Policy Manual

PDF text follows:

PPM #1, Rev. 8/2024

WOODBURY COUNTY SECONDARY ROAD DEPARTMENT
POLICY AND PROCEDURE MEMORANDUM

Secondary Road Driveways and Entrances

Permits are required for all work done within Woodbury County Secondary Road rights of way as provided in section 318.8 of the Code of Iowa.

Applications for a permit for a new entrance, or to widen or move an existing entrance, shall be directed to the County Engineer’s office.   The Engineer or District Road Foreman will determine the size and length of culvert needed and will issue a permit of the applicant to construct or widen the entrance. Driveways may be constructed by county staff or contractors hired by the property owner.  If the property owner does not construct the driveway under the requirements stated herein, or fails to obtain a permit, the Engineer or Foreman shall notify the property owner of the correction needed and allow 30 days for the property owner to make the correction.   If the property owner does not comply with the correction needed, the County will remove the entrance at a cost to the property owner of up to $500.

The County will determine the need for and size of culverts for each proposed entrance. The minimum culvert diameter is 24-inches unless an exception is approved by the county engineer.    Only new corrugated metal or new reinforced concrete pipes are allowed for use in Woodbury County rights of way.  Corrugated metal pipe shall be a minimum of 14 gauge for sizes from 24” to 42” and 12 gauge for 48” and larger diameters.    The maximum allowable entrance top width for a residence is 30 feet, except by special permit.  The maximum allowable top width for a farm entrance is 40 feet to accommodate large trucks and equipment.

DRIVEWAY WIDENING:
Prior to approving driveway widening requests, the county will check the existing driveway culvert for structural soundness.   If the existing culvert is in poor condition at the time an extension is requested, the county may require the replacement the entire culvert, not just add the desired extra width.    The permittee will be billed for the portion of new culvert and band necessary to widen the driveway to meet current county standards.

DRIVEWAY MAINTENANCE:
The County will be responsible for all continuing maintenance on driveways and field entrances.   The county will maintain, repair, or replace driveways constructed within the county right of way, including when driveways are widened, flattened, or replaced in the course of a county construction or maintenance project.   The county will maintain rock surfacing driveways for house and building sites only, unless exceptions are made by the county engineer.    Landowners may provide their own rock surfacing for any driveway or field entrance at their own expense.

If the driveway culvert fails for any reason, is blocked and ponding water in the ditch, or if the driveway needs to be reconstructed in the course of ditch cleaning or other maintenance work, the county will contact the property owner to see if the driveway is still needed.   If the driveway is still needed, the county will do all work to replace the culvert under the driveway and replace any surfacing gravel or aggregate lost at no additional cost to the landowner in the course of maintenance work.  

DRIVEWAY ELIMINATION:
If a driveway is no longer needed, the county will remove the driveway as part of maintenance work or ditch cleaning at no cost to the landowner. The property owner may opt to keep the culvert, if one is present, from the driveway after removal, but may not use this pipe at another location within the right of way.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS FOR DRIVEWAYS BUILT BY OTHERS:
Property owners constructing their own driveways may not use dirt from the ditch to build the driveway unless the County grants written permission on the permit form.   The locating of underground utilities shall be the responsibility of the applicant and may be done by contacting Iowa One Call at 1-800-292-8989.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS:
Entrance side slopes shall be 6:1 or flatter on all paved roads.   Entrance slopes on granular surfaced or dirt roads shall be 3:1 or flatter.   The construction of vertical headwalls for decorative or driveway widening is not permitted.   The County considers such headwalls to be obstructions in the right of way and will require their removal at the landowner’s expense.

Minimum sight distance requirements for house, field or business entrances and private road intersections as shown below:

     Road Speed                     Single Lot                Paved Road              Minor                       Major                       Commercial
             Limit                                    Access                       Single                       Subdivision              Subdivision              Business
                                                                                                   Access                     Road                            Road                        Drive/Road

25 mph                            150 feet                    200 feet                    250 feet                    325 feet                    325 feet

30 mph                            200 feet                    250 feet                    325 feet                    400 feet                    400 feet

35 mph                            250 feet                    350 feet                    400 feet                    475 feet                    475 feet

40 mph                            325 feet                    425 feet                    475 feet                    550 feet                    550 feet

45 mph                            400 feet                    500 feet                    550 feet                    650 feet                    650 feet

50 mph                            475 feet                    550 feet                    650 feet                    725 feet                    725 feet

55 mph                            550 feet                    600 feet                    725 feet                    800 feet                    850 feet

Speed limit is based on the posted speed limit established by the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors or by the Code of Iowa, Section 321.285 for roads where the speed limit is not posted.  Driveways and roads will not be approved unless they meet the minimum sight distance requirements of this section.  Exceptions to the sight distance requirements may be made if, due to road alignment, proximity to an intersection or other geometric feature prevents traffic from driving the legal speed limit of the road in question.  The county engineer will be the final judge in such cases and a driveway may not be approved if it cannot be safely located. 

Every driveway is a potential collision location along the roadway.    As such, driveways are limited to locations where sight distance is adequate and installed as needed for land access.   Only one driveway is allowed per rural residential lot under 10 acres in size.    An exception to the policy of only one driveway per rural residential lot may be granted on paved dead-end roads and cul-de-sacs with curb and gutter and a speed limit under 25 mph. Circle driveways (two separate driveways in the ditch connected by a continuous lane or driveway on private property) are not allowed on rural residential properties.  

All entrances on paved roads shall be rock surfaced from the edge of the shoulder to the right of way line.  Asphalt or Portland Cement Concrete paved driveways are not allowed within Woodbury County rights of way on paved roads without special permit from the Engineer’s office.   Maintenance of all paved driveways or private subdivision streets within Woodbury County rights of way is the responsibility of the landowner/applicant/homeowner’s association.   Asphalt and concrete paved driveways on granular surfaced roadways are prohibited.  

Driveways require a minimum setback of 125 feet from county road intersections.   New driveways connected directly to intersections will not be allowed.   Driveways must be separated by at least 50 feet to allow drainage of the road surface to the ditch.   

MULTIPLE DRIVEWAYS FOR AGRICULTURAL PROPERTY:
Multiple driveways may be allowed for farm property access.   Driveways may be installed along a farm boundary as needed for farm operations if driveways meet sight distance and separation requirements.    A farm property may be served by a single driveway for the residence, plus a second driveway to allow access to farm buildings or grain bins.    Field entrances will be approved as sight distance allows and generally, up to two field entrances may be allowed per forty (40) acre field.    Farm access drives and field entrances may be up to 40 feet in top width.   Exceptions for special access needs may be granted by the county engineer.

APPROVED:

_______________________________________________

 Chairman-Woodbury County Board of Supervisors

_______________________________________________

Mark J. Nahra, Woodbury County Engineer

Attachments:        Permit for Entrance

Permit to Pave a Residence or Business Entrance

Permit for Extra Wide Driveways

PDF text follows:

PPM #2, 2011, Rev. 1/2012

WOODBURY COUNTY SECONDARY ROAD DEPARTMENT
POLICY AND PROCEDURE MEMORANDUM 

Sign Installation, Inspection, and Maintenance Program and Policy

Background:

The 2009 Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) is the official sign manual for the State of Iowa as defined in Section 321.252.  Woodbury County adopts and follows the appropriate provisions of the MUTCD as required in Section 321.255.

Sign Facing:

The County will use only high intensity or higher grade prismatic sheeting for all traffic signs on county highways.  This shall not preclude the County Engineer from utilizing current stock of engineer grade signs that were purchased or installed prior to the adoption of this policy until their usefulness is exhausted.  The County Engineer, in his professional judgment, will determine locations where higher grade sheeting is required for additional warning or visibility.

Street Signs:

Street signs shall conform to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.  Existing signs not in compliance with the current MUTCD standards will be replaced with compliant signs at the end of the current sign’s useful life. 

Retroreflectivity and nighttime visibility:

Woodbury County will comply with standards for maintaining nighttime sign visibility as required in section 2A.08 of the MUTCD by a program of nighttime visual inspection of county road signs.  The retroreflectivity of existing signs will be assessed by a trained sign inspector conducting a visual inspection from a moving vehicle during nighttime conditions. Complete system inspection will be done in compliance with MUTCD recommendations on a bi-annual basis beginning in 2014.  Signs that are visually identified by the inspector to have retroreflectivity below the minimum levels will be replaced as soon as budget and staff time allow after being identified by the inspection.

Secondary Road employees will also be encourage to note and turn in reports of damaged signs or signs screened by vegetation as part of their normal duties while performing work on county roads to supplement this inspection program.

Sign Repair and Replacement:

Damaged signs will be repaired or replaced based on the following guidelines:

Stop and Yield Signs:  Stop and yield signs will be repaired on a 24 hour per day, 7 day per week basis.  Upon receiving a report of the loss or damage to a stop or yield sign from emergency responders, county emergency dispatchers, secondary road department staff or other reports, county secondary road staff will respond as soon as an employee can be called in to work and travel to the location with a replacement sign.  Emergency replacement will normally be accomplished by installing a temporary sign on a support, stand or barricade until a permanent replacement can be installed to replace the damaged sign.  If time, conditions at the site, and equipment allow, the damaged sign may be replaced on a permanent post immediately at the discretion of the employee or his immediate supervisor. If not placed on a permanent support as part of the emergency repair, the sign will be permanently replaced after a utility locate is performed, usually within two business days.

Warning and other regulatory signs:  Warning and other regulatory signs will be repaired the next business day after being reported to the road department if the sign can be replaced within its existing mounting or post hole.  Signs which cannot be replaced in their existing mounting or posthole will be replaced as soon as utility locates can be completed.

Rural intersection signs:  Rural intersection signs will be replaced as soon as new signs are available during the sign technician’s normal working day.  Since rural intersection signs are not always kept in stock, a period of days or weeks may pass before replacement signs can be ordered and manufactured.

Supplemental signs:

This policy serves direction for the placement of certain signs either not contained in the manual or not required by the manual.  Examples of signs in this category include: Children at Play, Farm Machinery, Trucks Entering Highway, and historic and park signs as requested by other departments, public agencies, and members of the public.  This document outlines Woodbury County's policy for placement of the signs as well as defines who will pay for the signs, posts, and installation of each type of sign.

School related signs: There are two types of school signs, school bus related signs and school warning signs.  The installation of both types of signs is not required by the MUTCD and it is not the policy of the Secondary Road Department to place these signs in every location requested by the public.  Signs of these types are placed only at the request of the schools under the terms of this policy.

Two types of signs fall into the category of school bus signs, the school bus stop ahead sign and the school bus turnaround sign.  Both are designed as warning signs as designated by the MUTCD, but warn of conditions that are not present throughout the day or the year.

These signs may be placed at the request of the school district.  Any requests for the placement of these signs must come through the school bus superintendent or the superintendent of the school district.  Requests from county residents will be directed to the school district.

Upon receipt of a request from the school bus superintendent or the superintendent of schools for a school bus stop ahead or a school bus turnaround sign, the engineer or designated maintenance staff will review the location for the adequacy of available sight distance according to the MUTCD.  The determination of adequate sight distance will be based on whether or not sight distance in advance of the location in question exceeds the values shown in Table 2C-4, Guidelines for Advance Placement of Warning Signs, for the Condition A column of the table.  The speed will based upon the legal speed limit of the road, unless there are circumstances present that lead the engineer or maintenance staff to believe that the speed is significantly higher or lower than posted.  If the location has less than optimum sight distance, the county will install a sign at the appropriate distance ahead of the school bus stop or turnaround.  The county will provide the post, labor and equipment to erect the sign at no cost to the school.  Signs no longer needed will be removed upon request of the school district and stored in the sign shed for the future use of the district.  Each school district will be reminded annually to review the need for these signs.

If the location has adequate sight distance for the speed limit of the road, the engineer will recommend to the school official making the request that a sign not be placed.  If the school insists that a sign be placed at the location against the recommendation of the engineer, the school will be responsible for all cost associated with the installation including sign, post, labor, and equipment costs.

Children at Play and Related Signs:  Children at play, horses on the highway, and other similar warning signs requested by county residents will be installed by the county sign crew when warranted.  Upon receipt of a request from a county resident for a sign in this classification, the engineer or designated maintenance staff will review the location for the adequacy of available sight distance according to the MUTCD.  The determination of adequate sight distance will be based on whether or not sight distance in advance of the location in question exceeds the values shown in Table 2C-4, Guidelines for Advance Placement of Warning Signs, for Condition A column of the table.  The speed will based upon the legal speed limit of the road, unless there are circumstances present that lead the engineer or maintenance staff to believe that the speed is significantly higher or lower than posted.  If the location has less than optimum sight distance, the county will install a sign at the appropriate distance ahead of the condition for which the sign is requested.  Where signs exceed the minimum requirements of the Condition A distance,  signs shall not be installed.

The county will provide the post, labor and equipment to erect the sign.  The cost of the sign, post, and labor, including equipment expense, shall be paid by the resident or other party making the request for the sign.  The county will install the sign at its staff’s earliest convenience.

Signs may not be installed on county right of ways by private property owners.  All sign installations will be done by county crews.  Signs installed by others will be removed.

Farm Machinery and Trucks Entering Highway signs:  Farm machinery, truck entering highway, and other similar warning signs requested by county residents will be installed by the county sign crew when warranted.  Upon receipt of a request from a county resident for a sign in this classification, the engineer or designated maintenance staff will review the location for the adequacy of available sight distance according to the MUTCD.  The determination of adequate sight distance will be based on whether or not sight distance in advance of the location in question exceeds the values shown in Table 2C-4, Guidelines for Advance Placement of Warning Signs, for the High Judgment Conditions column of the table.  Where signs exceed the minimum requirements of the High Judgment Condition distance, signs shall not be installed.

When signs are installed, the cost of the sign and post shall be paid by the resident or other party making the request for the sign.  The county will provide the equipment and labor to install the sign at no cost to the party making the request.  The county will install the sign at its earliest convenience.  If the resident so requests, an advisory speed plate may also be installed with the warning sign.  The appropriate advisory speed will be established based on a survey of the location by engineering staff and a determination of stopping sight distance by the county engineer.

Signs may not be installed on county right of ways by private property owners.  All sign installations will be done by county crews.  Signs installed by others will be removed.

Historic Markers, Park Signs, and other Recreational/Cultural Interest Signs:  When requested by IDOT, county or state conservation and park employees or organizations, or the Woodbury County Historical Society, the County Secondary Road department will install signs of this type on county rights of way.  The sponsoring organization will provide funding for purchase and continuing maintenance of signs.  The sponsoring organization will also pay for posts and hardware needed to install the signs.  The secondary road department will provide equipment and labor for installing the signs, unless a written agreement or other instrument approved and signed by the Board of Supervisors related to such signs provides differently.

If the signs become faded, damaged, lose their reflectivity or are otherwise in poor condition, the secondary road department will contact the sign sponsor and see if they want to replace or repair the sign.  If the sponsoring agency is no longer interested in maintaining the sign, the secondary road department will remove the sign at no cost to the sponsoring organization.

APPROVED:
_______________________________________________
Chair, Woodbury County Board of Supervisors
_______________________________________________
Mark J. Nahra, Woodbury County Engineer

PDF text follows:

PPM #3, 2013

WOODBURY COUNTY SECONDARY ROAD DEPARTMENT
POLICY AND PROCEDURE MEMORANDUM

SUBJECT: Road Improvements for Residential and Commercial Development

Background: 

Woodbury County has widely varying terrain within its borders.  While constructed to the design standard at the time of their improvement, many county roads were built to a lower design speed and geometry than required by current road design standards.  Due to vertical and horizontal alignments that do not meet stopping sight distance requirements for the statutory or established speed limit on many county roads, locations for driveways meeting minimum sight distance requirements may be difficult to find along some property frontages.  Due to platting or property boundaries, a safe field or driveway access may not be available at a convenient location for a property owner.  

Policy:

Following an unsuccessful field or driveway access application, a landowner may request that the county engineer conduct a survey to see whether the road could be regraded to allow an entrance to be sited.  Upon receiving a request, the county engineer will schedule a survey at the convenience of the Secondary Road Department and will review the survey to determine whether the road can be regraded to allow the construction of a field entrance or driveway at the desired location.  The county engineer will design road improvements to meet current design standards to an alignment and grade that provide stopping sight distance that meets or exceeds the statutory or established speed limit for the road.  The county engineer will prepare a cost estimate for the work and provide it to the requesting landowner.

The landowner will be responsible for 100% of the cost of the road improvement as determined by the county engineer.  If the landowner finds the estimate acceptable, the county engineer will prepare a construction agreement for signature by the landowner.  The county engineer will also sign the agreement and bring it to the Board of Supervisors for approval.  Full payment for the road improvement will be required upon completion of the work unless prior arrangements are made with the county engineer and approved by the Board of Supervisors.

The county engineer will be the final judge of the feasibility of making road improvements in these cases and a driveway and road improvement request may not be approved if it is cost prohibitive or cannot be safely constructed and located.  

This policy has been reviewed and approved by the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors on this 4th day of August, 2015.

APPROVED:

_______________________________________________
Chairman-Woodbury County Board of Supervisors

_______________________________________________
Mark J. Nahra, Woodbury County Engineer

PDF text follows:

PPM #4, 2015

WOODBURY COUNTY SECONDARY ROAD DEPARTMENT
POLICY AND PROCEDURE MEMORANDUM

SUBJECT: Disposal of Used Materials

All used materials shall be disposed of in the following manner.  Such material shall have no further use by the department and said disposal shall be approved by the county engineer:

1)    Used Culverts:  Used culverts, either corrugated metal or reinforced concrete pipe, removed from road use and determined to be of no use to the road department because of their condition, may be sold to private property owners on a first come first served basis.  These culverts may not be installed within county rights of way.  Only culverts that have no use for the county as temporary culverts or otherwise serve no purpose for the county may be sold as described herein:
     Metal Culverts:
a)    Culverts that are rusted, but not perforated will be sold at 50% of new cost.  Culverts in this condition may be deformed as part of the removal process, may be rusty or heavily scaled, but are not perforated.
b)    Culverts that are rusted and perforated will be sold at 25% of new cost.  Culverts in this condition may be deformed when removed from the road and may have holes in the flow line or walls. 
c)    Culverts that do not sell in a reasonable time period as determined by the county engineer or are so badly perforated or clogged with mud or dirt that they are not useable, may be crushed and sold as scrap steel.  
     Concrete Culverts:
a)    Concrete culverts will be sold at 50% of new value.  Culverts sold may have broken bells or cracks in the culvert section.  Culverts not sold shall be added to county concrete recycling piles and crushed for aggregate.

2)    Used Bridge Beams and Guardrail:   Only bridge beams that have no potential for use by the county may be sold to the public.  This generally means beams with a section of less than 15” in section depth, regardless of flange width.  The price for the used beams will be the weight of the beam times the current price for scrap steel as offered at Sioux City Foundry or another local scrap yard at the time of the sale.
    All steel, including, but not limited to, beams and guardrail, collected by the county that remains unsold or is unfit for use may be sold as scrap.  Steel will be loaded on county trucks and hauled to the nearest scrap yard.  The county employee driving the material to the scrap yard shall receive a check made out to the Woodbury County Secondary Road Department.  The check will be returned to the county engineers office and will be deposited to the secondary road fund by the county treasurer.

3)    Used Road and Street Signs.  All road and street signs shall either have their blanks be recycled and refaced or be collected and sold as scrap metal.  The sign blanks will be hauled by county staff to the nearest local scrap yard which shall issue a check for scrap value payable to the county secondary road department.

4)    Used Bridge Plank:   Bridge plank that no longer have use for the county may be sold to the public.  Plank may contain spikes and bent over nails and will be sold “as is” for $1 per foot.

5)    Used Sign and Fence Posts.   Wood 4” x 4” and 4” x 6” sign posts that are broken and no longer useful for their purchased purpose may be sold to the public.  Broken post pieces longer than 6 feet will be sold for $5 each.  Post pieces under 6 feet will be sold for $3 each.  Posts that are not sold will be disposed of as solid waste.  Steel posts used for silt fence that are removed at the end of their use for erosion control may be sold for $1 each.  Should the pile of steel posts become excessive and if no buyers are interested in the posts, they may be sold with steel scrap. 

6)    Used Departmental Vehicles and Equipment.    All used county vehicles and large equipment shall be either traded in for replacement vehicles or equipment or sold at auction.  The department shall obtain permission of the board of supervisors by resolution for all sale of equipment at auction, either the annual county auction or a commercial auction house operation.

7)    All other county property.   All other property including used furniture, tools, used tires and auto parts that are functional and have a sale value will be collected by the department and sold at the annual city auction.  Car and truck tires with no value for recapping or broken furniture, tools and other items will be disposed of as solid waste.

Employees may not remove used and/or salvage material without purchase of said items as described in this memo and proper authorization from the county engineer or district maintenance foreman.

APPROVED:
_______________________________________________
Chairman-Woodbury County Board of Supervisors
_______________________________________________
Mark J. Nahra, Woodbury County Engineer

PDF text follows:

PPM #5, 2015

WOODBURY COUNTY SECONDARY ROAD DEPARTMENT
POLICY AND PROCEDURE MEMORANDUM

SUBJECT:     PAVING POLICY

1.0    Purpose 

Subdivision development in the rural area creates additional traffic on gravel surfaced roads which were designed primarily for rural farm access.  Fugitive dust and rough roads draw frequent complaints from residents who move to the rural area and construct new homes.   The county receives requests for paving the roads to meet the new traffic demand.

Property taxes generated by rural residential development rarely pay back the cost of grading and paving a road to meet the new demand.  As such, the county is developing this policy to gain participation in road improvement costs from the subdivider or those who purchase rural residential property.    This policy states the level of county participation in road improvements and sets a framework for developing paving agreements in the rural area.

The County has not realized total reimbursement of roadway improvement costs from subdivision developers or land owners.  Financial, human and other resources are limited and therefore the County desires to establish financial resource guidelines for future pavement extensions to, adjacent and through rural subdivisions.

For new subdivisions the terms of roadway improvement cost sharing within this Paving Policy shall be implemented by the use of Agreements to Impose Covenants; more commonly known as Paving Agreements. Specifically, as a condition of a subdivision’s final plat approval, that the Board of Supervisors will require the timely recording of any Paving Agreement. 

Samples of Paving Agreement language meeting this Paving Policy is attached and marked Exhibit A and Exhibit B.

Financial Resources

1.1    Special Assessment District

Chapter 331, Section 485, Code of Iowa, establishes the procedures for “County Special Assessment Districts”.  This process would be the most logical form of cost reimbursement to the County.  Section 331.486 indicates that “a county may construct and assess the cost of public improvements within a district in the same manner as a city may proceed under Chapter 384…” Sections 384.37 – 384.79 describes the procedures cities are required to follow for special assessment districts.  District boundaries are established by the Board of Supervisors as per Section 331.485. 

1.2    Tax Increment Financing

Chapter 403, Code of Iowa, is the “Urban Renewal Law”.  Section 403.22 describes public improvements related to housing and residential development and low income assistance requirements.  The County has use of the funds, but must designate the Low to Moderate Income (LMI) portion to go towards LMI benefit. 

1.3    Real Estate Improvements District 

Chapter 358C, Code of Iowa, establishes the procedures for creation of a Real Estate Improvement District.  The general assembly created this program to assist developers and communities in increasing the availability of housing in Iowa communities.  Section 358C.4 authorizes the district to acquire, construct, reconstruct, install, maintain, and repair any of the public improvements listed in this section.  Section 358C.4.2.m identifies “Public roads, streets, and alleys” as eligible public improvements. 

1.4    General Obligation Bonds

Section 331.441-331.460 describes the procedures for issuance of General Obligation Bonds for “Essential County Purpose”.  Section 331.441.2.b.2 identifies “Bridges on highway or parts of highways which are located along the corporate limits of cities and are partly within and partly without the limits and are in whole or in part secondary roads”.

2.0    Participation Guidelines

2.1    Woodbury County will begin to consider paving extensions and County participation when the Average Daily Traffic (ADT) falls within the range of 250 to 500 vehicles per day. 
2.2    The County will participate up to 20% of the construction costs for paving extension to, adjacent or through a new subdivision or through an existing development. Project development costs will be borne solely by the developer, subdivider or land owners requesting the road upgrade.  Grading costs to prepare the roadway for paving will be included in the cost of the project to be shared by the parties requesting the paving improvement. 
2.3    Woodbury County will use six (6) vehicles per day as a planning number to estimate the number of trips generated by a single family residence. 
2.4    Bridges, box culverts and other drainage structures will be negotiated individually as proposed projects are presented to the County. 
2.5    Payment of the cost of the project will be made from funds of the County that may be legally used for such purpose at the sole discretion of the Board of Supervisors. 
2.6    The Woodbury County Engineer may assist the developer with the development of opinions of cost related to the proposed pavement extension.  This shall be considered as a planning tool only.  Actual final construction costs will determine the necessary financial commitment of the developer, subdivider or land owner. 
2.7    Design guidelines and standards will be established by the Woodbury County Engineer. 
2.8    Schedules will be determined by the Woodbury County Engineer. 
2.9    These guidelines are not intended to be all inclusive.  The Board of Supervisors reserves the right to modify these guidelines as necessary to accommodate the social and economic needs of the project. 

3.0    Summary

Woodbury County desires that these guidelines shall be made in accordance with a comprehensive plan and designed to facilitate the adequate provision of transportation, to encourage efficient urban development patterns and to lessen congestion in the street or highway.  

Such regulations shall be made with reasonable consideration, among other things, as to the character of the area of the district and the peculiar suitability of such are for particular uses, and with a view to conserving the value of buildings and encouraging the most appropriate use of land throughout Woodbury County. 

This Paving Policy approved this 5th day of May, 2015 for Woodbury County, State of Iowa, 

SO APPROVED this 5th day of May, 2015. 

WOODBURY COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
Mark A. Monson, Chairman
Larry D. Clausen, Member
Jaclyn Smith, Member
Matthew A. Ung, Member
Jeremy J. Taylor, Member

ATTEST: Patrick F. Gill, County Auditor  Recorder

PDF text follows:

PPM #6, 2015

WOODBURY COUNTY SECONDARY ROAD DEPARTMENT
POLICY AND PROCEDURE MEMORANDUM

SUBJECT:    Travel in County owned vehicles

All county owned departmental vehicles will remain in the County Office Parking Lot or Buildings, District Shed Properties, or Maintainer Sheds or Lots overnight with the following exceptions.

1)    Vehicles used by the County Engineer and District Foreman.  The County Engineer and Maintenance Foreman are “on call” employees and are required by their jobs to have vehicles at their residences when they are not on leave status.  Said use of the county vehicles by the Engineer and Foreman shall be in compliance with the Woodbury County Policy for Use of Assigned County Vehicles as attached to this memorandum, and in some cases this is a taxable employee benefit.

2)    Vehicles used by staff for approved travel to single day or overnight meetings when said travel requires the employee to either leave for the meeting or return home from the meeting after normal working hours and use of the vehicle receives prior approval of the County Engineer.

3)    Other vehicles may be taken home whenever the Engineer deems it necessary to do so to efficiently perform county work.

Employees taking vehicles home will comply with all county regulations governing vehicle use and may be subject to taxation for a non cash fringe benefit.

Employees are normally required to carry their lunch to minimize the use of County vehicles to get lunch or snacks during the work day.    Employees may make restroom stops as needed, but other personal use of county vehicles is prohibited and may subject the employee to disciplinary action.  

Extra trips to and from the county yard and outbuildings for materials will be avoided if at all possible.   Employees should plan their work for the day so that needed materials are taken out to the worksite when employees leave in the morning.

APPROVED:

_______________________________________________
Chairman-Woodbury County Board of Supervisors

_______________________________________________
Mark J. Nahra, Woodbury County Engineer

Attachments:
County wide vehicle use policy

PDF text follows:

PPM #7, 2016

WOODBURY COUNTY SECONDARY ROAD DEPARTMENT
POLICY AND PROCEDURE MEMORANDUM

SUBJECT:    Purchase of County Road Department Vehicles – Automobiles, Pickups, Vans, and SUVs

This policy outlines the process for purchase of vehicles for use by the Woodbury County Secondary Road Department.  Said vehicles include sport utility vehicles (SUV), automobiles, and pickup trucks up to 19,500 lb. GVW rating.

1)    The county road department will request quotations for new vehicles.  Quotations may allow consideration of current model year demonstrators, if deemed in the best interest of the secondary road department.

2)    The county will request quotations for vehicles as defined above from local automobile and pickup truck dealers that sell new vehicles.  Local dealer is defined as any major brand automobile or truck dealership within the geographic limits of Woodbury County.  The dealer may provide a quotation for any vehicle brand for which they are an authorized dealer at any of their company or corporation owned dealerships.  Dealers owning a qualifying dealership within Woodbury County will not be limited to quoting only vehicle brands that are sold at their Woodbury County location, but can provide quotes for any vehicle sold by any of their dealerships regardless of its location.

3)    While the county road department prefers to purchase locally, the department must also seek the lowest price possible for a vehicle meeting specifications.  The county is eligible to buy at state bid prices through the Iowa Department of Transportation and Iowa Department of Administrative Services.  The county encourages all dealers bidding to consult pre-approved state bid prices prior to submitting a quotation to the county.  The county engineer may, if prices exceed state bids by more than 5%, recommend purchase of county vehicles from awarded state bids.

4)    Units quoted shall meet or exceed the vehicle specifications sent to the dealer.  Modifications or deviations from printed specifications shall be described by a written statement to be included with the quote by each dealer.  The Woodbury County Board of Supervisors reserves the right to waive compliance on minor variations from specifications and to reject any or all quotes if deemed to be in the best interest of Woodbury County.  Woodbury County is not obligated to purchase the low quote and will purchase the vehicle that will best serve the county's needs.

5)    The awarded dealer shall have a pre-order meeting with the county engineer to approve final vehicle details and to approve color selection to assure compliance with specifications.

APPROVED:
_______________________________________
Chairman-Woodbury County Board of Supervisors
_________________________________________
Mark J. Nahra, Woodbury County Engineer

PDF text follows:

PPM #08, 2016

WOODBURY COUNTY SECONDARY ROAD DEPARTMENT
POLICY AND PROCEDURE MEMORANDUM

SUBJECT:    Use of cross road culverts for manure handling

Heavy agricultural equipment used to haul animal waste causes severe damage to granular surfaced and paved roads.  Much of this hauling is done during the spring thaw and causes loss of rock surfacing, distortion of the road cross section, and inconvenience to neighbors and other road users.  Some manure can be pumped through hoses to fields for application, but hoses cannot be set on the road surface.  Confinement operators are requesting to run pump hoses through county culverts or to request the county install culverts to accommodate manure handling hoses for land application.  The county recognizes that keeping heavy loads generated by manure disposal and land application off of county roads can be a cost and road saving measure for the county.

This policy defines how the county road department will respond to requests for running manure hoses through structures in county rights of way.  

General Requirements:

Hoses shall only be in the county right of way during active pumping operations.  Hoses are to be removed from the culvert and right of way when not in use.  Pumping equipment shall not be allowed within the right of way at any time.  Pumping operations shall cease during rainfall and hoses will not be left in culverts during rainfall.

Confinement owner or operator will be required to take every effort to prevent spillage of manure within the county right of way.  Confinement owner or operator will have equipment on site to quickly dike any spilled manure and will promptly remove spilled manure from the county right of way and restore the ditch cross section and seeding as needed following cleanup.  Confinement owner or operator agrees to use the culvert for manure handling from the permitted site and will refrain from hauling loads manure on the county road from the permitted confinement facility except in minimal amounts that will be defined on the permit.

Confinement owners and land owners shall not run hoses through county road structure culverts without a permit from the county engineer’s office.

Non-Drainage Structures:

Adjacent landowners with livestock operations requiring disposal of manure may request that the county place a culvert under a road where it serves no purpose for providing drainage to accommodate a hose to allow pumping of liquid manure.  The county engineer or maintenance foreman will review the requested site for the cross road culvert.  Placement of the culvert will be based on adequate ditch depth, minimizing the length of run of the manure handling hose within the county right of way, and the convenience of the property owner.  The terms of construction and use of non-drainage structure culverts for pumping manure under roads will be as provided in the permit.

APPROVED:
_______________________________________________
Chairman-Woodbury County Board of Supervisors
_______________________________________________
Mark J. Nahra, Woodbury County Engineer

Attachments:

PDF text follows:

WOODBURY COUNTY SECONDARY ROAD DEPARTMENT
POLICY AND PROCEDURE MEMORANDUM #9

PPM Origination Date: 2010
Revisions: 4/2018, 3/2025
SUBJECT: Dust Control Policy PPM #9

I.    PURPOSE:
This policy outlines the application of dust control palliatives on granular-surfaced secondary roads in Woodbury County.  

II.    CODE OF IOWA: Section 318.8.
A person shall not excavate, fill, or make a physical change within a highway right-of-way without obtaining a permit from the applicable highway authority. At the request of a permittee, a modification may be granted in the discretion of the highway authority. Work performed under the permit shall be performed in conformity with the specifications prescribed by the highway authority. If the work does not conform to permit specifications, the person shall be notified to make the conforming changes. If after twenty days the changes have not been made, the highway authority may make the necessary changes and immediately send a statement of the cost to the responsible person. If within thirty days after sending the statement the cost is not paid, the highway authority may institute legal proceedings to collect the cost of correction. A violation of the permit specifications shall be considered a violation of section 318.3. A public utility subject to section 306A.3 is exempt from this section.

III.    RESIDENT REQUIREMENTS:
•    Residents seeking dust control must contact a preapproved contractor directly.
•    Residents are responsible for all payments to the contractor.
•    Complaints regarding the product or its application shall be directed to the contractor.
•    Residents must ensure that dust control markers always remain visible.

IV.    CONTRACTOR REQUIREMENTS:
•    Contractors must be preapproved by the Woodbury County Engineer.
•    Contractors must obtain a Woodbury County Work on Right-of-Way Permit.
•    Contractor must provide a Certificate of Insurance, annually.
•    Contractor will give sufficient time to the County Engineers office to allow for the road surface to be prepared for each application, a minimum of five working days. 
•    Proper traffic control measures must be followed.
•    Work is not permitted on: Sundays, Holidays, between Sunset and Sunrise.
•    Contractor must place dust control markers immediately after each application.

V.    PREAPPROVED CONTRACTORS:
Can be found on the Woodbury County Secondary Road website or call the County Engineers office for preapproved contractors contact information.
VI.    MATERIALS:
•    A current Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for all materials used must be on file at the Woodbury County Engineer’s Office in Moville.
•    Approved materials: Lignosulfonate, Calcium Chloride, Magnesium Chloride

VII.    APPLICATION DATES:
The contractor is responsible for determining the application schedule. 

VIII.    WOODBURY COUNTY SECONDARY ROADS:
•    The County will prepare the road surface before each application.
•    The County may re-blade the road as needed to maintain a safe driving surface.
•    Dust control markers will be removed by the County after September each year.

IX.    FEES:
A fee of twenty dollars ($20.00) will be included in the contractor’s bill for the roadway surface preparation. 

                    Recommended:
                    ________________________________________
                    Laura Sievers, P.E., Woodbury County Engineer                        
            
                    Approved:
                    ________________________________________
                    Daniel A. Bittinger II, Chairman, Board of Supervisors

PDF text follows:

WOODBURY COUNTY

ORDINANCE NO. 1

AN ORDINANCE TO ESTABLISH THE POLICY AND LEVEL OF SERVICE IN RESPECT TO CLEARANCE OF SNOW OR ICE AND MAINTENANCE OF THIS COUNTY'S SECONDARY ROADS DURING THE WINTER MONTHS.

BE IT ORDAINED BY THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF WOODBURY COUNTY:

SECTION 1 -- PURPOSE

   The purpose of this ordinance is to establish this County's policy and level of service in respect to clearance of snow or ice and maintenance of its secondary road system during the winter months, as provided in Section 668.10, Code of Iowa, and pursuant to the provisions of Section 309.67, Code of Iowa.  This policy and level of service are to be implemented within the amount of money budgeted for this service, and as contained in this County's secondary road budget as submitted to and approved by the Iowa Department of Transportation and adopted by the Board of Supervisors. The clearing of roads at any cost is not the County's policy.

SECTION 2 -- LEVEL OF SERVICE

   Clearance of snow or ice and maintenance of the secondary road system during the winter months is primarily for the benefit of the local residents of this County.  Each storm has individual characteristics and must be dealt with accordingly. The portion of the roadway improved for travel will have upon it snow and ice in compacted condition.  These conditions may be continuous, or they may be more concentrated on hills, in valleys, curves, and/or intersections.  The County's existing snow removal equipment will be utilized for this purpose.  On occasion, County personnel may be rendered unavailable due to the provisions of the Omnibus Transportation Employee Testing Act of 1991.  Except for "emergencies" as determined by the County Engineer's professional judgment, or his/her designee acting in his/her absence, on a case by case basis, all clearance of snow or ice, sanding, salting, and other maintenance respecting winter conditions shall be accomplished within the amount of money budgeted for this service and as practicable.  The entire width of that portion of the road improved for travel may not be cleared of snow, ice, compacted snow and ice, or frost.  Snow cleared from that part of the roadway improved for travel shall be placed on or in the adjacent shoulder, ditch, or right of way.  Snow can be expected to accumulate adjacent to the traveled portion to the extent that a motorist's sight distance to both the left and right may be greatly reduced or impaired.  The snow removed from intersections will be piled in its corners in piles of unequal height.  The lines of sight, sight distance, or visibility of motorists approaching these intersections may be greatly reduced or impaired.  The County shall not be responsible for snow pushed or otherwise placed on the roadway or shoulders by others.  Motorists shall drive their vehicles during these conditions with additional caution and watchfulness, especially in respect to the surface of the roadway, and reduced or impaired visibility, and are advised to reduce their speed at least 25 miles per hour below that legally permitted or advised under normal conditions. 
In respect to roadways that have only one lane open, further extreme watchfulness and caution should be exercised by the motorist, and their speed should not exceed 10 miles per hour.  During these conditions, no additional warning or regulatory signs will be placed warning of impaired sight distances, visibility at intersections, road blockages, one-lane conditions, or that the road surface is slick or slippery, or what the advised speed should be.

   When snow obstructs all or a portion of the right half of the roadway, it may be necessary for snow clearing equipment to be driven to the left of center of the roadway while clearing snow.  Unoccupied vehicles that obstruct the traveled way or impede removal of snow from the roadway may be removed from the roadway or shoulders of the road by county personnel or towed as necessary.

SECTION 3 -- SEQUENCE OF SERVICE

   In the implementation of snow and ice removal and other maintenance of the County's secondary road system during the winter months, the County Engineer shall select the actual sequence of roads to be cleared as provided for in this section of the ordinance, and shall determine when drifting, wind velocity, and additional snow or snowstorms require that the snow removal equipment be removed from the roadway, or that additional clearance of paved roads be accomplished prior to the clearance of gravel and dirt roads.  The County Engineer's professional judgment, or his/her designee's, shall prevail.

PAVED ROUTES

1.    The initial effort will be to get all routes open to one-lane traffic as soon as possible and or practicable. During initial snow removal operations, paved roads may only have one lane plowed for a period of time.
2.    After one-lane travel is possible, subsequent snow removal will be carried on during normal working hours.
3.    The truck mounted snow plows and spreaders will normally be in operation from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The trucks may be called off the road if snow and/or blowing snow reduces visibility to hazardous working conditions, in the professional judgment of the Engineer or his delegated representative.
4.    When required, due to drifting snow, motor graders may be used to keep the paved roads open and the opening of gravel may be delayed.
5.    It is not the policy of the County to provide a "dry" pavement condition.
6.    After roads have been plowed, as provided in this section, intersections, hills, and curves may, but not necessarily, have placed on them, salt, sand, or other abrasives.  These intersections, hills, and curves may not be resanded, resalted, or have other abrasives replaced on them between snowstorms.
7.    Snow removal operations on designated essential industrial routes will commence at 4:30 AM and may be extended until 5:30 PM, depending upon storm conditions.  Designated routes will be reviewed and designated annually by review of the Board of Supervisors in consultation with the county engineer.  Essential industrial routes typically serve industries with 24 hour operations and include power plants and chemical plants.  Snow removal service hours will be extended for these industries to assure required personnel shift changes at these industries. 

UNPAVED ROADS

1.     The initial effort will be to get all routes opened to one-lane traffic as soon as 
possible and/or practicable after a storm has passed.

2.    After one-lane travel is possible, subsequent snow removal will be carried on during normal working hours.

3.    Motor graders and/or truck plows will normally be in operation during daylight hours.  Gravel roads may not be plowed if the wind is causing continual drifting.  The motor graders and/or truck plows may be called off the road if snow and blowing reduces visibility to hazardous working conditions, in the professional judgment of the Engineer or his delegated representative.

4.    Snow may not be removed from dirt roads or roads designated at Level B.

5.    Excessive snow accumulation from snow storms and blizzards may require that snow removal operations be limited to those roads which have residences located along them.  It may be necessary to provide access to some residences from one direction only, and roads with no residences may not be opened.

PRIVATE DRIVES

   The County will not clear snow from private drives or any road that is not part of the secondary road system, unless said road is covered by a maintenance agreement, except in an emergency as defined in Section 5 of this ordinance.  Normal snow removal operations may result in snow being deposited in private drives.  Snow from private drives shall not be placed on the roadway or shoulders.

   There is no time limit after a snowstorm in which any of the above sequence of clearance, on paved or unpaved roads, shall take place.

MAILBOX REPLACEMENT

   The County will assume no liability for mailboxes and fences damaged because of snow removal unless such action can be determined to be malicious or by direct contact with a plow or wing blade.  The County will not replace or repair mailboxes damaged or knocked down by the force of snow thrown from the plow.

SECTION 4 -- LIMITATION OF SERVICE

   Notwithstanding anything else stated in this ordinance, the policy and level of service provided for in this ordinance shall not include the following, and the following services shall not be performed:

1.    Sanding, salting, or placing other abrasives upon the roadways that are slick, slippery, and dangerous due to the formation of frost.

2.    Sanding, salting, or placing of other abrasives upon paved roadways due to freezing rain that occurs during the hours of darkness.

3.    Placing of additional warning or regulatory signs warning of impaired sight distances, visibility at intersections, road blockages, one-lane conditions, or that the road surface is slick or slippery, or what the advised speed should be.

4.    Sanding, salting, or placing abrasives upon any road, except for paved roads.  If in the opinion of the County Engineer, or his/her designee, an "emergency" exists and ice has built up on hills and intersections on the gravel system that slope down to another road so as to become dangerous, abrasive material may be applied at these locations as crew and equipment availability allows and only as a last resort. This condition will not, under any circumstances, take a higher priority than placing of abrasive material on the paved road system and will only be done after the paved roads are cleared of ice and snow.  Abrasive material will also only be placed after other mechanical means have been tried and failed, such as scraping with motor graders.

5.    Re-sanding or re-salting for freezing and thawing between snowstorms.

6.    Removing of sand, salt, or other abrasives.

7.    Plowing, sanding, salting, or placing of abrasives on any road that is not within the jurisdiction of the county, unless it is agreed to do so by a 28-E Agreement between the county and the entity having jurisdiction of the road.

SECTION 5 -- EMERGENCY

   Service or the level or sequence of service may be suspended during "Emergency" conditions.  An "Emergency" condition shall be considered as one where loss of life is probable, where a serious injury has occurred, or where extensive loss of property is imminent.  The County may respond to all "Emergency" conditions, either during or after a snowstorm. 

   These conditions should be verified through the Sheriff's Office or County E911 Dispatch.  Any person who makes a false report of an "Emergency" to an officer, official, or employee of Woodbury County or who causes a false report to be so made shall, upon conviction, be subject to a fine of not more than $100.00 or imprisonment of not more than 30 days in the County jail.  

   Winter road conditions can degrade to where travel is unsafe and vehicles and passengers who become snowbound outside of shelter can face life threatening conditions.  Road users need to remain aware of weather and traveler advisories.  Upon declaration by law enforcement or National Weather Service that no travel is advised, and that highways, including interstates, are closed and state and county plows have been called off the roads, drivers have two hours to seek shelter and get off of county roads.  If a driver becomes snowbound two or more hours after a “no travel advisory” is issued and requires rescue after becoming snowbound, the driver may be billed the cost of county staff and equipment time necessary to respond to the location where the driver is stranded.

   The provisions of this ordinance shall be further suspended in the event the Governor, by proclamation, implements the State Disaster Plan, or the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, by proclamation, implements the County Disaster Plan.  If such occurs, the County personnel and equipment shall be immediately subject to the direction of the Governor or the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors.

SECTION 6 – REPEALER

   All ordinances and resolutions, or parts thereof, in conflict herewith are hereby repealed.

SECTION 7 -- SEVERABILITY CLAUSE

   If any section, provision, or part of this ordinance shall be adjudged invalid or unconstitutional, such adjudication shall not affect the validity of the ordinance as a whole or any section, provision, or part thereof not adjudged invalid or unconstitutional.

SECTION 8 -- WHEN EFFECTIVE

   This ordinance shall be in effect immediately after its final passage and publication as provided by law.

Passed and approved this 4th day of January, 2016.

                            Woodbury County Board of Supervisors
                            (Signed)                       
                            Jeremy Taylor
                            Chair, Board of Supervisors
ATTEST:
(Signed)
Patrick F. Gill, Woodbury County Auditor

First Reading: December 15, 2015
Second Reading: December 22, 2015
Third reading/Approved: January 4, 2016
Published:_____________________