One of the most important elected officials in our county is the position of supervisor. Dallas County currently hosts three such officials who serve on a part-time basis.
Dallas County Supervisor Mark Hanson stopped by the weekly meeting of the Perry Kiwanis Oct. 4 to discuss the role of county supervisor and some of the accomplishments of this body.
Hanson was first elected to the office as a Dallas County supervisor 2004, beating incumbent Alice Wicker. He will be completing his third term of office and is currently seeking re-election this coming Nov. 8.
He also serves on the Area Agency on the Aging and is working on a study regarding falls with the elderly. Falls are a major cause of injury and death, and the area agrnecy is working on ways to reduce this hazard.
Hanson pointed out Dallas County is one of the fastest growing counties in the country. In 2000 about 40,000 people resided in Dallas County. By 2016 the population had grown to 80,000. Dallas County has a larger population than 77 other counties in Iowa.
There has been discussion about changes in the number of supervisors serving on the Dallas County board. Some people suggest increasing the number of supervisors to five, serving either full time or part time. There also has been discussion on making the three positions full time without increasing their number.
Some of the accomplishments of the Dallas County Board of Supervisors that Hanson listed included remodeling and modernizing the county courthouse. Hanson said it cost $10 million to remodel the courthouse, but it preserved a piece of area history and made the building functional for the modern era. The useful area was increased by 30 percent and made ADA compliant, he said. There is also a secure entrance and exit.
Hanson said the 911 system was updated. With ever newer technologies, it is important to keep up with better ways to administer the system, he said.
The Dallas County Care Facility was closed, but the building is being used as offices for several county offices. The county also rents out 570 acres to DMACC for agricultural studies. There are also plans to have meeting space where the public can host events in the building.
There was a vote on Project Destiny and discussion on building an airport in Waukee. Hanson stressed that Perry already has a great airport that serves the county well.
There have been several failed votes on building a new jail, he said. The current jail is stressed and will need to have a new structure built.
Mental health care is an area of concern in Dallas County and across the state.
Hanson believes that one of the most important duties of the Dallas County Supervisors is to help manage the unincorporated areas of the county.
He said he is also proud that the body worked to reduce the county tax levy from 9.71 to 7.94, one of the lowest in the state.
Hanson was welcomed to the meeting of the Perry Kiwanis Club by 15 year Perry Kiwanis member Marcus Carris.
