October 2021

ARPA Application Now Open

The City of Cedar Rapids and Linn County have launched a joint application process for the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. ARPA funding is designed to help eligible state and local governments respond to the economic impact from the COVID-19 pandemic and help our communities recover.

This cooperative effort between Linn County and the City of Cedar Rapids simplifies the process for applicants because they only need to apply once using the joint application. Submissions will be routed electronically to either the city or Linn County for review. City and Linn County staff will review proposals and collaborate on those projects within the City of Cedar Rapids. This will help ensure the most effective use of funds and allows for projects that address the broad scope of community needs.

The online application is available at www.CR-LinnARPA.org or by links through both the City and Linn County websites. Applications for this funding are due by noon on January 7, 2022.

November 2 City / School Election

The City / School Election will be held November 2, 2021 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters will use their general election polling location for Election Day voting. The deadline for requesting an absentee ballot has passed, but multiple in person early voting options are still available including:

In person voting at the Elections Office located on the 2nd floor of the Jean Oxley Linn County Public Service Center.
Satellite voting at Lindale Mall

Learn more about your voting options and see a sample ballot on the Linn County website.

Linn County Board of Supervisors Awards $150,000 in Legacy and Community Attraction Grant

The Linn County Board of Supervisors has awarded $150,000 in grants from Linn County's Legacy and Community Attraction Fund to five non-profit organizations that work to foster and support long-standing, new, and diverse community events in Linn County. The recipients were selected through a newly created, annual competitive grant process that began in late August.

Learn more about the grant and see the list of recipients.

Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) Referendum

On November 2, 2021, residents in unincorporated Linn County, as well as residents of Cedar Rapids, Hiawatha, Fairfax, Marion, Robins, and the portion of Walford located in Linn County will vote on whether or not to extend the one percent local option sales tax (LOST) for 10 years when it expires in 2024. Each jurisdiction has identified specific uses for the local option sales tax and would receive its own share of funding if the measure passes. These identified uses will be listed on the ballot. Linn County government would receive an estimated $6 million a year if the extension passes countywide. The contiguous cities in the Cedar Rapids metro area will vote as one, and a simple majority is required for the measure to pass. The vote in unincorporated Linn County is independent of the metro block. Because of this, there are four potential outcomes of the vote. Learn more about the LOST ballot measure on Linn County’s website.

Linn County Website URL Change

Linn County has changed the URL for the County’s website to www.LinnCountyIowa.gov. In addition, Linn County governmental email addresses have also changed to [email protected] The change is happening because the State of Iowa now requires county election commissioner websites (Auditor’s Offices) to use a top-level .gov domain. The change, which is also recommended by the United States Department of Homeland Security, enables additional cyber threat monitoring capabilities from the Federal government.

While Linn County’s former website domain and email addresses will continue to work and redirect to the new website URL and email addresses, anyone who has used the old website address or emails should update their internet browser bookmarks and email contact address books to reflect this change.

This will not affect access to any Linn County services or response to email messages.

Linn County Public Health Receives Federal Funding for Youth Violence Prevention

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Violence Prevention has announced Linn County Public Health (LCPH) is one of only eight recipients nationwide to receive Preventing Violence Affecting Young Lives (PREVAYL) funding. This funding allows communities to address multiple forms of violence impacting adolescents and young adults in communities with high rates of violence.

Learn more about how LCPH plans to use the PREVAYL funding.

Linn County Offices Closed for Veterans Day

Most Linn County governmental offices will be closed Thursday, November 11 in observance of Veterans Day.

The following services will continue to operate:

Juvenile Detention and Diversion Services
Mental Health Access Center
Linn County LIFTS will be running reduced routes in Cedar Rapids (no rural service).
The Sheriff’s Office will be closed; however, continuous operations will be available for routine and emergency responses, including the Patrol Division, Communications Division and the Correctional Center. In an emergency, always dial 911.

Vehicle registrations can be renewed online at any time at www.iowataxandtags.org.

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