Board approves $75,000 starting offer for full-time IT position after closed session; one supervisor objects

The Palo Alto County Board of Supervisors entered a closed session at 9:16 a.m., citing Iowa Code Section 21.5(1)(i) to discuss hiring an Information Technology Director. The board exited closed session at 9:44 a.m. and then approved a starting offer of $75,000 for the full-time IT position with a benefits package described as approximately $20,000 and a six-month review. The motion was recorded as carried, with Supervisor Keith Wirtz recorded as voting Nay on the compensation motion.

The minutes show the board used a closed session for candidate discussions as allowed by state law and then returned to the public portion of the meeting to record the compensation decision. The record does not include the identity of the candidate, final appointment, or additional terms beyond the starting offer and benefits estimate.