The Hamilton County Board of Supervisors approved a loan agreement with the issuance of general obligation corporate purpose bonds to help pay for the updates and renovations to the former Webster City Medical Clinic.

A public hearing on the matter was held Tuesday morning during the supervisor’s regular meeting.

“This is essentially a construction loan for up to $600,000 to finish remodeling at the former Webster City Medical Clinic Building,” Bailey said. The bond would be paid for through revenues and will not be a debt service levy, he added.

The former Webster City Medical Clinic was given to the county by Van Diest Medical Center, following the acquisition and merger of the clinic with the Van Diest Family Health Clinic in 2017.

The stipulated use of the building is to be for mental health services and other health-care related services for the community.

The remodeled building will be home to HeadStart, Upper Des Moines Opportunity, Hamilton County Public Health and the regional mental health services.

UMB Bank will serve as the trustee agent.

A second public hearing was held on Tuesday to consider an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2019 county budget.

“This is our second budget amendment of this fiscal year. It’s a year end ‘tune-up,’ so to speak,” said Bailey.

The total certified ending balance $4,596,851 effective June 30.

“This amendment would actually increase that ending fund balance by $310,510, projecting with the amendment an ending fund balance of $4,907,361,” Bailey said.

There are many components to the amendment, according to Bailey.

“In the restricted area of the fund balance, that amount is going up by $197, 971. The fund balance that is unassigned is increasing by $112,539,” he said.

He outlined some of the reasons for the amendment, including increases in revenues for Friends Forever, the county jail, road use tax revenue and an increase in interest collected by the treasurer. Additionally, there were also rental fees associated with the former Webster City Medical Clinic.

“We also have revenue from the close-out of the case management 28E group that we belonged to for a few years,” he said.

On the expense side, he said there changes across the board increased costs for health insurance and increased expenses for data processing and the remodeling of the clinic.

The board approved the budget amendment.

In other business, the board:

• approved a contract with JG Grant Management LLC of Traynor. The firm will handle the county’s FEMA grant management at a cost of $100 per hour. Seventy-five percent of that cost will be covered by FEMA.

• approved a contract with Blackhawk Automatic Sprinklers for $53,675 for sprinkler work at the former clinic building.

• proclaimed May as Mental Health Month in Hamilton County.