IOWA CITY

Johnson County is moving ahead with a $30 million bond referendum for conservation projects that will appear on the November 2024 ballot.

A county conservation group, led in part by past Johnson County Supervisor Chair Pat Heiden, requested the bond asking during the Board of Supervisors work session May 15.

“We’ve got a wonderful story to tell,” Heiden said. “All the accomplishments and the projects and the passion behind all of that.”

A $20 million bond in 2008 led to 9.2 miles of trails, more than 1,100 acquired acres of land for conservation use and 15 projects that improved parks, trails and water quality.

“This has all contributed tremendously to the quality of life in Johnson County,” Heiden said. “We want to build on this solid and impressive foundation for all of Johnson County and for future generations.”

The $30 million would be spent in a number of projects over 20 years.

“I’m just very excited to, you know, see this go forward,” said Supervisor V Fixmer-Oraiz.

Hen House Rezoning

The Board approved, on third reading, a rezoning application by Farmers Hen House in Frytown, from heavy industrial to light industrial.

The rezoning was requested to take care of non-conforming issues that arose due to its heavy industrial zoning in the 1970s, which does not allow agricultural product processing.

Fireworks Policy

A request for a fireworks permit for late June in a densely populated area in Solon produced another short discussion about fireworks among Board members.

While the Board has approved every fireworks request, Board members have raised safety concerns about private fireworks displays happening in crowded, or city, areas.

“We would like to revisit this,” Supervisor Lisa Green-Douglass said.

Covid Policy

The Board is considering a change to its Covid policy for employees. Currently, county staffers can take up to 80 hours of leave time to recover from Covid. Since the time that policy was enacted during the pandemic, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has shortened isolation periods from five days to 24 hours. The county no longer tests non-vaccinated staffers every week.

“When we instituted this first policy, everybody was scared,” Supervisor Rod Sullivan said. “There was no treatment. Nobody knew what was going to happen.”

“We know that there’s long covid,” Supervisor V Fixmer-Oraiz said. “We know that there’s things that are still unfolding about this type of virus. I don’t want to fully take away all of it (leave benefits).”

Board Actions

The Board approved six emergency funding agreements covering more than $70,000, including a $20,000 agreement with CommUnity Crisis Services and Food Bank.

The Board approved two Poverty Reduction Initiative agreements, including one for $70,217 with Table 2 Table.

The Board issued proclamations in honor of Emergency Medical Services Week, May 19-25; Prevention Week, May 12-18; and Older Americans Month.

Next meeting: The Board’s next formal session is at 9 a.m. May 23.