Supervisors sell maintenance sheds, earn $44,000

The Jasper County Board of Supervisors opened and read aloud a total of 18 bids during its Tuesday morning meeting to sell three, county-owned maintenance sheds.

To claim their real estate property, many potential buyers attended the meeting, which led to a drastic increase in attendance and caused county officials to usher in additional seating. More than 30 people — including guests, department heads and media — were stuffed into the board of supervisors chambers of the Jasper County Courthouse.

Supervisors Doug Cupples and Brandon Talsma were given sealed envelopes enclosed with names and bid amounts for sheds in Galesburg, Monroe and Lynnville. Denny Carpenter, chair of the board of supervisors, was absent from the courthouse meeting and the subsequent public hearing.

The board of supervisors selected the highest bid for each lot up for grabs.

The Galesburg shed was purchased for $9,000 by Gene Kaldenberg, out of a total of two bids; the Monroe shed was purchased for $15,065 by Mike Johnson, out of a total of seven bids; and the Lynnville shed was purchased for $20,750 by Shaun Needham, out of a total of nine bids.

The three highest bidders from each lot were given an opportunity by the county to increase their bids, but none accepted the supervisors’ offer.

Lynnville Mayor Roy James sent a letter to the Jasper County Board of Supervisors in response to the public hearing and sale of the county maintenance sheds. In the letter, he questioned why the board did not consider offering the properties to their respected cities.

“As they have been in the county’s possession for several years, the city has received no taxes from said buildings,” the letter said. “I know money is tight with the county, but we really feel like this should have been an option for the board.”

Payment for the three properties is due to the Jasper County Auditor by 2 p.m. May 14.

Upon acceptance of payment, the county will have gained $44,815.

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com