Administered oath of office to newly elected commissioners Mark Hilleman and Steve Smith.  Their terms begin now and end January 3, 2015.

Elected officers for 2011:
                Mark Hilleman, Chairman
                Troy Hibbs, Vice Chairman
                Claudia Dalbey, Secretary/treasurer
                 Tracy Rosedale, Co-treasurer

Appointed Assistant commissioners for 2011:
                Jay Benson                  Donald Buck
                Bill Degner                   Diane Pixler
                Glen Wiley                    Sigourney Odor
                Jim White

Appointed Steve Smith as the Marshall SWCD representative to the Prairie Rivers RC&D.

Approved payment of NACD dues for FY11 in the amount of $775.

Began plans for the Story/Marshall contractors' meeting, scheduled for February 15.

Learned that NRCS is operating under a continuing resolution at least through March.

Melinda McReynolds is still on the roles as the Marshalltown Soil Technician.

Made plans to attend Conservation Partnership Day January 26 in Des Moines.

Began collecting articles for the March newsletter.

Updated cost share rates and left the cost share cap at $6,000.  Priorities and policies will remain the same as last year.

Declined participation in Farm Bill XI funding.

Agreed to support a proposed resolution that would mandate filling all Secretarial positions to full-time status.

Reviewed and approved the 2010 Annual Report.

Conducted the annual review of Civil Rights and EEO matters.

Approved the purchase of Agren software to assist with waterway design work.  The Division of Soil Conservation will reimburse most of the cost.

Hosted the annual Contractors' Meeting.  There was a large turnout.

Published the spring newsletter in the mail and on line with a link on the front page of the website.

Melinda's disability retirement has been approved, so the Soil Conservation Technician position can now be filled.

CRP general sign-up is underway.

Applied for funding from IPOL, WSPF, and WPF to extend the Union Grove Lake watershed project for another year.

Approved a contract for Farm Bill XI funding for clerical support for the office.

Selected Michael Burt and Dalton Henze as scholarship winners for 2011.  Michael's application will be submitted for Regional competition.

Reviewed and signed the first Farm Bill XI report.

NRCS hiring freeze prevents proceeding to fill the Soil Conservation Technician position in Marshalltown as well as the Resource Conservationist position in Nevada.

Office staff are required to complete ATV training before they are allowed to resume using the ATV for field work this spring.

Made plans for the annual conservation practices tour on June 30.

Voted on Conservation District of Iowa resolutions.

Set new prices for fabric machine rental effective July 1, 2011.  Fabric purchased alone will be 35 cents per foot.  Use of the machine will be $1.00 per foot, fabric included.

The NRCS hiring freeze continues.

The Prairie Rivers RC&D is without funding.  Former coordinator John Paulin is helping out in the Marshalltown NRCS office.

CRP sign-up ended April 15.  No word yet on which offers were accepted.

Conservation tour included stops to inspect:
      - Wiley waterways and buffers
      - Illum pond and buffers
      - LICA CREP wetland
      - Roseland CRP wetland

The LICA field day is scheduled for July 27-28.

Discussed recent concerns about the price increase for the fabric machine.  Decided to monitor the use, but leave the price increase in effect for now.

The NRCS Soil Conservation Technician position has been posted for applications.

Considered the timing of the newsletter, perhaps changing to one newsletter per year.  The fall newsletter will be published as scheduled because the ads were purchased earlier.

CRP plans are being developed for re-enrollments and new general sign-up contracts.

Dora Guffey is the new Resource Conservationist in Nevada.  No word yet on the Soil Conservation Technician position in Marshalltown.

The wetland determination process has changed.  A team has been formed to conduct non-ag determinations.

News releases may be used to communicate information about cost share and other matters.

Yolanda Butler is the new Soil Conservation Technician for Marshalltown.  She starts work on September 12.

Voted to pay Conservation Districts of Iowa dues in full ($850) for FY2012.

No one from our district will be able to attend CDI Annual Conference in September.

Jim Gillespie is the new director of the Division of Soil Conservation, after Chuck Gipp left for a position with the Department of Natural Resources.

Welcomed new Soil Conservation Technician Yolanda Butler.

Dora Guffey, Resource Conservationist in Nevada, visited the meeting.

Heard that allocations for the Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) and the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) may be significantly cut in Fiscal year 2012.

Construction season is coming right up.

Approximately 250 attendees at the CDI conference heard several motivational speakers.  The Cover Crop resolution proposed by Story SWCD passed.

The next newsletter will go out in mid November instead of September.

Approved payment of $450 NACD dues.

CRP payments are going out.

CSP payments are being processed.

The District ATV needs some kind of maintenance.

Draft copy of the November newsletter was circulated.

Prairie Rivers RC&D has hired more staff.

CSP payments may begin soon.

Began planning for the February 14, 2012 contractors meeting.

Construction is still going on.

Completed tire service and battery check on the ATV.

CDI spring regional meeting will be held March 15, 2012.

Published the November newsletter.

No regular meeting is scheduled.