Breaking News
Todays News

Supervisors move forward with plans to add stop sign near dairy farm

By Robert Maharry 5 min read

Piggybacking off of a previous discussion about the potential expansion of the Blood Dairy Farm just south of State Center, the Marshall County Board of Supervisors informally gave County Engineer Paul Geilenfeldt the go-ahead to proceed with installing a new stop sign at the intersection of 245th Street and Binford Avenue during Wednesday morning's regular meeting.

The T intersection is currently uncontrolled, and two weeks ago, nearby resident John Allen expressed concern about the amount of traffic and the speed at which trucks coming to and from the dairy farm drive. When asked by Supervisor Steve Salasek, Sheriff Joel Phillips said he was not specifically aware of any accidents at the intersection but added that he felt the "spirit" of the conversation was more focused on slowing down traffic.

The proposal would place the stop sign on 245th Street westbound heading into the T intersection with Binford. As Geilenfeldt noted, uncontrolled gravel intersections are relatively common in Marshall County, and he said he believed one stop sign would be more beneficial than placing two stop signs on Binford going north and south.

Geilenfeldt and the supervisors were in general agreement about moving forward, with Chairman Jarret Heil calling it "a good start" and "a simple easy first step" toward making the area safer both for the truck drivers and nearby residents.

No formal action was taken, but the supervisors gave Geilenfeldt authorization to proceed with the process and bring an official resolution back to a future meeting.

From there, the board segued back into a topic it has discussed several times before -- potential signs or an ordinance against engine braking, commonly known as Jake Braking, for semi trucks in the unincorporated community of Green Mountain. Supervisor Steve Salasek said he had recently been in contact with John Worden, who previously brought the request to the supervisors, and Worden reported the issues have persisted as trucks driving to the JBS plant in the northeast corner of Marshalltown often pass through Green Mountain on their way.

Salasek told his fellow supervisors he would like to see signs placed along the main road discouraging the practice but did not support a formal ordinance because of concerns about enforceability.

"I think signs would have an effect," Salasek said.

Sheriff Joel Phillips asked for numbers on how many trucks are using their engine brakes, and he shared his concerns about citizens eventually demanding more formal action even if the signs are installed without a formal ordinance.

"A sign is a sign," Phillips said. "One of my concerns in those unincorporated areas is where do we stop for enforcement? If it does lead to enforcement, it becomes very difficult to enforce."

Several of the incorporated communities in Marshall County do have specific ordinances against the practice, but Phillips struggled to recall an instance where a ticket had actually been issued for violating them and wondered about the unintended consequences.

"My concern would be how often (is this happening)? Is this a perceived problem or is it a reality?" Phillips asked. "When it comes to engine brakes, yes, they're loud, but so are motorcycles and cars. Where do we stop?"

Heil inquired about whether specific unincorporated areas within the county could have ordinances in place without including the entirety of the county, and Phillips said that was a possibility, citing heavily populated unincorporated areas of Polk County where engine braking ordinances have been enacted.

The discussion then continued for several minutes as both Heil and fellow Supervisor Carol Hibbs seemed to prefer soliciting feedback from the residents of Green Mountain to see if an engine braking ordinance is something they would like to see in their community, while Salasek said he would rather put up signs discouraging the practice without an official ordinance.

County Attorney Jordan Gaffney expressed concern about a potential "can of worms" opening up without an ordinance. The board ultimately took no official action but agreed to solicit feedback from citizens on the topic before making future decisions.

During the public comment period, Salasek mentioned that County Emergency Management Coordinator Kim Elder had concerns about proposed legislation at the Statehouse related to emergency management levies, and County Assessor Blaze Wurr discussed the unprecedented surge of informal review requests -- 187 as of Wednesday -- his office has received since new property assessments were sent out at the end of March.

"I appreciate my staff and all the work they did this month," Wurr said.

Animal Rescue League of Marshalltown Executive Director Rachel Buchanan introduced herself and noted she would be on the agenda for the next meeting as the contract between the county and the ARL for pound services has not been renegotiated since 2009.

The board then went into a closed session, and Heil told the T-R that no action was taken afterward.

In other business, the board:

Approved the consent agenda and seasonal personnel hires in the conservation department as listed.

Approved a 28E agreement between the Sheriff's Office and the City of Melbourne for law enforcement services.

------

Contact Robert Maharry at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.

Starting at /week.