor Niki Conrad of the ordinance for areas zoned R-1, R-2 and R-3. “Our current ACO has long been advocating for this so I personally think it’s a step in the right direction.”

“I just want to thank you for considering tightening our ordinances for some of this,” said Kaila Benson, owner and operator of Webster County Animal Protection. “As Supervisor Conrad said, there are times that the public thinks that we don’t want to help. In reality when it comes to the county, most specifically as we’re talking today more of the urban areas of the county, where we find the houses are very close together and not your traditional agriculture, acreage or farmland, when we don’t have ordinances to protect people or other animals, our hands have very much been tied up until this point. We appreciate you considering this and giving us a little more teeth in being able to hold some of our animal owners accountable, in keeping the animals on the property and giving us the ability to do something about it.”

The second hearing of the ordinance was waived with a final hearing at the upcoming April 7 Board meeting.

The supervisors also held a public hearing and first consideration for an amendment providing construction/installation standards of private sewage disposal systems and requirements of the contractor and installer, issuance of private sewage disposal system permits, private water well testing, and the transferring of properties.

“I’m just trying to clean up the language in the ordinance,” said Allison Pugh of Webster County Environmental Health. “Considering what’s going on in Iowa with the water concerns, I’m just trying to do as much as we can here in Webster County.”

The supervisors also approved and authorized an increase in costs to the Webster County Environmental Health fee schedule. According to Pugh, these increases will cover the county’s costs. This includes doubling the fee for private sewage disposal systems constructed or installed by the property owner. Fees will also triple if no permit is issued for an installed private sewage disposal system or private water well, and fees will be reevaluated every two years.

The supervisors approved farm leases between Webster County and Jeff Allen, Canon Bleam, and the Iowa Central Community College Foundation.

An agreement with Georgia-Pacific Gypsum LLC was approved for paving on 230th Street. According to Webster County Engineer Jamie Johll, Georgia-Pacific Gypsum LLC is planning to reopen the south quarry which is accessed by a short stretch of gravel which they have asked the county to pave. Georgia-Pacific Gypsum LLC will reimburse the county $100,000 for the paving of the road.

The supervisors also approved and authorized an agreement with the City of Fort Dodge and the Webster County Conservation Board for paving on 160th Street, on the north side of Harlan and Hazel Rogers Sports Complex. According to Johll, 30 percent of this road is within city limits. The agreement is for the city to reimburse the county for 30 percent of the work done.

On Monday, the Fort Dodge City Council voted to pay the county $478,000 for its share of the paving cost.

“This should be a good project,” said Supervisor Nathan Montgomery. “I know they’re planning to do another parking lot on the north side of Harlan Rogers, and with the roundabout project going on too, just south of that intersection, this should be a nice detour route potentially to help with the traffic.”

The supervisors also heard from Cory Krug, president of the Webster County Fair Board, and Heather Stewart, fair manager, about the upcoming 168th Webster County Fair.

“We’ve had an active and productive start to the year,” said Krug. “Many positive things are happening at the fairgrounds. We continue to see strong community involvement and support with almost every weekend being booked through the end of the year. That is a big change from last year which was a little slower. Also, we landed the Great Iowa Tractor Ride which will be coming to town in June and will bring people from all over the U.S. to town. We’re looking forward to that. We also continue to maintain and upgrade the fairgrounds.”

The Webster County Fair is scheduled for July 15-19.