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Page County Veterans Affairs administrator asks, again, to be made full time

The Daily Nonpareil - 11/26/2017

SHENANDOAH - With fiscal year 2019 budget preparations weeks away, the Page County Board of Supervisors met with the county Veterans Affairs commission about making the department's administrator position full time.

For more than two years, the commission has met with the supervisors multiple times about increasing Administrator Rod Riley to full-time status, The Shenandoah Valley News reported.

Riley was given the administrator job and 20 hours a week in 2015 after the supervisors created the 911 communications director position combined with emergency management coordinator. Previously, Riley had been Veterans Affairs administrator and emergency management coordinator.

Commission member Gary Alger proposed Tuesday making Riley full time. Supervisors did not take any action on the proposal. Ron Gibson and Wendy Halloran are the other commission members.

In late 2015, supervisors agreed to increase Riley to 26 hours a week after meeting with the commission.

Since there are no restrictions on where qualified veterans can apply for services, it is common for Riley to work with veterans who are not Page County residents. Veterans have been from area counties, and Riley said the county benefits financially from other area vets using the county's services.

Supervisor Chuck Morris said he supports veterans, but needs to be responsible to Page County taxpayers.

"If you spend six hours with someone not from Page County, you're not spending six hours with someone from Page County," Morris said.

A year ago, the commission estimated there are 1,400 Page County veterans. Commission members explained how Iowa resident veterans are encouraged to register with their county recorder's office.

Riley said he reminds the non-Page County veterans he meets with to utilize the veterans' services where they live. Gibson said he knows of Page County veterans who use services in other counties and towns.

At the request of Morris, he asked Riley to explain how more effective he has been since his hours were increased to 26 a week. Riley said he would provide that information at a later date.

"I need to know that," Morris said.

Increasing Riley to full time would require a benefit package that would increase the budget by an estimated $25,000 a year.