Emergency Management Director Resigns, Supervisors Look Into 28e Agreements

SIGOURNEY – During the Oct. 14 meeting of the Keokuk County Board of Supervisors, the board accepted a letter of resignation of Emergency Management Director Jorie Altenhofen. Supervisor Daryl Wood said he was disappointed to see Altenhofen leave. County Auditor Christy Bates stated that Altenhofen left because she had “too much on her plate.” Supervisor Michael Hadley stated he was in talks with two other counties about possibly having a 28e Agreement for Emergency Management.

The supervisors approved spending $400,000 for an all-wheel drive motor grader to be used by the highway department, $315,000 after trading in an old piece of equipment. The motor grader will arrive in Quarter 2 of 2025 and will come with a seven-year warranty and a $10,000 service credit for highway department equipment.

The supervisors tested if the AED sitting in the corner of their office worked and discovered it needed a new battery. Hadley noted that no one in the courthouse was trained to use the AED, since Public Health moved to a different building last year. Conservation Director Pie Rieghard recommended the board replace the battery and pay to give CPR training for at least one employee for every office, to keep the county from being sued.

The board approved the hire of Travis Lee Clubb as a full-time sheriff’s deputy.