~by Janice Harbaugh for GreeneCountyNewsOnline
After discussion at the regular meeting on Dec. 27, the Greene County board of supervisors unanimously approved a resolution allowing them to submit approval or disapproval to the Department of Natural Resources of any construction permit application made by applicants in the county for building confinement feeding operations.
This ability to approve or disapprove construction of confinement feeding operations has long been a point of contention among board members. Some members have historically denied the board has that function and have said the county board “has no say” in the approval of CAFOs.
Resolution 2021-45 passed by the board states counties that have adopted a construction evaluation resolution 1) can submit to the DNR recommendations to approve or disapprove a proposed CAFO, 2) can contest the DNR’s decision regarding a specific permit application, 3) must evaluate every CAFO construction permit application received and submit a recommendation to the DNR, 4) must use the master matrix created by Iowa Code.
The resolution also states, “the board’s recommendation to the DNR may be based on the final score on the master matrix or may be based on reasons other than the final score on the master matrix.”
The board discussed whether public hearings on applications for construction of CAFOs were necessary or advisable. The ideas that public hearings are not required by law and can be an unnecessary stress on the public were considered. In the end, the board did seem to agree on continuing public notice of CAFO construction applications and public hearings.
The approval of the resolution runs Feb. 1, 2022 to Jan. 31, 2023. This is basically the same resolution passed last January which covered February 2021 to January 2022.
A second resolution was unanimously passed by the board authorizing the approval of the Iowa opioid allocation memorandum of understanding and settlement participation agreements.
The resolution sets forth the history of the opioid litigation and requires the county to establish a separate account called “LG Abatement Fund” to receive money from the settlement agreements with pharmaceutical companies. The county agrees to dedicate the money to funding “opioid abatement measures.”
County attorney Thomas Laehn has previously said money from the settlement is to be paid to the county over a period of 18 years and can be used only in narrowly described ways.
The entire resolution is available in the auditor’s office.
Sheriff Jack Williams asked the board whether Dreyfus funds could be considered for purchasing a generator to be used in making Clover Hall at the fairgrounds a warming center in case of emergency.
Williams estimated a permanent generator could cost $7,000.
“The Fair board should look into that,” chair John Muir said. “We (the county) would be buying a generator for private property.”
Supervisor Dawn Rudolph said all the communities need generators.
The board discussed possible places for shelters in the communities of the county in the event of emergency.
Supervisor Pete Bardole said, “There’s definitely a need.” He said the city-owned Community Center in Jefferson could be a possible shelter.
There was no action or consensus by the board, but Muir said the communities could “approach us and ask questions” about possibilities for generators and the idea of shelters.
During open forum, Craig Berry told the board the Market to Market Relay will be held in 2022 with registration Friday, May 13 and Saturday, May 14.
The second reading of the Greene County Election Precincts ordinance was held and was unanimously approved by the board.
Attorney Laehn told the board a public hearing will be held Jan. 3 at 9 am during the supervisor’s meeting before the third and final reading of the precincts ordinance. Laehn said written or oral concerns about the election precincts will be heard then.
The board heard FY2023 funding requests and updates from the Bell Tower Community Foundation, Elderserve, and the local Habitat for Humanity.
Carole Custer and Bob Schwarzkopf, representing the Bell Tower Foundation, requested $10,000 and a one-time allocation of $1,200 to help with planning expenses. Custer said this is an increase over the $7,500 in yearly funding received since the 1980s.
Custer said the Mahanay Memorial Carillon Tower was named Iowa Tourism’s 2021 Top Tourist Attraction and the attendance during 2021 was 6,331 people, a record high for attendance.
“We manage tourism on your behalf,” Custer told the board. “Now is a good time to think over goals for the Tower for the next five to ten years.”
“Raising attendance should always be the goal,” Muir said.
Linda Ross and Harvey Schwartz, representing Elderserve II (Jefferson Congregate Meals) requested $15,000 for FY2023. The current funding is $11,000.
Ross said Elderserve has averaged 89 meals per day, served at the Center in Jefferson and home-delivered by volunteers to Churdan, Scranton, and Grand Junction.
Supervisor Tom Contner said the group “does a good job.”
Jeff Lamoureux, representing the local Habitat for Humanity, requested $5,000 for FY 2021. This is the same amount as current funding.
Lamoureux said the organization has been offering repairs to homeowners in Greene County for the past 10 years through its Helping Hands program.
“Some of what you do is not seen except by the people you help,” Muir said.
No funding action was taken by the board as budgeting is done after all requests have been heard.
