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Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Johnson County voters will decide on $30 million conservation bond in November
The bond would be used by the Johnson County Conservation Board to protect water quality, acquire land for parks and trails
IOWA CITY — Sixteen years after Johnson County voters approved a $20 million bond to fund conservation projects — the first referendum of its kind in the state — voters will be asked to approve a new bond, this time for $30 million, to protect water quality and natural areas, and acquire land for parks and trails.
The Johnson County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday approved language for the referendum, which will be on the Nov. 5 ballot. It needs 60 percent approval from voters to pass.
The goal of the referendum is to raise money that could be used by the Johnson County Conservation Board to buy and develop land.
Leading the efforts to support the bond is a committee, Our Land Our Water Our Future.
Committee co-chair Joshua Schamberger, president of Think Iowa City, attended the supervisors’ meeting and said the committee has anticipated what will be the most asked question leading to the November vote: what will this cost?
“Our committee estimates with the passing of this bond, that the maximum tax increase would be $5 for every $100,000 of assessed value, but in many years there would be little to no increase over the current rates because of the way the bonds will be borrowed,” Schamberger told the supervisors, “and then trails and parks, rivers and embankments and forests will be secured.”
Pat Heiden, the other committee co-chair and a former Johnson County supervisor, said the group had discussed at length the cost of the bond, wanting to ensure there would be enough money to do all the work they wanted to do, but also keep the burden on taxpayers as low as possible.
“We were concerned about property taxes, and we're very aware of what those increases may be,” she said. “In 2008 it was $20 million but we're in 2024 now, and so we've got to really look at increasing at least by $10 million, up to 30 million, thinking that cost of living and all of that, what does that equate to in real dollars 15, 16, 17 years later.”
She added that the committee came to a consensus on $30 million quickly. After calculating the impact on property taxes, she said the committee felt comfortable with its decision.
Similar bond passed in 2008
The $20 million bond passed in 2008 with 61 percent approval from voters. In the years since its passage, its funds have been used to acquire 1,167.7 acres of land for public use, created 9.2 miles of hard-surface trails and contributed to 15 projects.
The funds also have been used to leverage $17.1 million in additional money through grants, donations and revenues.
Some of the projects that received funding from the 2008 bond include the Pechman Creek Delta, Clear Creek Trail, Kent Park improvements, Hoover Trail, Malinda Reif Reilly Fen and Prairie, and the Sutliff Bridge access, the committee reported Wednesday.
A more recent project was the county’s purchase of Two Horse Farm in Solon in 2022 for $1.2 million. The county acquired 83 acres woodland, prairie and a farmstead that would be made for public use.
Brad Freidhof, Johnson County conservation program manager, was at a news conference organized by the committee Wednesday afternoon. He said the importance of the work that has been done extends beyond just preserving nature. The areas that were acquired and maintained under the 2008 bond became popular for people who enjoy the outdoors, something he said became especially important during and after the pandemic.
“When we saw the impacts that those projects had, those public areas had on people trying to survive through COVID, with needing to get out and have physical activities ... We really found that those projects we were able to complete with the 2008 conservation bond were very important,” Freidhof said.
Supporters: Bond builds on ‘solid and impressive foundation’
Wednesday’s news conference was attended by members of Our Land Our Water Our Future committee. They were joined by representatives from Johnson County cities and some county supervisors.
Heiden spoke about the environmental work accomplished through the 2008 bond, and the economic benefits the projects had on Johnson County communities. She pointed to the creation of a trail connecting Solon to Cedar Rapids as an example.
She called this new bond a generational investment.
“We want to build on this solid and impressive foundation for all Johnson County for future generations through our land or water in our future,” Heiden said.
Freidhof said he sees the new referendum as a continuation of the 2008 bond.
“This time we feel much more confident that the show of work we've accomplished will really sell the public on ‘Oh, yeah, we want to continue more of that same work,’” he said. “These projects are a great example of what we can accomplish and what we hope to accomplish in the future.”
County supervisor board chairman Rod Sullivan praised the work that was done with the first bond, and said it’s time to go back to voters to ask for more money to continue the work.
“We hear from people all the time that there are areas that they're concerned about having them protected and the only way to do that is to own it, and that's what this is for,” Sullivan said.
Comments: alejandro.rojas@thegazette.com
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