The Marshall County Board of Supervisors spent approximately 20 minutes of Wednesday morning’s regular meeting discussing the upcoming RAGBRAI overnight stop coming up next Wednesday, July 22, and how to handle employee time off for those who are required to work that day or choose to volunteer.

The conversation started with County Engineer Paul Geilenfeldt asking the board about secondary roads employees who will volunteer for RAGBRAI and whether or not they will be counted as working that day if they do so. His proposal, he said, was to count it as a paid day of work, but he wanted to run it by the board first.

The courthouse will be closed for the day other than the Clerk of Court’s office, and Geilenfeldt told Auditor/Recorder Nan Benson that his department wouldn’t be running any dump trucks and keeping motor graders away from the RAGBRAI area.

“We are purposely trying to take equipment and personnel away from the route,” Geilenfeldt said.

In response to a question from Board Chairman Jarret Heil, Benson said courthouse employees are getting paid that day, and volunteering is encouraged. That prompted Sheriff Joel Phillips to seek clarification on whether it would be considered a closed weather day, because if that was the case, it would affect his clerical staff.

Benson said the closure would be considered logistical as opposed to weather related, and Phillips noted if it would be classified as weather related, his administrative staff would get a paid day off.

“There’s always work to do, but we just want to make sure it’s fair with all county employees,” Phillips said.

The supervisors then asked Phillips how he would like them to handle the situation if it is classified as an operational closure, and he reiterated that his primary goal was fairness. Conservation Director Emily Herring told the board her staff would also be working at campgrounds and directing traffic, and Geilenfeldt said some of his employees would also be working on traffic control.

Eventually, Heil suggested granting an additional vacation day to those who are required to work the RAGBRAI day, but Phillips raised the issue of whether it would run up against stipulations of the collective bargaining agreement. It was eventually determined that if the additional day were granted as paid administrative leave and used within the next three to six months, it would be above board and easier to track.

“You don’t anticipate fun like this when RAGBRAI’s coming to town,” Benson joked before noting that it’s only one day and encouraging volunteerism. “We want to try to be as fair as we possibly can.”

As Benson explained the rationale behind closing most courthouse functions for the day, Phillips and Geilenfeldt noted that a civil trial is still scheduled to be held next Wednesday, with much of the parking lot already planned to be in use for various vendors and departments in the expo area. Chief Deputy Ben Veren added that the judge in the case is considering starting on Tuesday, skipping Wednesday and resuming Thursday morning, but some of the RAGBRAI traffic may still be in Marshalltown then.

After much discussion, Hibbs motioned to give employees who do not work a paid day off and to grant an additional paid administrative leave day to anyone who does work across all departments, which Phillips felt resolved the fairness issue, though he would still need to assess how it will impact his payroll budget.

The motion was carried by a unanimous 3-0 vote.

In other business, the board:

Approved the consent agenda as listed.

Recognized Buildings and Grounds Director Lucas Baedke for 15 years of service to Marshall County and Secondary Roads Truck Driver Eric Purvis for 25 years of service.

Approved the appointment of Ian Buchwald as an assistant county attorney at an annual salary of $90,000.

Approved an amendment to the intergovernmental 28E agreement between the Central Iowa Juvenile Detention Center and Marshall County and subsequently approved the new 28E agreement between the two entities.

Approved a temporary use agreement with First Interstate Bank at 102 S. Center St. for an emergency operations and command trailer during RAGBRAI next Wednesday.

Approved support for Marshall County Conservation’s letter of intent for a grant application to the Martha-Ellen Tye Foundation to help a fund a facilities master plan and approved a $10,000 commitment from the economic development funds pending a successful application.

Approved an amendment for Fiscal Year 2027 in the Secondary Roads five-year plan due to an increased projected cost for a bridge project on Oaks Avenue.

Approved a supplemental agreement for additional services with Snyder and Associates Inc. for additional design services related to the US 30, Binford Avenue and 245th Street improvement project near Marshall Ridge Farms.

Approved a federal aid agreement for the Bridge D-11 replacement project.

Acknowledged the receipt of a petition from Kevin and Alex Blood to vacate a portion of Brown Avenue.