Government Notes: Linn County sets new dates for data center discussions

The Linn County Board of Supervisors has set new dates for the second and third considerations of a proposed data center ordinance.

The board approved the ordinance’s first reading last week after a lengthy public hearing and was originally set to next discuss the matter today. The matter was pushed back, however, to allow county staff time to do additional research requested by supervisors.

The second reading will now occur at 10 a.m. Monday, Feb. 16, with the third reading set to take place at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18. Both will take place at the Linn County Jean Oxley Public Service Center at 935 Second St. SW in Cedar Rapids.

Public comment will be heard at both meetings, and recordings of the meetings will be made available online for public review.

The draft ordinance aims to regulate where and how large-scale data center development can occur in unincorporated Linn County. It includes regulations related to site plans, proximity to residential areas and water use considerations.

To review the code in full, visit the Linn County Planning and Development webpage.

Cedar Rapids opens new downtown parking ramp

  Buy Photo

The city of Cedar Rapids has opened its new $20 million parking ramp near Kingston Yard.

The 450-spot parking ramp opened Friday upon substantial completion of the downtown project. Additional cosmetic touches and landscaping will continue through the spring.

The ramp is located between First and Third streets SW and between First and Second avenues. It is part of the larger First and First West development in the Kingston Yard area.

The structure includes five levels of parking with multiple elevators and heated stairways. There are also spots for bicycle parking at the ramp.

Users can pay for parking using pay stations on the first floor of the ramp or by using QR codes located throughout the ramp to direct users to the ParkCR app. The parking rate for the ramp is 75 cents per hour.

Iowa City will conduct aerial deer population survey this week

  Buy Photo

Drones will be used to conduct an aerial deer population survey this week in parts of Iowa City.

White Buffalo, Inc. will conduct the survey beginning Monday. The survey is expected to conclude on Friday. Weather permitting, the count will take place from dusk to dawn each day.

The area being surveyed includes northern Iowa City between Interstate 80 to the north, Scott Boulevard and the former ACT property to the east, Rochester Avenue to the south, and City Park and the Peninsula, Normandy, and Manville Heights neighborhoods to the west.

The city is working toward a target deer population of 25 animals per square mile, but drone surveys and reports from residents on the north side of the city show there are nearly 100 deer per mile there.

The process will give the city an accurate count of the local deer population as it continues its management efforts. The city plans to take its deer survey results to the Iowa Natural Resource Commission — the state board that reviews deer management plans — to request permission to hire professional sharpshooters to control overpopulation.

To learn more about the city’s deer population and Deer Management Program, visit www.icgov.org/deer.

Cedar Rapids recognized for ‘bike-friendly’ efforts

A federal cycling association has recognized Cedar Rapids for its ongoing efforts to improve access and infrastructure for local bicyclists.

The League of American Bicyclists recently honored the city with its silver-level Bicycle Friendly Community award, a step up from the bronze-level award the city first received in 2014.

It recognizes the city for its “commitment to creating transportation and recreational bike resources” that encourage healthier, more sustainable transportation.

Those efforts include the city’s continued long-range planning and expansion of the local trail- and bikeway system, as well as its educational events such as Bike to Work Week and Ride the Districts.

“Cedar Rapids continues to be a welcoming community for cyclists, and this newest upgraded certification from the League of American Bicyclists shows that the word is getting out,” Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell said in a news release. “With exciting projects like the Alliant Energy LightLine opening this summer, along with the constant growth of our bike lanes and trail network, we hope even more residents and visitors will be encouraged to get on a bicycle and see what our city has to offer.”

To learn more about the city’s bike- and trails system and events, visit cityofcr.com/BikeCR.

Marion Council OKs $13K allocation to local historical society

  Buy Photo

The Marion City Council has approved a nearly $13,000 grant allocation to the local historical society to replace the furnace at the Marion Heritage Center.

The council last week unanimously approved the $12,852 allocation, which will go to the Marion Historical Society. It will be funded through the city’s hotel/motel grant program, which awards funds to nonprofits that promote local tourism.

The program is supported through the 7-percent tax levied on all overnight stays at lodgings throughout the city.

In this instance, the funds will go toward the replacement of the broken furnace at the Marion Heritage Center to ensure safe and reliable public access and effective materials preservation.

Johnson County Supervisors approve DHS funding resolution

The Johnson County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a resolution that calls for Congress to restrict funding to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security unless certain “guardrails” are put in place.

The resolution calls for Congress to deny any additional funding requests without certain protocols such as to “stop using masked agents for immigration enforcement actions, and prohibiting enforcement at sensitive locations,” eliminating the use of for-profit prisons and independent investigations into agent conduct.

It also asks for “an end to Border Patrol deployments and an end to ICE and CBP’s lawless surges in cities across the country that are undermining public safety.”

“The Board calls on Congress to deliberate a plan to restructure DHS to bring more accountability to this sprawling agency, to ensure that the Department’s essential national security and public safety functions, including cyber security and emergency management, can be separated from immigration enforcement, and to completely rebuild immigration enforcement agencies from the ground up to stop the culture of lawlessness and ensure guardrails and accountability,” as written in the resolution.

The board has plans to send a copy of the resolution to each member of the state’s congressional delegation.

Johnson County seeking public input on strategic plan

Johnson County is asking for resident input on the county’s next strategic plan. The strategic plan, which is currently being developed, will guide county decision making for the next three to five years.

The county is hosting a series of in-person public input events throughout the county. The schedule for the events includes:

For residents unable to attend one of the in-person input sessions, an online survey is available at bit.ly/JoCoStrategicPlan.

Government Notes is published Mondays and contains updates from area governmental bodies. The Gazette’s Grace Nieland, Megan Woolard and Sara Konrad Baranowski contributed.