Traveling and thinking about books and things

Increase pet adoption to alleviate overcrowding at local animal shelters, leader encourages community.

Burson details plans for Dames Ferry Elementary and Jones County High School renovations

Commission grants conditional use for Grama Community Church at 215 Old Highway 18

A consulting engineer asked commissioners what studies and resources were used to set zoning guardrails for data centers; officials said the development authority holds studies used for the county's GRAMA certification and that the zoning ordinance and prior stakeholder meetings informed guardrails.

The Jones County Planning and Zoning Commission voted 2–1 to recommend a text amendment that would allow data centers as a conditional use in the M‑2 district, after hours of public testimony raising water, noise, health and transparency concerns. The measure now goes to the Board of Commissioners for final action.

At a Jones County work session, commissioners debated using fund balance — including a suggested $1,000,000 draw — to balance the upcoming budget and directed staff to prioritize departmental requests for possible later amendments to the adopted budget.

The Board unanimously approved an employer-of-record agreement for FY27 with the Eastern Iowa Workforce Development Board on Aug. 4, 2026; the motion was moved by Schlarmann and seconded by Hall, and recorded as "All aye."

The board accepted Shiv Construction’s low bid for Highway 49 Phase 5 and approved an award that includes a ductile‑iron alternate, revising the recommended contract to roughly $3.0 million; staff said ARPA and county bond funds will cover the work.

Action summary from the July 7, 2026 Jones County meeting: the board adopted a backyard‑hens amendment, approved a billboard conditional use, authorized text‑amendment processes on alcohol and adaptive reuse (sent back to planning), appointed a Historic Preservation Commission member, approved minutes, awarded construction and disaster contracts, adopted a mitigation plan pending FEMA, and entered executive session.

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The Jones County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a severe burning incident that occurred on last Friday, on Fox Road, where a woman was allegedly set on fire

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The alert runs through midnight Wednesday and is due to the fire burning in the Croatan National Forest, which has spread 950 acres.

The Board of Commissioners approved moving $100,000 from salaries to professional services and a $15,000 contingency amendment after the Board of Assessors reported a countywide re-evaluation that showed roughly a 10% increase in the net digest and identified unanticipated re-evaluation costs.

At a May 19 Jones County work session, county leaders and staff reviewed a $250,000 renewal increase, considered raising the employee deductible to $6,000, tying HRA eligibility to wellness participation and exploring reference-based pricing and pooled purchasing; no formal policy was adopted.

The Jones County Board of Commissioners approved a negotiated health-plan renewal for the upcoming plan year while directing staff to explore level-funded and reference-based options, tighten wellness incentives and engage department heads on employee participation. Benefits broker Jonathan Shaw outlined drivers of the county's cost increases, including five high-cost claimants and specialty drugs.

County administrator recommended the FY26 LMIG application include $100,000 for Permazyme soil stabilizer on dirt roads, $100,000 for patching where an asphalt zipper is used, and the remaining funds for prioritized paved roads; commissioners authorized the application.

County commissioners endorsed a scope modification to put GIFA clean-water loan savings toward a River North condos lift station and the Coal Drive sewer, and approved a loan-modification resolution amending the loan finish date for the industrial-park sewer line.

At a public session hosted by the Jones County Development Authority, regional planners and utility providers described how the county evaluates potential industry projects, explained thresholds for ‘large’ electric and water loads, and said developers or large customers generally fund needed infrastructure while the county pursues a $25 million water-system expansion.