Sept. 10-17, 2021

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

County Home Road is Open!

County Home Road is now open to all traffic following completion of the final phase of a three-phase improvement project. The complete improvement project spanned from N Center Point Road to Highway 13 and included concrete paving, paved shoulders, the addition of right and left turn lanes, and single-lane roundabouts at the C Ave Ext and Alburnett Road intersections. The improvements made related to safety and traffic flow will improve the driving experience on and around County Home Road for years to come. Sign up to receive text or email updates on other Linn County Secondary Road construction projects.

Linn County Veteran Affairs Department Expands Eligibility for Benefits

More veterans in Linn County will now quality for emergency assistance following approval of a revised policy and guidelines by the Linn County Board of Supervisors. The Linn County Veteran Affairs Department spent several months updating the policy and emergency assistance guidelines with input from the Linn County Commission of Veteran Affairs before presenting the final version to the Board of Supervisors for approval this week. The updated policy will have a direct positive impact on Linn County veterans and their families by making more veterans eligible for emergency assistance. Learn more.

A Closer Look at Utility-Scale Solar

Utility-scale solar projects in Linn County have received a lot of attention lately. Our latest blog post discusses this topic and the extensive review process all proposed utility-scale projects in Linn County are required to go through before any permits can be issued. There are currently two developers working on utility-scale solar projects in the county - Nextera and Clenera. Clenera has submitted an official application for review, while Nextera has not yet submitted an application. Read our blog post to learn more.

Now Hiring a Deputy Director of Public Health

Linn County is now hiring a Deputy Director of Public Health to assist the director with a broad scope of leadership, supervisory, and administrative duties. Following retirement vacancies, the Public Health Department took the opportunity to reorganize the department structure. This position is a recreation of a deputy director position that existed several years ago. Read more about this position, learn how to apply, and see other Linn County job openings on our website.

Board of Supervisors Meeting Recap

The following is a recap from the Linn County Board of Supervisors meetings the week of Sept. 10-17, 2021. The Board of Supervisors:

Met with and received an update from the following departments: Secondary Road Department, Finance & Budget, and Policy & Administration
Received a COVID-19 update from Linn County Public Health
Discussed changing Linn County’s website from dot org to dot gov
Held a public hearing to establish a Secondary Road Assessment District to provide improvements to upgrade Wildlife Road to Class A standards
Held a public hearing to vacate all of Timothy Lane lying north of the northerly right-of-way line of Linn Ridge Rd and being in the SE ¼ SE ¼ of Section 18, NE ¼ NE ¼ of Section 19, SW ¼ SW ¼ of Section 17 and the NW ¼ NW ¼ of Section 20, all in Township 83 North, Range 05 West, Linn County, Iowa
Held a public hearing to vacate all of Old Dubuque Rd right-of-way east of the right-of-way for Alderman Rd and lying north of Iowa DOT right-of-way for Dubuque Rd, located in the W ½ NW ¼, Section 27, Township 84 North, Range 05 West, Linn County, Iowa, extending 1200 feet east of the west line of said Section 27
Held a public hearing to determine whether Linn County will convey to Lois M. Hart whatever interest Linn County may have in vacated right-of-way as follows: East 80 feet of the vacated alleyway lying between John St to the west and Williams St to the east in Brown’s Addition to the unincorporated town of Viola, Iowa, along with all that part of vacated Williams St lying west of Lots 42 and 43 of Brown’s Addition to the unincorporated town of Viola, Iowa, and the west half of the balance of Williams St north thereof to the south right-of-way line of County Home Rd
Approved an Intergovernmental 28E Agreement between the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Linn County regarding private water well permitting
Approved a resolution appointing Matthew Warfield Deputy Auditor, retroactive to September 4, 2021
Approved liquor license for the Indian Creek Nature Center, 5300 Otis Rd SE, Cedar Rapids, retroactive to Sept. 8, 2021, noting all conditions have been met
Received and placed on file the Treasurer’s (Auto Dept.) Report to the County Auditor Receipts and Disbursements for August 2021
Approved resolution allowing Linn County Conservation to spend Land and Water Legacy bond proceeds prior to the next bond issuance
Approved a revised Linn County Commission of Veteran Affairs General Policy and Emergency Assistance Guidelines
Approved a change order from GovSense in the amount of $78,750 for additional implementation work performed
Approved a change order from GovSense in the amount of $21,000 for projects, grants, and contracts module enhancements
Approved a change order from GovSense in the amount of $57,414 for Public Health additional user licenses and integration of inspection fees
Approved a 28E agreement between Cedar Rapids Community School District and Linn County Child Development Center regarding a statewide voluntary preschool program for four-year old children
Approved a Shared Road Maintenance and Snow & Ice Control Agreement between Linn County and the City of Springville
Approved Dharma’s Class C Liquor License, 5898 Troy Mills Rd., Troy Mills, noting all conditions have been met
Approved an agreement with Advocates for Social Justice to provide all necessary services related to the Linn County Expungement Clinic Program, for an amount not to exceed $8,000
Approved a resolution to vacate excess road right-of-way as follows: All of Old Dubuque Road right-of-way east of the right-of-way for Alderman Road and lying north of Iowa DOT right-of-way for Dubuque Road, located in the W ½ NW ¼, Section 27, Township 84 North, Range 05 West, Linn County, Iowa, extending 1200 feet east of the west line of said Section 27
Discussed whether to vacate excess road right-of-way as follows: All of Timothy Lane lying north of the northerly right-of-way line of Linn Ridge Rd and being in the SE ¼ SE ¼ of Section 18, NE ¼ NE ¼ of Section 19, SW ¼ SW ¼ of Section 17 and the NW ¼ NW ¼ of Section 20 all in Township 83 North, Range 05 West, Linn County, Iowa. The Board of Supervisors denied the road vacation as presented on the agenda.
Approved a resolution authorizing the conveyance to Lois M. Hart of Linn County, Iowa’s interest of vacated right-of-way as follows: The east 80 feet of the vacated alleyway lying between John Street to the West and Williams Street to the East in Brown’s Addition to the unincorporated town of Viola, Iowa along with all that part of vacated Williams St lying west of Lots 42 and 43 of Brown’s Addition to the unincorporated town of Viola, Iowa and the west half of the balance of Williams St north thereof to the south right-of-way line of County Home Rd
Approved a resolution authorizing Chair to sign Quit Claim Deed conveying Linn County’s interest to Lois M. Hart of vacated right-of-way as follows: The east 80 feet of the vacated alleyway lying between John St to the west and Williams St to the east in Brown’s Addition to the unincorporated town of Viola, Iowa along with all that part of vacated Williams St lying west of Lots 42 and 43 of Brown’s Addition to the unincorporated town of Viola, Iowa and the west half of the balance of Williams St north thereof to the south right-of-way line of County Home Rd
Approved a Quit Claim Deed to Lois M. Hart of Linn County, Iowa’s interest of vacated right-of-way as follows: The east 80 feet of the vacated alleyway lying between John St to the west and Williams St to the east in Brown’s Addition to the unincorporated town of Viola, Iowa along with all that part of vacated Williams St lying west of Lots 42 and 43 of Brown’s Addition to the unincorporated town of Viola, Iowa and the west half of the balance of Williams St north thereof to the south right-of-way line of County Home Rd

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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