LINN COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
CEDAR RAPIDS, LINN COUNTY, IOWA
TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2023 10:00 A.M.
(These are the minutes in their entirety. Archived minutes can be found at www.linncounty.org).
The Board met in session at the Linn County Jean Oxley Public Service Center. Present: Chairperson Zumbach and Supervisor Kirsten Running-Marquardt. Absent: Vice Chairperson Rogers (personal business). Board members voting “AYE” unless otherwise noted.
Chairperson Zumbach called the meeting to order.
Chairperson Zumbach stated that Supervisor Rogers put this item on the agenda and he is attending a funeral today. The item will be moved from the consent agenda for Wednesday’s meeting to the regular agenda: Discuss an agreement between Linn County and Mercy Medical Center to apply for 340 B status to participate in the Federal Drug Pricing Program through the Health Resources and Services Administration retroactive to January 10, 2023.
Motion by Zumbach, seconded by Running-Marquardt to approve minutes of January 9, 10 & 13, 2022 as printed.
Public Comment: Don White, 602 Blue Heron Ct. NE, CR, stated that he watched the 1/9 recording of the public comments that followed the Board’s discussion to not use ARPA funding for a Resiliency Director that would have served the entire county. He wants to go on record saying that he deplores the way Supervisor Zumbach added his proposal to the agenda. What a way to lose trust from the voting public. This will not be forgotten. Supervisor Zumbach was not rude to opponents of utility scale solar when they had comments that strayed away from the specific agenda topic. He was disappointed in what was discussed then decided. Clearly, none of the well stated public comments were considered. Two former Supervisors, Carberry and Langston shared favorable outcomes they experienced. They both used one-time funds to prove the value of a new role. As Supervisor Rogers stated, “Nothing was broken that needed to be fixed.” ARPA was enacted for resiliency experiments like piloting a Resiliency Director. On January 11, there were votes to approve usage of the ARPA funds for a project in Alburnett and another project in Marion and he had questions about them. A Resiliency Director would serve the entire county while the Alburnett and Marion projects only serve specific communities. Furthermore, the Resiliency Director would have served residents who are disproportionately impacted by disasters. When the Board is considering changing a decision that impacts the entire county, give ample notice for public comments. Public trust is earned that way. The sooner Linn County becomes the epicenter for the transition from ethanol to utility scale solar, the sooner the need for a CO2 pipeline goes away. There are safer alternatives to a CO2 pipeline and he gave examples. The good news is that there are salable products that CO2 can be converted into. CO2 emitters can convert a dangerous pollutant into valuable revenue streams on premises. He has some concerns about what is going on with utility scale solar in Linn County and explained. He also has not heard anything about the progress the Renewable Energy Review Committees are making and asked for evidence that these committees are following sunshine laws. Proponents of utility scale solar continue to get squeezed out, while strong opponents remain on committees. He served on the Board of Iowa Renewable Energy Association for 10 years and is a resourceful Linn County resident. He would be honored to serve on any committee.
Motion by Zumbach, seconded by Running-Marquardt to approve the following appointments for terms ending 12/31/2026: Bertram Township: Linda Fierstine, Clerk and Bonnie Pospisil, Trustee; Clinton Township: Justin See, Clerk; Fairfax Township: Tami Brush (Armstrong), Clerk and Steve Hynek, Trustee; Fayette Township: Lee Lewis and Gordon Bull, Trustees; Franklin Township: Linda Pitlik, Clerk and Jim Woods, Trustee; Linn Township: Barbara Pederson, Clerk; Monroe Township: Ronald Bowers, Clerk and Carl Meiners and Ruth Macke, Trustees; Washington Township: Terry Tull, Clerk and Sheryl Schumacher, Trustee; Linn Township: Theresa Pennington, Trustee; College Township: Edward Mertens, Clerk.
Adjournment at 10:10 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
JOEL D. MILLER, Linn County Auditor
By: Amanda Hoy, Executive Assistant
Approved by:
LOUIS J. ZUMBACH, Chairperson
Board of Supervisors
Published in the MVL Sun Jan. 26, 2023.