Supervisors hear more budget requests, consider land acquisition

The Grundy County Board of Supervisors heard requests from a total of eight departments and went into executive session to discuss a potential land acquisition for conservation during a lengthy meeting on Monday morning.
           
The fair board was the only group to ask for a major increase in contribution from the county, requesting a total of $62,000 ($13,000 more than the usual $49,000). Last year, the board received $59,000 on the understanding that it was a one-time deal for facilities upgrades.
           
“This is sort of jumping over that yet,” Supervisor Barb Smith said. “I just want us all to be aware of what conditions were placed upon (last year’s increase).”
           
Kyle Dudden and Jared Gutknecht, who spoke on behalf of the fair board, envisioned broader usage of the fairgrounds, a busier county fair and some major capital improvements in the coming years.
           
“I don’t know if we’ll ever be Jones County… but I think we can be a lot better than Franklin or Butler or any of the counties that do more than we do now,” Gutknecht said. “We have some of the best facilities in the state, and we’re wanting to utilize them better.” 
 
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