Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
County tables contract due to cost
By Joe Benedict/MVM News Network
FORT MADISON - The Lee County Board of Supervisors tabled a contract with a consultant Tuesday after questions about the cost were raised by one of the board members.
Luan Schmitt, Lee County IT director, recommended Pete Buckingham Consulting be paid $10,500 as a consultant on the Geographic Information System - or GIS. The supervisors had asked Schmitt to find a consultant to look at the system and give a report on how the county is progressing with it and how other counties use the system.
For the charge, the proposed contract provides Buckingham would work with the county's GIS committee to determine its GIS needs. He would perform interviews with select county staff and officials and interview officials at counties similar in size to Lee County.
Conclusions and recommendations regarding GIS would be evaluated for use of the system in the county along with its need and benefit. Staffing recommendations and options also would be included in a report.
The report would be ready by the end of January and Buckingham also offered additional services, if needed, at a cost of $100 an hour.
Supervisor Bob Woodruff said he couldn't justify spending $10,500 for the contract to have Buckingham take a look at what the county has, especially when the person is considered an expert in the field. Buckingham has been a GIS coordinator in Washington County, but moved closer to his home Leon and started the consulting business.
Woodruff said based on his $100 an hour fee, it would suggest Buckingham expects to spend 100 hours on the project. Schmitt said he had planned on spending a few days interviewing several officials in Lee County and several in other counties. She added she though that is what the board was looking for in a consultant report.
Woodruff said the project should take about 20 to 25 hours.
“This is not what I had in mind for what I feel is an initial step,” he said.
The board budgeted $15,000 for consulting on the GIS system. Woodruff said the county may want to talk to several people and if this is the cost, that would not be able to happen. Woodruff added that he knows Buckingham and was impressed with him after speaking with him, but there may be others he would be impressed with, too.
The board tabled a decision on the contract. They also asked Schmitt to talk to Buckingham and ask what the county can get for between $2,500 and $5,000.
The supervisors also held a department head meeting on Tuesday. Lee County Health Department Director Julie Schilling reported that on March 25 there will be a public health exercise involving 17 counties in Southeast Iowa. The exercise will focus on an illness outbreak. Both Lee County hospitals will participate and Emergency Management Coordinator Steve Cirinna would like to open an emergency operations center during the drill.
Schilling said after an exercise in June, some problems were identified that can be worked on during this next drill.
Schilling also discussed the Hospice Trees of Love that are in the Keokuk Area and Fort Madison Community hospitals and in State Central Bank in Fort Madison. Area residents can buy an ornament for $13 to honor someone. The ornaments are hung on the tree and after New Year's can be picked up by the purchaser.
Lee County Conservation Director Tom Buckley said his department is making final preparations for Bald Eagle Appreciation Days in Keokuk. This will be the 25th year of the program and this year six seminars are being set up while in the past there have usually been just two.
Luan Schmitt, Lee County IT director, recommended Pete Buckingham Consulting be paid $10,500 as a consultant on the Geographic Information System - or GIS. The supervisors had asked Schmitt to find a consultant to look at the system and give a report on how the county is progressing with it and how other counties use the system.
For the charge, the proposed contract provides Buckingham would work with the county's GIS committee to determine its GIS needs. He would perform interviews with select county staff and officials and interview officials at counties similar in size to Lee County.
Conclusions and recommendations regarding GIS would be evaluated for use of the system in the county along with its need and benefit. Staffing recommendations and options also would be included in a report.
The report would be ready by the end of January and Buckingham also offered additional services, if needed, at a cost of $100 an hour.
Supervisor Bob Woodruff said he couldn't justify spending $10,500 for the contract to have Buckingham take a look at what the county has, especially when the person is considered an expert in the field. Buckingham has been a GIS coordinator in Washington County, but moved closer to his home Leon and started the consulting business.
ADVERTISEMENT |
Woodruff said the project should take about 20 to 25 hours.
“This is not what I had in mind for what I feel is an initial step,” he said.
The board budgeted $15,000 for consulting on the GIS system. Woodruff said the county may want to talk to several people and if this is the cost, that would not be able to happen. Woodruff added that he knows Buckingham and was impressed with him after speaking with him, but there may be others he would be impressed with, too.
The board tabled a decision on the contract. They also asked Schmitt to talk to Buckingham and ask what the county can get for between $2,500 and $5,000.
The supervisors also held a department head meeting on Tuesday. Lee County Health Department Director Julie Schilling reported that on March 25 there will be a public health exercise involving 17 counties in Southeast Iowa. The exercise will focus on an illness outbreak. Both Lee County hospitals will participate and Emergency Management Coordinator Steve Cirinna would like to open an emergency operations center during the drill.
Schilling said after an exercise in June, some problems were identified that can be worked on during this next drill.
Schilling also discussed the Hospice Trees of Love that are in the Keokuk Area and Fort Madison Community hospitals and in State Central Bank in Fort Madison. Area residents can buy an ornament for $13 to honor someone. The ornaments are hung on the tree and after New Year's can be picked up by the purchaser.
Lee County Conservation Director Tom Buckley said his department is making final preparations for Bald Eagle Appreciation Days in Keokuk. This will be the 25th year of the program and this year six seminars are being set up while in the past there have usually been just two.
 |
 |
|
| Dubuque group gets close look at Keokuk riverfront as committee eyes conceptual master plan | Fort Madison picks Smith as new city manager |
Reader Comments
| Please log in or create an account by filling out the form on the right. | |
