Topsoil decision was disappointing

To the editor:

I am disappointed but not surprised that the Administrative Rules Review Committee rubber stamped the poorly conceived revisions to the Iowa 4-inch topsoil rule.

The revisions came from a process that was flawed from the start with a commission that lacked balance and held sessions in private. I will ask the City Council to appoint a local, temporary board made up of citizens with different viewpoints to discuss the issue and recommend a reasonable solution that works for all parties.

Water runoff issues are statewide, but since the state of Iowa refuses to get serious about ways to lessen this problem, the citizens of Cedar Rapids should take the lead. Runoff is not just a rural problem; cities must do their part in ways large and small. It is shortsighted to continue business as usual when we know the destructive nature of flash flooding and monetary and human costs of doing nothing.

Scott Overland

District 2 candidate for City Council

Cedar Rapids