~by Janice Harbaugh for GreeneCountyNewsOnline
The Greene County supervisors at their Sept. 12 meeting approved issuing up to $3.8 million in general obligation capital loan notes for the purchase and installation of peace officer/emergency communications equipment, including a new tower and radios.
The action followed a public hearing at which no comments, either written or verbal, were received from the public.
Per the Code of Iowa, the county can issue the bonds, which will be paid for through (increased) property taxes, without a vote of the public to provide “essential county services.”
The new tower won’t be erected soon. A representative from Motorola indicated that the company is “on hold” because the placement for the new tower hasn’t been determined, and that delivery can take “a long time.”
Heidi Kuhl of Northland Securities attended the meeting electronically and suggested getting firm cost figures so her company could proceed with financing recommendations.
“Once the county knows how much you want to borrow, we’ll get the terms,” Kuhl said.
The board also held a public hearing on a proposed amendment to extend the current moratorium on utility-scale solar energy projects from Sept. 26 to Oct. 24.
This extension would give the county time to revise the current zoning ordinance to include permitting procedures for utility-scale solar energy projects and set rules for the construction and operation.
No objections were received or heard, and the board approved the first reading of the proposed amendment. A second reading of the proposed extension to Oct. 24 will occur at the next meeting Sept. 19.
The board again discussed the 1,000-acre cap on the size of solar energy projects and repeated its intent that the surface area of the solar panels themselves is to be no more than 1,000 acres. Inverters, battery energy storage systems, buildings, collection lines, and “any other components” can be in addition to the 1,000 acres.
County attorney Thomas Laehn said copies of the draft zoning ordinance, including the solar energy provisions, are available to the public through his office or the auditor’s office.
He suggested Oct. 3 as a date for a public hearing on the recodification of the county ordinances. This would allow second and third readings of the new code, with proposed adoption of it at the board meeting on Oct. 24.
City administrator Mike Palmer presented his monthly report and told the board the library committee would like to do a public presentation on library needs. Palmer also said progress is good on the new animal shelter after some early set-backs. He noted that the county secondary roads department has helped with culvert work at the site.
The board approved hiring Bret Kersey as fulltime equipment III operator effective Sep. 16 at $24.44 per hour with a raise to $24.94 per hour after a successful 6-month probationary period.
The board noted Kersey’s wage is standard union agreement.
Engineer Wade Weiss reported Boone County supervisor Erich Kretzinger asked for his temporary help due to the resignation of the Boone County engineer.
Weiss said he has helped out “as a good-will gesture.”
Early in the meeting board chair John Muir told supervisor Pete Bardole, the board’s representative on the Greene County Development Corporation board, that questions have arisen about the Diversity Project.
The Diversity Project in an effort of GCDC, with Latino IQ founder Carlos Arguello, based in Grimes, to bring Latino workers and families to Greene County to help with shortage of employees.
“There are a lot of questions with the goals,” Muir said. “Originally, the idea was the county needed employees. Now, a group of business people have toured (with the idea of starting new businesses.)”
“The project committee has been working with businesses,” Bardole said. “The bussing program (to bring employees to the county) is up in the air.”
“There’s a lot of confusion about goals,” Muir said.
Bardole suggested asking GCDC director Ken Paxton present information at a future board meeting.
