Latest news with #PolkCountyBoardofSupervisors
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
After Polk Co. administrator John Norris' departure, when could the role be filled?
With the departure of Polk County Administrator John Norris official, county supervisors will soon turn their attention to hiring a successor. But some want to do some spring cleaning first. Norris, who joined the county government in late 2020, agreed to step down after two months on paid administrative leave. He will receive more than $516,000 in compensation under a legal settlement the Polk County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved Tuesday morning. Polk County Chair Matt McCoy told the Des Moines Register he was glad to have Norris' matter resolved but said there are more messes to clean up before the county is in a strong position to hire a new administrator. "It's sort of the equivalent of you clean your house before you invite the company in," McCoy said. More: Polk County Administrator John Norris to resign in more-than half-million-dollar deal He pointed to ongoing litigation and conflicts within the Polk County Attorney's Office related to that litigation, including a defamation case former county human resources chief Jim Nahas filed in 2021, which is set to go to trial in April. County attorneys also have been fighting subpoenas tied to a sexual harassment and retaliation case Deputy County Administrator Sarah Boese brought in 2022. Boese also has made new civil rights complaints after being skipped over this year to become interim county administrator — a job awarded to Frank Marasco, chief administrator in the Polk County Sheriff's Office. McCoy said he doesn't want to rush the new hiring process and hire the wrong person for the county administrator role. "We've done enough of that around Polk County," he said. "I want to take our time." "It's always a two-way street to interview and try to find somebody you like, but they have to like you. And right now, you know, I think we're a little bit scary and maybe a little bit unlovable," McCoy added. He said he envisions the county giving itself a six- to nine-month runway before casting a nationwide search, at which point he said the county could have a better chance of recruiting a solid, long-term candidate. He also said he wants to give Republican county board newcomers Jill Altringer and Mark Holm a chance to get their bearings. More: Bad blood, tangled ties raise conflict-of-interest issues in Polk County legal cases Meanwhile, Supervisor Angela Connolly said the sooner the county starts the hiring process, the better. The process to recruit a new hire will take several months, she said. "I'm not sure why we would wait. Someone's going to have to explain that to me," Connolly said. She said she'd like to see someone who has administrative, management, and policy skills in the role. McCoy acknowledged other board members would probably like to "start a search tomorrow." But at the moment, the county needs to continue to function and take care of the public's needs, he said. Marasco told the Register he was asked to take the administrator job on an interim basis to "fix some things" and make the office a better place for his successor. He said he couldn't discuss those fixes because they are mostly litigation- or personnel-related matters. "Anyone who comes into this role, you want it to be, you know, as good a workplace as possible and dealing with the least amount of those types of issues as possible," he said. While the supervisors will make the hiring decision, Marasco said he would encourage them to cast a broad search "just to see what's out there" and leave the position open for at least three months. When asked if he would like the job, Marasco responded that he does not have the desire to do it job long-term. He will continue his role with the Sheriff's Office while he serves as interim administrator. Under the agreement struck by attorneys and county officials, Norris will receive $190,408 for the 2024-25 fiscal year and $326,049 for the 2025-26 fiscal year. The amount would cover a year's pay, as well as other compensation and reimbursement for attorney fees. The resolution the board approved says it "denies all claims and makes no admissions, but wishes to resolve all matters with Norris." Norris's resignation was effective last week, but he will be available to the county to wrap-up work through July 1, 2026. Register reporter Lee Rood contributed to this story. Virginia Barreda is the Des Moines city government reporter for the Register. She can be reached at vbarreda@ Follow her on X at @vbarreda2. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: What's next for hiring a new Polk County administrator?
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Polk County approves $750,000 to fund school with housing for at-risk youth
DES MOINES, Iowa — A school for at-risk youth in Des Moines is undergoing a major expansion, and the Polk County Board of Supervisors approved additional funding to help the project. Starts Right Here opened in 2020 to provide educational support for kids who are at risk of dropping out of school. Founder Will Keeps has helped dozens of kids graduate from high school. Now, Keeps is expanding the school to the former Elim Church in the East Village. Aside from providing additional classroom space, they are also developing 18 new rental units for at-risk populations. Keeps said community members age 18 to 24 will be able to apply for these apartments. On Tuesday, the Polk County Board of Supervisors met and unanimously approved $750,000 of ERA2 funding for Keep's project. According to the Department of Treasury, the ERA2 program was authorized in 2021 under the American Rescue Plan Act and was designed to help provide housing assistance, among other things. After the meeting, Keeps told WHO 13 News he was happy about the board's decision. 'For a long time, I've been wondering, 'Am I ever going to get the funds to get the things I want to do for the community?' And right now everybody's stepping up to be able to help the community in a big way and I'm so excited, it's unbelievable,' he said. Chair of the Polk County Board of Supervisors Matt McCoy said the project will target a critical age group that may need the additional help. 'It's their first house, many of them haven't established credit. So, what this does is it helps them get started in their first apartment and provides the supportive housing that they'll need to help them be successful; the job skills, the educational training, and the opportunities for educational training,' McCoy told WHO 13 News after the meeting. Country music legend Hank Williams Jr. returning to Iowa State Fair Grandstand McCoy also said another reason why the board approved this funding is because of the demographic of the population this will help. He said, 'These are kids, in many cases, who have aged out of the foster system, so they would be without the supportive services without a program like this.' In total, Starts Right Here has now raised $5,425,000 in funding for this project. This money was provided by the City of Des Moines, Polk County, and the State of Iowa. In early January, the Iowa Finance Authority (IFA) Board of Directors kicked off funding for the project by awarding a total of $3,625,000 to Hatch Development Corporation for the development of this project. The total grant award includes $2.5 million for development costs, $750,000 in Supportive Services Funds, $187,500 for Non-Profit Operations and $187,500 for Non-Profit Capacity Building. In late January, the Polk County Board of Supervisors approved $50,000 from the Community Development Grant to Starts Right Here. Then, $1,000,000 was awarded by the City of Des Moines during a City Council Meeting earlier in February. Now, this additional funding approved by Polk County on Tuesday brings the total to just under $5.5 million. 'To see how the state, the city, Polk County, everybody coming together to help this project, I always talk about we need to all come together and work together and they literally came together, and it's a beautiful thing to see,' said Keeps. The new space will allow Starts Right Here to help hundreds of more students. This comes two years after a student opened fire, killing two students and injuring Keeps, at Starts Right Here. 'We've shown that resilience, even during terrible times. I'm so happy that people in power are seeing it,' said Keeps. He said construction will likely start in July. Metro News: Polk County approves $750,000 to fund school with housing for at-risk youth Beaverdale business shutting down after 50 years Urbandale School District will remain in the CIML Fire breaks out at Des Moines duplex early Tuesday morning 'Picture of perseverance': Marshalltown man's legacy lives on 100+ years later in historically African-American school Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Axios
30-01-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Polk County interim administrator had donated to supervisors who appointed him
Polk County interim county administrator Frank Marasco donated a total of $1,500 to Supervisors Mark Holm and Jill Altringer's campaigns in 2024, and this month they voted him into the temporary position as the county's top employee. Why it matters: Marasco's promotion came shortly after Holm and Altringer asked county administrator John Norris to resign, in a controversial move that ended with threats and a call to the sheriff's office. The leadership change signals a power shift within the board, and last year's donations offer insights into alliances. How it works: The Polk County Board of Supervisors oversees the county's budgets, departments and overall operations. The administrator, a hired position appointed by the elected board, manages the county under its authority and oversees an annual $350 million-plus budget. Norris was earning $274,305 per year. State of play: Marasco, a Democratic county insider and longtime county employee, last year donated $1,000 to Holm and $500 to Altringer, both Republicans who were running for supervisor, according to a public campaign finance document reviewed by Axios. Holm and Altringer were sworn into their new supervisor positions in January — changing the dynamics of the majority Democratic county board. Within 24 hours, they, in collaboration with Democratic Chair Matt McCoy, asked existing county administrator John Norris, a prominent Democrat, to step down from his position. He was placed on administrative leave. Marasco was voted in as the interim director 3-2 by McCoy, Altringer and Holm. Supervisors Angela Conolly and Tom Hockensmith, both Democrats, voted against him. What they're saying:"They both have great track records of quality public service," Marasco told Axios in an email. "In no way, shape, or form does my support for their candidacy have anything to do with the position that I am in." Context: Just five years ago, the dynamic was flipped when both Norris and Marasco were considered for the position. McCoy and former Republican county administrator Robert Brownell favored Marasco, but the rest of the board ultimately chose Norris. There have since been major tensions on the board between McCoy and Norris over employee firings and lawsuits. There's also been tension between McCoy and the established supervisors, Connolly and Hockensmith, including their voting to strip him of all his appointments in 2022. Plus: Marasco, who was chief administrative officer at the sheriff's office before his promotion, said he donated to Holm and Altringer because he's worked with them before and they're "pro-public safety" and "proponents for good government." "I'm actually proud that I had Republicans, Democrats and no-parties that were willing to support me," Altringer tells Axios. "They believed in me and what I stood for and what I was running on, and it doesn't have any impact on [the appointment] vote." When asked why Marasco donated to him and whether it influenced his vote, Holm emailed Axios, "Defer to donor & No." The other side: During the campaign season, Connolly and Hockensmith made donations to Democrat John Forbes, who was running against Altringer. Each of them donated $500, telling Axios they did so because he's a Democrat. They did not donate any money to Holm's opponent, saying she did not ask for any assistance. Reality check: There is no law that prohibits elected officials from hiring or appointing someone who made campaign contributions to them, Randy Evans, executive director of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council, tells Axios. "This is one reason for campaign finance disclosure laws — so voters know who is helping finance candidates' campaigns and whether those candidates, once in office, are casting votes that raise questions," Evans wrote in an email.
