Proposal urges bigger Cedar Rapids/Linn County Solid Waste Agency board

CEDAR RAPIDS — The Cedar Rapids/Linn County Solid Waste Agency would be governed by a 14-member, multi-jurisdictional board under a new proposal slated soon for review by area stakeholders.

The board would be made up of seven representatives from the city of Cedar Rapids, three from the city of Marion, three from Linn County and one small-town representative. Most board votes would require eight votes to pass, or 10 votes in instances where a supermajority is required.

“No one entity will have the ability to drive the ship, so to speak, so they’re all going to have to find partners,” Cedar Rapids City Council member and current Solid Waste Agency board chair Tyler Olson said.

  Buy Photo

A multijurisdictional working group finalized that recommendation Tuesday, capping multiple public meetings and hours of discussion. The group — created earlier this month through an agreement among stakeholders — was tasked with evaluating the agency’s current governance structure and drafting an alternative.

To take effect, the recommendation will require approval from the governing bodies of Cedar Rapids, Marion, Linn County and the Solid Waste Agency’s current board of directors — all of whom will independently discuss the matter in the near future.

The recommendation for a 14-member board would revise the agency’s current nine-member board structure, which includes six representatives from the city of Cedar Rapids, two from Linn County and one from the city of Marion.

In expanding the board, multiple working group members espoused a hope that doing so would ensure a diverse board makeup and increase engagement across Linn County around matters of waste management and diversion.

“This was a really, really productive, level-headed and constructive conversation,” Linn County Supervisor Sami Scheetz said. “Given the history with some of these sensitive conversations, the fact that this group was able to sit together, talk objectively (and) analytically to work on potential paths forward is just a testament to all the different entities involved.”

  Buy Photo

The agency’s board is responsible for oversight of both the landfill and resource recovery building at 1954 County Home Rd. in Marion and the compost/yard waste facility at 2250 A St. SW in Cedar Rapids.

It is composed of a mix of elected officials, city staff and municipal appointees — which would remain the same under the working group’s proposal. As part of the draft language, the city of Cedar Rapids would put forth an appointee from a large industrial business as one of its seven members.

Most of the board’s action would require a simple majority to pass, although the working group also identified several areas where a supermajority could be required.

Generally speaking, a supermajority would be required in instances where the board would consider certain governance changes, significant capital improvements and/or the issuance of debt. Notably, the requirement would be waived in times of emergency.

  Buy Photo

“I think we all agree that certain decisions this board is going to have to make are going to weigh heavy and be large decisions,” Ely City Administrator Eldy Miller said. “My thought process is that (in certain situations) a supermajority vote would show that the board is working together to come up with solutions that work for the entire county.”

The recommendation still needs final drafting and legal review, after which it will head to area governing bodies for discussion and potential adoption. No set dates have been announced for those discussions, although they should take place relatively soon.

As part of its consideration, the city of Marion also will discuss a request to reduce the landfill’s required 1,800-foot setback by 450 feet to extend capacity through its original 2044 projection. The site is currently slated to fill up by 2036.

Comments: grace.nieland@thegazette.com