Webster County Auditor Doreen Pliner participated in her final Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday. Pliner will retire at the end of the month and will be on vacation during the upcoming December meetings.

“I don’t think people realize the amount of work that Doreen does for the county and the time that she has put in,” said Webster County Supervisor Mark Campbell. “The late nights, the days, honestly she’s what keeps this budget process and everything going. She’s absolutely our go-to when we need information and is one of the rare people that can share information with a group of guys and gals like us and make it understandable. You’ve made the last 12 years amazing. I can’t tell you how much it means to me to be able to do this with you, and you will truly be missed.”

At Tuesday’s meeting, the supervisors tabled a non-disclosure agreement for all elected supervisors and the auditor with the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance. Webster County Attorney Darren Driscoll requested time to review the document to ensure legality for elected officials and public transparency. An NDA by supervisors and the auditor has not been signed in past years, according to Driscoll.

Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance CEO Astra Ferris told supervisors on Tuesday that the purpose behind the agreement is for confidentiality and conflict of interest documentation.

“We are the public private partnership liaison as we attract business and growth to our communities,” said Ferris. “This is something that we need on file as we’re managing anywhere from 12 to 22 projects at any given time. Our project pipeline is now in the $3.2 billion range so as we have projects that are nearing the finish line and are working with agreements and announcements, we want to be sure that we have these on file for everyone as some of these are publicly traded companies. This mitigates risks for them when they work with us to negotiate growth.”

The supervisors also approved a contract with Rasch Construction, of Fort Dodge, in the amount of $397,282.60 for construction of phase one of the Dayton Trail. The trail is part of the county’s quality of life projects and is funded through two Destination Iowa grants. The project is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2026.

Webster County Conservation Director Matt Cosgrove also informed the board that the Gowrie Trail’s phase one project is anticipated to be wrapped up by year end. The supervisors approved a pay application from Howrey Construction, of Rockwell City, for $497,816.86 for work completed on the Gowrie project.