JOHNSON COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

JoCo Supervisor Fixmer-Oraiz, on ‘high alert,’ considers resignation

By Paul D. Bowker
Posted 12/12/24

IOWA CITY

The election of Donald Trump as U.S. President nearly took out one of the five supervisors on the Johnson County Board.

V Fixmer-Oraiz, a Democrat who is the first member of the …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in
JOHNSON COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

JoCo Supervisor Fixmer-Oraiz, on ‘high alert,’ considers resignation

Posted

IOWA CITY

The election of Donald Trump as U.S. President nearly took out one of the five supervisors on the Johnson County Board.

V Fixmer-Oraiz, a Democrat who is the first member of the Trans community to serve in a Johnson County Supervisor seat, told the Board in their closing comments at the December 5 formal session that they considered resigning from the board, effective at the end of December, but said they will say on. For now.

Rumors of Fixmer-Oraiz’s departure had circulated on social media.

“I am on high alert, as I’m sure many of us are,” Fixmer-Oraiz said.

“The decision to stay, I will stay for as long as I can. But I will not put my personal body in the line of fire, nor my family’s. I know that our immigrant community is very nervous. I know that we have our underestimated communities that are very nervous about this Trump administration, especially with the trifecta of our state.”

“Staying and fighting is a choice,” Fixmer-Oraiz added. “And it’s not a choice everybody has to make. I do want to be clear that these decisions are incredibly hard.”

Fixmer-Oraiz’s comment came on a day when the Board approved a resolution declaring “All are Welcome in Johnson County.”

“As we declare human rights today,” Fixmer-Oraiz said, “as we declare our love for one another, I hope that that really does turn into action, and support and policy. And standing up for those, even in the face of the state.”

Regional Train

While proposed train service would go only from North Liberty to the University of Iowa area in Iowa City, Supervisor Vice Chair Jon Green of Lone Tree recommended that city officials from Hills be included in regional transportation decisions.

When talk of regional transportation began years ago, Hills was the southern-most point in a system that would begin in Cedar Rapids.

Green was among a number of Johnson County officials who traveled to Pennsylvania earlier this year to see a train service provided by Pop-Up Metro, a Pennsylvania-based company that offers trains powered by batteries. No decisions have yet been made by Johnson County cities and the county itself for the service.

“Even though this portion of Pop-Up Metro doesn’t go through Swisher, doesn’t go to Hills, I think that we do need to hear from them,” Green said, “and, quite frankly, if that’s a deal breaker to the university or to whomever, let’s find that out now.”

Julie Persons, Johnson County’s newly elected auditor who is mayor of Swisher, said it was important for the Board to listen to officials from small towns.

“I think you need to remember that small towns need the county’s support,” Persons said. “Calling Hills and Swisher out by name to put us at the level of Iowa City and Coralville and North Liberty in this project is a huge message to these small towns that feel abandoned by the county support. They feel nobody cares except the metro area.”

Supervisor Chair Rod Sullivan said a decision is likely to come from a city or the University of Iowa, mainly because none of the land involved is county property.

“Somebody, either Iowa City or Coralville, probably, or University, is going to have to take a lead in terms of saying, ‘We’re the lead agency here and we’re going to do this,’” Sullivan said. “And I’m going to be very supportive of whoever that is. We know it’s not us.”

The Board will consider a resolution on the CRANDIC issue at this week’s formal session.

Board Action

The Board approved a $2,166 amendment to work being done at the Historic Poor Farm’s commercial kitchen.

The Board held a public hearing on the $660,000 renovation project at the Johnson County Courthouse. Construction bids are expected to open in January with work completed by July 2025.

The Board issued a proclamation in recognition of Human Rights Day, December 10.

Next meeting:

The Board’s next formal session is at 5:30 p.m. December 12. The session is the monthly evening meeting in which a number of public hearings will be held in conjunction with zoning and platting applications.

Johnson County, Board of Supervisors, V Fixmer-Oraiz, Pop-Up Metro