OTTUMWA — Wapello County is moving to put a temporary ordinance in place to guide registration of contractors who want to work on homes impacted by this year’s floods.

The Iowa Attorney General’s office supplied a template for the ordinance, which the county then tweaked. At this week’s board of supervisors meeting, the board played it cautiously with the ordinance. They briefly considered passing it and waiving the second and third readings. But they stepped back from that, voting instead to keep the second reading scheduled for next week as a second opportunity for people to comment.

Board Chairman Jerry Parker cast the ordinance as a measure to ensure the county has some knowledge of who is working on residents’ homes.

“It’s really just registering anyone who’s working in the county,” he said.

Supervisor Greg Kenning asked about the scale of the ordinance and whether it prohibited neighbors from helping neighbors. Parker replied that it does not; the ordinance applies to contractors. The template surprised him in how specific it is.

“When I read it, it surprised me that people would speak about a specific event,” Parker said. “They’re tying this ordinance to a specific event. And I think they’re thinking that in two years the construction will be [complete].”

The county also approved a contract with Waste Management for Dumpsters for flood cleanup. The company’s bid sought $180 per haul for each Dumpster, but does not set a minimum number of hauls per week or a specific minimum contract length.

The county received only one other bid, but that one sought more than double the reimbursement for each haul and specified a minimum number of hauls per week. The supervisors said they could not guarantee any such numbers.

The good news for the county was that the Dumpsters are available. Wapello County is drying out later than some other areas hit hard by flooding, and those areas that dried out a week or two ago had first shot at Dumpsters for their communities.

“One of the concerns here was that with all the flooding around the state … and us getting into it a little bit later, the Dumpsters might not be available,” Parker said.

The county will release the Dumpster locations when the containers arrive. The supervisors said they do not want people dumping debris at those locations until the Dumpsters are in place.

County officials continue to encourage county residents impacted by the flood to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency for assistance.

Matt Milner can be reached at (641) 683-5359 or via e-mail at mwmilner@mchsi.com