Floyd County supervisors extend wind project moratorium, proclaim Domestic Violence Awareness Month

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

The Floyd County supervisors extended a moratorium on commercial wind energy and battery storage projects at their regular meeting Monday morning, Sept. 23.

The extension was made because the county is still working on a new zoning ordinance that would control where – if anywhere – commercial wind projects could be located in the county.

The board also established a new county compensation board to recommend county elected officials’ salaries, after the state Legislature abolished existing compensation boards and changed the rules in legislation passed this past summer.

The wind energy moratorium had originally been passed in November 2023 as the county began work on the new zoning ordinance. It set the moratorium to be in effect until May 20, but that was later extended to July 1, then to Oct. 1 and now to Dec. 23, adding an additional 90 days it will be in effect.

Although there are two companies actively working to develop commercial wind energy projects in Floyd County, representatives of both have said they are not close to being ready to submit applications for project approval.

And under the latest version of the zoning ordinance passed by the Board of Supervisors, those applications may never be coming.

Representatives of Invenergy and NextEra Energy have both said that current amendments that have been approved for the zoning ordinance will make such projects impossible. The amendments passed with the support of Supervisors Jim Jorgensen and Dennis Keifer, with Supervisor Mark Kuhn voting against almost all of them.

At Monday’s meeting, Jorgensen said he is in favor of wind energy, “but I want it done right.”

“I’d like to see an independent study done on karst topography,” he said, adding that he had seen studies, but many of them were linked to potentially partisan groups.

Supervisor Keifer agreed. “Karst is serious enough that we can’t afford to make a mistake,” he said.

Karst refers to a type of geology formed by underground dissolved rock formations, resulting in features such as sinkholes, caves and underground rivers.

A study in 2021 by the Iowa Geological Survey and the University of Iowa, sponsored by the Iowa Department of Transportation, used new mapping techniques such as LiDAR, passive seismic data and electrical resistance data. It concluded that karst areas cover much of Floyd County and that 46% of the county is in the “high risk” susceptibility to form sinkholes.

The representatives of the energy companies have said they have existing projects in other areas that have karst topography, and that they do extensive geological studies and make changes to the wind turbine foundations to account for different soil conditions.

The third and possibly final reading of the amended county zoning ordinance for commercial wind power and battery storage is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 9, in the district courtroom at the county courthouse.

Also at the board meeting Monday, the supervisors:

• Passed a resolution creating a compensation board to recommend salary changes each year for county elected officials – supervisors, attorney, auditor, recorder, treasurer and sheriff.

All three supervisors said they felt using the compensation boards in the past has been valuable.

Compensation boards have been used in Iowa counties since the 1980s, but the Legislature at its session earlier this year abolished existing boards and gave county supervisors the option of doing all the salary research and making salary decisions themselves, or recreating compensation boards with some new rules on how their recommendations will be handled.

As in the past, the supervisors will now appoint two representatives and each elected official will appoint one representative to the seven-member board. The difference is that, where in the past the supervisors were limited in how they could change the recommendations, the supervisors now can make any changes they want to the compensation board’s recommendations.

• Passed a proclamation that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Floyd County, after hearing a report by Renee Harris, a domestic abuse advocate for Crisis Intervention Service.

Harris said that last year Crisis Intervention Service helped 1,185 women, men and children affected by domestic violence, and so far this year has provided services to 847 victims and survivors of domestic violence.

The proclamation notes that domestic violence is a serious crime that affects people of all races, ethnicities, ages, mental or physical abilities, socioeconomic status, religious backgrounds and genders; and that it violates individuals’ privacy, dignity, security and humanity due to the systematic use of physical, emotional, sexual, psychological and economic control or abuse.

The full text of the proclamation is:

PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS, home should be a place of warmth, unconditional love, tranquility & security. For most of us, home and family can indeed be counted among our greatest blessings. Tragically, for many community members, these blessings are tarnished by violence and fear; and

WHEREAS, domestic violence is more than an occasional family dispute. It is a serious crime that affects people of all races, ethnicities, ages, mental or physical abilities, socioeconomic status, religious backgrounds and genders; and

WHEREAS, the crime of domestic violence violates an individual’s privacy, dignity, security, and humanity due to the systematic use of physical, emotional, sexual, psychological and economic control or abuse; and

WHEREAS, 395 adults & children have been killed in the state of Iowa as a result of domestic violence since 1995, and 112 survivors sought victim services in Floyd County this past year; and

WHEREAS, children who grow up in violent homes are abused and neglected at a higher rate than the national average and more than 4 million children in the United States are at risk for witnessing domestic violence each year; and

WHEREAS, domestic violence costs the nation over $5 billion annually in medical expenses, law enforcement and court costs, shelters and foster care, sick leave, absenteeism and reduced worker productivity; and

WHEREAS, only a coordinated community effort will bring an end to this epidemic of crime and violence and we, as a community, must address the problem of domestic violence in our homes and neighborhoods every day of the year; and

WHEREAS, a coalition of organizations has emerged to directly confront this crisis. Law enforcement officials, victim service programs, health care providers, the faith community and other concerned citizens are helping in the effort to end domestic violence. We must recognize the compassion & dedication of these volunteers & professionals applaud their efforts and increase public understanding of this important social problem.

NOW THEREFORE, we, the board of Supervisors of Floyd County, do hereby proclaim the month of October 2024 as DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH and urge all citizens of Floyd County to observe this month by becoming aware of the tragedy of domestic violence, supporting those who are working toward its end and participating in community efforts.

Dated this 23rd day of September 2024.

Supervisor Mark Kuhn
Supervisor Dennis Keifer
Supervisor Jim Jorgensen
Floyd County