Winneshiek County might be buying a drone

Winneshiek County supervisors are studying a proposal to have several county departments share in the cost of buying a drone.

The proposal first surfaced last year, but supervisors put off a decision because of the $35,000 price tag.  On Monday County GIS Coordinator Jon Lubke brought what he called "a cheaper and better" option to supervisors--one which has a $21,000 price tag.

Lubke says the drone would be useful for his department, but also for the County Road Department, Emergency Management, Winneshiek County Landfill and perhaps other county departments.

The landfill alone spends $7,800 per session for a firm to come in and map the condition of the landfill, sometimes bringing in the firm twice a year.

Lubke says his department has enough funds to cover about half the cost of the purchase, training and licensing.  County supervisors made no decision on his request Monday, but are continuing to work on the details of the county's 2019-2020 budget.