Emphatic conservation vote invests in county’s future

Back in late September, this editorial board couldn't come to a consensus on whether to endorse a $40 million conservation bond issue in Linn County. On Tuesday, Linn County voters delivered their own verdict, with an exclamation mark.

The 20-year bond was approved with 73.9 percent of the vote countywide, easily clearing the 60 percent threshold needed for passage. It failed to gain that 60 percent passage in just seven of the county's 86 precincts, while in six other precincts, yes votes topped 80 percent. It cleared 70 percent in every one of Cedar Rapids' 44 precincts. The bond issue garnered more votes than any candidate on the countywide ballot who faced competition, in an election that drew 76 percent turnout.

In between September and November, backers of the bond measure accomplished what we hoped they would achieve at the time of our endorsement discussion: an organized effort to educate voters on the detailed need for conservation funding and reassure them the Linn County Conservation Board would be publicly accountable as it spends these new resources.

County leaders have pledged 55 percent of the $40 million will be spent on efforts to improve water quality, likely through partnerships with landowners, other governmental entities and outside groups to identify projects and leverage additional investments. Restoration of wetlands, stream channels and oxbows, among numerous other projects along the Cedar River and other county waterways, will help curtail contaminant-carrying runoff and mitigate flooding.

Voters sent a clear message: Water quality is a priority. Major flooding in September brought home the argument that upstream measures to hold runoff before it rushes into our rivers can make a critical difference when flooding threatens.

A 30 percent portion of the bond will be spent on park improvements identified during a two year comprehensive planning process, including updates and repairs to park facilities and expansion of campgrounds and other amenities. A 15 percent share will got for recreational trails, with hopes of tying county trails to local and regional networks.

Clean water, parks and trails are quality of life assets critical to the health and well-being of county residents, not to mention future economic growth. Voters resoundingly agreed to make important investments in sustaining and improving those assets. It's an investment for the future.

Now, the Conservation Board must continue to earn that support by spending these resources in a fully transparent fashion with an emphasis on public input. The obligation to educate and inform county residents how their dollars will be spent did not end on Election Day.

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