2 Johnson County Conservation staffers placed on leave

IOWA CITY — Two Johnson County Conservation Department staff members — including its director — have been placed on paid administrative leave for unspecified reasons.

The personnel action comes as the county prepares to ask Johnson County voters to approve a $30 million bond referendum Nov. 5 that would fund conservation projects to protect water quality and acquire land for parks and trails, among other efforts.

Johnson County Conservation Board President Carolyn Buckingham confirmed in an email to The Gazette that Conservation Director Larry Gullett and Operations Superintendent Wade Schultz were placed on paid leave for “an unknown period of time.”

Buckingham, saying the action was a confidential personnel matter, declined to provide details. Gullett declined to comment and Schultz did not return requests Friday for comment.

Both Gullett and Schultz have been in their respective positions for over a decade. Gullett’s is paid $157,482.26 a year and Schultz is paid $115,123.84, according to county staff.

A board of five Johnson County residents who serve staggered five-year unpaid terms oversees the conservation efforts and a team of paid county conservation staff.

Brad Freidhof, the conservation program manager, will serve as acting director.

In 2008, about 61 percent of Johnson County voters approved a $20 million bond for conservation — the first of its kind in the state. In the years since, its funds have been used to acquire 1,168 acres of land for public use, created over 9 miles of hard-surface trails and contributed to 15 projects.

In May, the Johnson County Board of Supervisors approved language for a $30 million conservation bond — like before, backed with property taxes — to go before county voters in the Nov. 5 general election. It requires at least 60 percent approval to pass.

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