Iowa lawmakers likely to consider flood mitigation despite Linn County vote

A legislative proposal to give some Iowa communities access to sales tax revenues to pay for flood mitigation didn't die with the defeat of Cedar Rapids local option sales tax, according to state lawmakers.

Senate File 2217 would create a way for Cedar Rapids to keep a portion of future sales tax revenue to pay for flood walls and other flood mitigation projects had the city's proposed 10-year extension of Linn County's one-cent sales tax been approved by voters March. However, the issue failed by 579 votes in the metro bloc, 14,024 to 13,445.

Still, House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha, said that wasn't the end of the road for legislation. That's because unlike last year's attempt to pass similar legislation, SF 2217 isn't directly linked to the Linn County vote.

“The bill was written to have statewide applicability, so the outcome of the vote in Linn County doesn't control what we do here,” Paulsen said Wednesday. He believes that the bill, as rewritten this year, offers “a greater level of confidence that it has general applicability across the state.”

“So we'll continue to look at it,” the speaker said.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Scott Raecker, R-Urbandale, agreed that action on SF 2217 is not contingent on the decision by Linn County voters.

“As chairman, I never thought action on the bill it was predicated on the success of the vote,” Raecker said.

Floor manager Rep. Chris Hagenow, R-Windsor Heights, called the vote relevant to the discussion, “but it's not a Linn County bill.”

Still, he said, it doesn't appear to be on anyone's “must-do” list.

Paulsen isn't so sure.

“If we were in the last 72 hours of the session, that probably would be true, but we're not, so we have time to look at it,” he said.

The bill goes next to the Ways and Means Committee because it involves tax issues. Chairman Tom Sands, R-Wapello, plans to consider it, Paulsen said.

“At least conceptually, the members like putting something in place that local governments could take advantage of if we go through another tragedy like we've gone through in the past,” Paulsen said. “From that standpoint there is interest in looking at it.

“I know it's got a good base of support, but don't know if it's got enough to get over the hurdle,” Paulsen said.

SF 2217 was approved by the Senate last month on a 50-0 vote and 21-4 by the House Appropriations Committee earlier this week.