County attorney says supervisors’ six-month moratorium should be OK

By Rick Morain

Jefferson Herald

Greene County attorney Thomas Laehn on Tuesday discussed with the county board of supervisors the board’s proposal for setting a six-month moratorium on solar array farms in the county.
Laehn said the only possible problem he sees with that proposal is whether the state of Iowa has preempted counties from regulating utility-scale solar farms. A company is proposing a 1,300 acre solar array on land south of Grand Junction. A public hearing has been set for 9 a.m. Monday, March 7.

On other matters, the board approved a master agreement and quotation from Axon Enterprises with the Greene County Sheriff’s Office for a 2021 Taser 7 certification bundle. Laehn told the board that he found no concerns about the agreement from a legal standpoint.

Sheriff Jack Williams asked that licensing and support fees for operation of the department’s in-car and body cameras be added to his office’s 2022-23 budget. He said he learned of the requirement for those costs recently.
Chuck Wenthold said a representative from Snyder & Associates is available to speak to the board at Thursday’s meeting this week. Webster County has engaged the firm for inspection services related to the Summit Carbon Solutions proposed CO2 pipeline.

During open forum, John Beltz expressed his views on future improvements to U.S. Highway 30 in western Iowa. Beltz lives adjacent to the highway about 1 ½  miles west of Jefferson. He is advocating for a “Super-Two” improvement to the highway rather than a four-lane.

Beltz reviewed a Transportation Commission Workshop power-point presentation dated March of 2020. The study recommended a Super-Two for Highway 30 between Lisbon and DeWitt in eastern Iowa. Super-Two highways offer occassional passing lanes for faster moving vehicles, reducing potential for head-on collisions, according to the Iowa DOT. Beltz also cited his concerns over the preservation of his family’s Century Farm and believes it should be protected as an historical site.

On Feb. 3, U.S. Highway 30 Coalition president Adam Schweers asked the county for $5,000 toward a $97,000 impact study to evaluate whether a four-lane or a Super-Two should be developed for the highway. The Coalition prefers a four-lane.
Peter Bardole was absent from the meeting.