The Webster County Board of Supervisors recognized county officials and volunteers Tuesday for the tremendous response throughout the county to mitigate flooding.

“We’re still dealing with after effects of last week’s flooding, but I wanted to give a hearty thank you to Webster County EMA Dylan Hagen along with county and city officials, volunteers, including those who came from neighboring communities, our media partners, and everyone involved in making sure that we were thoroughly prepared and ready to go at a moment’s notice for last week’s flooding,” said Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Niki Conrad. “Thank you to everyone involved.”

“It was really just a huge community effort,” Supervisor Austin Hayek added. “So many people stepped up. We had people coming in from other communities to help us. I met a man from Aplington who came to help us sandbag in Lehigh. We just can’t thank everyone enough.”

The supervisors approved the purchase of four new vehicles for the Webster County Sheriff’s Department, including two 2024 Ford F-150 police pursuit trucks from Fort Dodge Ford Lincoln Toyota for a total of $96,096, and two 2024 Dodge Durango police pursuit vehicles from Shimkat Motor Co. in the amount of $86,576. These vehicles are budgeted items in the county’s new vehicle fund.

Taylor Kennedy was hired as a deputy sheriff at Tuesday’s meeting. Kennedy is originally from Lehigh and has a Bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University in Ames. She will begin employment next week and will attend the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy in August.

“She will be a welcome addition to our team,” said Fleener. “We look forward to her working with us.”

The supervisors also authorized a funding agreement for a Traffic Safety Improvement Program grant with the state of Iowa. According to Webster County Engineer Jamie Johll, the grant for $500,000 would be used to create a roundabout near Fort Dodge Regional Airport at 170th Street and Webster County road P56. According to Johll, construction of the roundabout would potentially begin in the summer of 2026 with the design work being done this year. Johll will continue looking for additional funding for the project, which is estimated to cost $1.2 million.

During the meeting, the supervisors also recognized 24 employees celebrating work anniversaries totaling more than 197 years of service. This includes Sherri Frye, who has been with the Webster County Attorney’s Office for 43 years and Tina Eldal, who has served the Auditor’s Office for 27 years.

Shelly Escobedo also retired as the victim/witness coordinator for the County Attorney’s Office.