SICOG terminates director, continues work for community

The Southern Iowa Council of Governments announced it terminated the employment of Executive Director Timothy Ostroski, effective immediately, at a special meeting Monday of its executive board.

Board Treasurer Ron Riley said Ostroski “was terminated for cause,” but the staff continues to operate “as normal.”

“They are still open for business and they’re continuing to do their normal day-to-day business taking their grant applications,” Riley said.

Last week, the Iowa Auditor of State Rob Sand announced his office opened an investigation into an alleged misuse of funds by Ostroski, who was charged in criminal complaints filed with the Iowa District Court for Union County with forgery and theft on February 9.

At the meeting today, the executive board also adopted and implemented plans to help ensure the integrity of its operations and the uninterrupted service to its eight-county community and its public and private partners.

“We will continue to passionately serve all of our constituencies and we are committed to providing those services with the utmost integrity. SICOG is financially strong and we are dedicated to economic development, growth, and opportunity in the communities we serve,” SICOG’s executive board released in a statement.