Articles Tagged: Linn County Board of Supervisors

The Linn County Board of Supervisors increased noise levels allowed for utility-scale wind solar installations, strengthened debris cleanup requirements and made other tweaks before the panel adopts new wind energy project regulations.

The Cedar Rapids Community School District is launching a meal site at Johnson STEAM Academy to expand food access for households affected by the recent closure of the First Avenue Hy-Vee in a rare collaboration with area state and local government officials.

Linn County is pursuing a new approximately $19.3 million headquarters building for the Secondary Roads Department.

Cara Matteson started this week as Linn County’s new sustainability director spearheading environmental initiatives in Iowa’s second-largest county. She succeeds Tamara Marcus, who resigned last year.

Construction soon will begin on the multiyear revitalization of the Shakespeare Garden in Cedar Rapids’ Ellis Park, a space that honors the works of English playwright and poet William Shakespeare.

After cutting more than $1 million in proposed spending to keep up with the fiscal toll of state tax reform, the Linn County Board of Supervisors will adopt a fiscal 2025 budget that scales back community grant programs and other discretionary items but bumps elected official and staff pay.

A Linn County panel devoted to raising awareness of stigma surrounding mental health and resources for support recommended the county explore changes to county worker benefits and improving communication about mental health to employees.

Louie Zumbach, a Republican from Coggon, will not seek re-election this November to the District 3 seat on the Linn County Board of Supervisors “due to some soul searching and health issues.” Instead, his daughter Brandy Zumbach Meisheid, also a Republican from Coggon, will run for office.

The Linn County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday appointed Kirsten Running-Marquardt to be board chair in 2024.

State Sen. Molly Donahue, D-Cedar Rapids is launching a bid to challenge Republican incumbent Louie Zumbach for the District 3 Linn County supervisor seat in 2024. Looking to leave the Republican trifecta of state government behind, she said, “I can do a lot more for my community” in the local seat.

Tamara Marcus is resigning as Linn County’s first sustainability director to launch a new sustainability and equity consulting service serving Corridor local governments, businesses and nonprofits. The majority-Democrat Board of Supervisors is unlikely to restructure the sustainability department.

The Linn County Board of Supervisors is enacting a policy to help county staff handle incidents of workplace violence by employees or the public, making clear that physical, verbal or visual threats or other disruptive behavior are not allowed on county property.

The Linn County Board of Supervisors unanimously advanced on second consideration tighter restrictions in its ordinance governing utility-scale solar projects Wednesday. That leaves one more week for the supervisors to hear public input and make changes before voting to adopt the ordinance Sept. 20.

The Linn County Board of Supervisors unanimously advanced tighter restrictions in its ordinance regulating utility-scale solar projects, signaling support for the policy changes made to balance the interests of farmers and neighbors with supporting projects that will generate more renewable energy.

Florida-based Liberty Counsel is in process of reviewing both local ordinances to see about challenging them.