Petition asks Floyd County to allow commercial wind energy projects

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

Floyd County supervisors received a petition advocating for wind energy, reviewed the annual county financial audit, heard from two companies bidding to provide the county’s insurance coverage, and briefly discussed the passing of Supervisor Chair Dennis Keifer and what that means to the board going forward, at the board’s weekly meeting Tuesday morning.

Supervisor Boyd Campbell, who as vice-chair is currently the acting chair, said he had known Keifer when they were boys and used to ride the school bus together, but they had lost touch over the years.

“But then I came on to this job and Dennis was here and it was kind of a reunion for us,” Campbell said. “The one thing that I took from him was he always wanted to do what was right. I think he had a calling to come back and do some public service.”

Supervisor Gloria Carr said she had also known Keifer for a number of years.

“I think he was a dedicated public servant and family man,” Carr said, adding he was committed to his position and will be missed.

During the public comments part of the meeting, Charlotte Nehls presented a petition which she said was signed by more than 200 Floyd County residents, requesting that the supervisors revise a proposed county commercial wind energy ordinance “that allows compromise, avoids a further extension of the wind turbine moratorium and is a wise choice for the economic future of Floyd County and its residents.”

Nehls said the proposed wind ordinance as currently amended would stop further development of wind energy in the county, prevent landowners from receiving millions of dollars in payments for voluntary easements, and prevent the county from receiving millions of dollars in property taxes.

She also warned that continuing with the current amended version of the ordinance could result in litigation by energy companies that the county attorney had warned Floyd County would likely lose.

The board asked Nehls to give the petition to the County Auditor’s office, but as is typical in the public comment part of the agenda, had no comment and took no action.

A report by a mediation group that had been discussing the proposed wind ordinance had been scheduled to be presented at Tuesday’s meeting, but Campbell said he pulled it from the agenda because he didn’t want to resume action on the wind energy ordinance until there was a full board and Supervisor District 2 had representation.

Later in the meeting, while discussing future agenda items, Carr said it was important to get the mediation group’s information into the public, and maybe that information would be valuable to persons interested in being appointed to fill Keifer’s position.

But Campbell, who is a member of the mediation group, said, “I just think we need to get our legs underneath this here. I mean, we lost Dennis. I just want to make sure that we have good representation and feedback and getting the new supervisor up and running.”

Keifer’s death June 10 leaves a vacancy on the three-person board, in Supervisor District 2. By state code, how that vacancy is filled was decided by a group consisting of County Auditor Morrigan Miller, Recorder Amy Assink and Treasurer Jessie Holm.

Those elected officials had also met Tuesday morning, before the supervisors meeting, and decided to appoint someone to fill the vacancy, although people who live in District 2 can also petition to call for a special election. (See story starting on page 1.)

Also at the meeting Tuesday, June 17, the board:

• Heard presentations from Melrose Insurance Center and from First MainStreet Insurance/Sisson & Associates or the county’s damage, liability and worker compensation insurance coverages.

Supervisor Carr was keeping track of the numbers during the presentation, and said with expected average dividends and other savings, the Melrose bid with EMC insurance was $355,702 for the fiscal year that begins July 1, and $403,312 from Sisson for insurance through the Iowa Communities Insurance Pool (ICAP) and through the Iowa Municipalities Workers’ Compensation Association.

The board voted to stay with Melrose and EMC.

The county has been with Melrose for a number of years. In March representatives from MainStreet Insurance and Sisson & Associates approached the board with an offer to bid on the county’s insurance business. The supervisors at that time agreed it was a good policy to review competitive offers every couple of years.

• Granted approval for J&M Displays Inc. of Yarmouth to use the county parking lot next to the river to prepare the city Independence Day fireworks show for Friday, July 4, or Saturday, July 5 if there is a weather delay.

• Heard an update from County Engineer Adam Miller that he had applied for a grant through the federal Competitive Highway Bridge Program (CHBP) for three county bridge projects and two of them on the Rockford blacktop between Highway 14 and Rockford had made the semifinal list and would likely be funded.

The program would pay 80% of the approximately $1 million cost per bridge, or a total of about $1.6 million to the county.

Miller also said the Secondary Roads Department had received a new excavator that had recently been purchased.