May 21-28, 2021

The Week in Review is a weekly digital newsletter from Linn County, Iowa.

Linn County Lifts Face Covering Regulation

The Linn County Board of Supervisors rescinded Linn County’s face covering regulation and lifted the requirement for masks inside County buildings. The decisions took effect immediately. These actions were a 2-1 vote, with Supervisor Stacey Walker voting nay. Face coverings may be required in certain County programs or settings as determined by program accreditation requirements or the CDC. Local businesses and private property owners may still require customers/visitors to wear masks. Masks continue to be required on public transportation, including Linn County LIFTS, per federal order.

The CDC recommends unvaccinated individuals and those who are not fully vaccinated continue to practice prevention measures such as wearing a mask and social distancing. As a reminder, an individual is “fully vaccinated” two weeks after the last dose of the vaccine series.

Informational Meetings on Permitting Process for Utility-Scale Solar Projects

Linn County held a public meeting on May 25, 2021 for residents to learn about the permitting process for utility-scale solar projects in Linn County. A second public meeting is scheduled for June 2. These meetings are specific to Linn County’s role in the permitting process and are not specific to any proposed solar project in Linn County. Residents can attend the June 2 meeting in person or virtually. The meeting will be recorded and made available on Linn County’s website. Linn County has not yet received an application for a utility-scale solar project; and, therefore, no utility-scale projects have been through the solar permitting and review process.

Linn County Public Health Issues Final Scheduled Weekly COVID-19 Update

For several months, Linn County Public Health has issued weekly COVID-19 Status Updates to keep the community informed of COVID-19 vaccine rollout and other important information related to COVID-19. Due to increasing vaccination rates, decreasing test positivity rate and hospitalizations, the May 27 update is be the final scheduled update. Linn County Public Health will send out COVID-19 Status Updates as needed. To review all Status Updates, visit the COVID-19 Status Update page.

May is Historic Preservation Month

May is Historic Preservation Month making it the perfect time to highlight the ways Linn County supports historic preservation through the expertise of our nine-member, volunteer Historic Preservation Commission. Read our latest blog post to learn more about how the Commission works to identify, preserve, and protect historic structures in Linn County and Linn County’s grant program for eligible non-profits that has awarded more than $1 million to historic preservation projects since its inception in 1980.

Recorded Grow Solar Education Program Now Available in ASL and Spanish

Grow Solar Linn + Johnson Counties, a program that provides solar education and an opportunity to purchase affordable solar for homes and businesses, is expanding its outreach. Recorded “Solar Power Hours” featuring English and Spanish captions, as well as American Sign Language, are now available online. The one-hour Solar Power Hour gives people throughout Linn and Johnson counties a chance to learn how solar works, about the volume purchasing program, and how it can help both property owners and communities as a whole be sustainable. The group buy program begins with discounted pricing for property owners, and the more people who sign on, the lower the price goes. Learn more.

Board of Supervisors Meeting Recap

The following is a recap from the Linn County Board of Supervisors meetings the week of May 21-28, 2021. The Board of Supervisors:

Held a public meeting at the Palo Community Center where staff gave a presentation on the Linn County permitting process for utility-scale solar projects
Held a monthly elected officials and department head meeting and discussed performance evaluations for bargaining group employees, group insurance, a post-COVID-19 telework policy, and the reopening of County buildings
Met with and received updates from the following departments: Information Technology, Linn County Community Services, Public Health, Soil Conservation, and Sustainability
Rescinded Linn County’s face covering regulation
Rescinded Linn County Board of Supervisors Policy COVID-002 requiring employee face coverings in response to COVID-19
Authorized in-person Linn County governmental public meetings on and between May 31 and June 6, 2021 prior to the official reopening of County buildings on June 7, 2021
Approved a resolution for Revision 1 of the FY2022 County Five Year Program to add in an Emergency Relief (ER) funded project for derecho repairs
Approved a certificate of insurance allowing Linn County departments and agencies to participate in the Linn County Fair June 21 through June 27, 2021
Approved a Shared Road Maintenance and Snow & Ice Control Agreement between Linn County and the City of Springville
Approved a contract between Iowa Office of Drug Control & Policy and Linn County for the Iowa Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program for on-call crisis counselor support at the Linn County Mental Health Access Center using Foundation 2 as the contracted agency, for a total of $21,000
Approved a variance application requested by Linn County Conservation for the reconstruction of a restroom within the floodplain in the 4200 block of Chain Bridge Road
Approved a Decat contract for FY2022, DCAT4-22-016 Protective Program between the Iowa Department of Human Services and Linn County effective July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022 in the amount of $39,935
Approved a cigarette permit for Casey’s General Store #2789, 888 Vernon Valley Dr. SE, Cedar Rapids
Approved liquor licenses for Touch of Class, 5977 Mt. Vernon Rd. SE, Cedar Rapids; Bass Farms, 840 Bass Ln., Mt. Vernon; Columbus Club, 810 Vernon Valley Dr., Cedar Rapids; Casey’s General Store #2789, 888 Vernon Valley Dr. SE; and Sutliff Cider, 382 Sutliff Rd., noting all conditions have been met
Adopted a post-bid quality assurance questionnaire for use in evaluation of qualifications of bidder
Provided Board member reports of their activities, meetings, and project updates

NOTE: Board of Supervisors Meeting Recaps briefly summarize and highlight topics from the Board’s meeting agendas. This recap is provided by County staff as a public service and is not an official record of Board action. The official record of approved minutes from Board of Supervisors meetings are approved at future meetings and are available for viewing after approval.

Board agendas, minutes, and meeting videos are available on the Agendas and Minutes webpage.

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Communications Department
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319-892-5000