Supervisors welcome new assistant county attorney

The Union County Board of Supervisors welcomed new assistant county attorney Al Wilson during its weekly meeting Monday at the Union County Courthouse.

With the retirement of long-time county attorney Tim Kenyon, Wilson said he has “big shoes to fill.” Kenyon’s last day was Feb. 17.

Kenyon had been searching for an assistant for some time with no success. When Kenyon decided to retire, Wilson stepped up to fill the position and guide the county through the process of hiring a full-time county attorney.

Wilson has been the county attorney in Wayne County since 1987 and the assistant county attorney in Appanoose County since 2015, however, the position in Appanoose will be changing to project based instead of part-time. He also has a private practice out of Corydon.

Juvenile court continues to meet via Zoom, so Wilson can handle those matters remotely. He intends to be in Creston one day out of the week but has not yet determined which day.

Wilson said he has a “good ability to change his schedule” to meet any needs in Union County that arise suddenly.

The supervisors asked Wilson if he had experience with county ordinances and said their next project will be to look at solar energy in the county.

He said he has worked on ordinances but not ones for renewable energy specifically. He uses resources such as the state attorney general’s office when he comes up against something new or something he cannot find in the Iowa code, he said.

The supervisors said they have had a small amount of interest in the position of full-time county attorney and will keep the public informed about the process.

Secondary Roads

The supervisors commended the secondary roads employees for the job they have done keeping the roads cleared of snow.

“They should be proud. They’re a lifeline,” Supervisor Rick Friday said.

Superintendent Al Hysell said he has signed off on nearly all of the roads after the completion of the wind turbine project. There are still two intersections for the contractors to finish cleaning up.

The supervisors approved a contract with Bradley Kline to lease a section of ground near the secondary roads office for hay at a rate of $150 per year for three years. Hysell said the cost of advertising nearly equals the amount of money received, but it relieves the department of the need to mow the ground and keeps the mown grass from going to waste.

The Union County Board of Supervisors meets weekly 9 a.m. Monday at the Union County Courthouse, 300 N. Pine St. The supervisors are still meeting in person at this time, but the public is encouraged to submit comments for public forum by mail, email or telephone to help limit the gathering to 10 participants.