Board of Supervisors - Regular Meeting

Good morning, everybody. It's Tuesday, August 4th, 2026. My name is Don Smiker. I'm going to call the Jackson County Board of Supervisors meeting to order. To my left, I have Mike Steines. To my right, I have Nin Fuego. We got Bjorn from IT. We got Lisa from the Auditor's Office. We got Brittany on the virtual press rocks. And first up, we have visitors and citizens. Is there anybody else online or in the gallery who'd like to address the board today? Hearing none, we'll move on to next up is Becca Fuha from the Zoning Administrator to talk about a few things going on.

Good morning. Good morning. Before you today is resolution number 1205-08-04-2026. It is a resolution continuing the moratorium on the acceptance and approval of applications for high-density computing or data processing facilities in unincorporated Jackson County. The purpose of the moratorium is not to permanently prohibit these facilities. It is intended to preserve the county's ability to complete a thoughtful and legally defensible ordinance before an application is submitted under our existing regulations. The zoning commission and board of supervisors have already invested considerable time in this issue, including the joint public work session, subsequent ordinance discussions, review of public comments, and research into how other counties are addressing data center development. We are continuing to receive helpful information and with the ever-changing technology and terms, we feel it is important to keep working on and receiving input from outside agencies. The proposed moratorium will remain in effect until August 4th, 2027, unless it is terminated earlier upon adoption of the county's high density computing facility regulation. This gives the county sufficient time to finish the ordinance review, obtain legal and technical input, complete the required public hearing process, and make a final decision without being pressured by a pending application.

Question, please. Yeah. Did I miss an email? I was told Farm Bureau sent kind of notes or thoughts or whatever on this. Did you send it out and I missed it, or could Oh, we'll find out. But I have not received any comments or anything on the extension of the moratorium in the last week or so. I guess I have.

July 31st, 2027. We changed the date so the ending is August.

Shelly hooked the new one and I bet you walked out before she printed it. August 4th, 2027. Okay.

Okay.

honestly, like I've responded to, we daily read an article or read or try to update or get educated, if you will. And I think that's their biggest issue is that we have everything scoped out and looked at, prepared and whatnot. And I think this actually gives us some time again to do that because there's so many unknowns. I mean, there's a lot of negatives, of course, but then There was a large article today in the TH about Altoona, and the mayor of Altoona just couldn't say enough good things about it. They've got a new steel plant because of it, and they got 600 jobs because of it. But again, we have to look at the big picture.

Right, both sides, pros and cons.

Exactly.

And things are changing, and as we all know, even after we do get ours in place, different technology out there.

Yes, it's ever evolving. And there are in the county zoning chat yesterday, there are some counties who have already had an ordinance and they're going to redo it.

Well, I would make a motion to extend the moratorium to August 4th or get the correct number.

I would second that.

in to approve a resolution 1205-08-04-2026 resolution extending and updating the temporary moratorium on high density computing and data processing facilities in unincorporated Jackson County and that is through August 4th, 2027. Any other discussion? I have 1206 on mine. Am I wrong? Mine's 1205. So 1205 is correct.

Okay.

Any other discussion? All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries.

It's been a typical Tuesday morning. It's just started. Tuesday morning scramble.

We all right?

Okay.

Okay. Well, then you.

See we're doing a state fact.

Resolution number 1206-08-04. DASH 2026 approving the final plat of seabrooding estates, a minor subdivision. I want to briefly explain what qualifies as a minor subdivision, since the county does not see these very often. Under section 1S.6 of the Jackson County subdivision ordinance, a minor subdivision may result in a total of three or four parcels, or it may result in only one additional parcel, provided that involves no new streets or other subdivision improvements and no new parcels smaller than two acres. Minor refers to the scale and procedure of the subdivision. It does not mean that the CLAP receives less review. Minor flats are reviewed by the applicable county offices and presented to the board for action. The board may instead refer a minor flat to the zoning commission for a public hearing or recommendation based on the inherent potential to negatively affect adjoining property or the general public. In this case, staff did not identify any apparent impact that would warrant referral to the zoning commission. Severding Estates is located along Severding Ridge Road, north of Belleville. The land currently consists of lot 11 of Sunset Ridge Estates and adjoining parcel G. These two existing parcels are being re-platted into three lots. Lot one contains approximately 2.98 acres. Lot two contains approximately 30.70 acres and combines the existing lot 11 with adjoining land. Lot 3 contains approximately 2.12 acres. The proposal therefore results in one additional parcel overall. It includes no new streets or subdivision improvements, and each lot contains at least two gross acres. For those reasons, it qualifies for the minor subdivision procedure. The final plat and accompanying materials have been reviewed for compliance with the county's minor subdivision procedures, lot and access standards, final plat requirements, general subdivision standards, and applicable provisions of chapters 354 and 355 of the Code of Iowa. The application includes the proprietor's consent, mortgage holder's consent, attorney's title opinion, treasurer's certification, surveyor's certification, and the other supporting documents required for final plan approval and recording. The county engineer reviewed the proposal and provided written confirmation that his office is waiving the drainage calculations and topographic contours for this final flat. The ordinance allows those requirements to be reduced or waived for flats containing eight lots or fewer. Because the property is within Bellevue's extraterritorial subdivision review area, the final plat was also submitted to the city of Bellevue, and the city has approved it. Review by the Office of the State Archaeologist was also completed in accordance with the county's burial mound review process. Based on the final plat supporting documentation, departmental reviews, the county engineer's waiver, and the city of Bellevue's approval, staff finds that the plat conforms to the applicable requirements and staff recommends approval of resolution number 1206-08-04-2026.

I have not received any calls or concerns on this at all.

And I don't really see an issue with putting that into three parts.

Is there any requirements for this minor subdivision? Does it include the other subdivision that was approved two years ago, maybe?

It does not include it.

So it has no provisions for like a park or anything?

No.

I have not heard of anything. I would make a motion to approve.

I would second.

Got a motion by Ninh, second by Mike to approve Resolution 1206-08-04-2026, a resolution to approve the final plat of survey for the Sewarding Estates and a minor subdivision in Jackson County, Ohio. Any other discussion? All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries.

Okay.

All right. Anything else for us?

Not today.

All right. That means you're in.

Have a good day.

Next up, we have Elizabeth Townsend, Environmental Health Director. Good morning. Good morning.

So I just need to request a public hearing for August 25th for our private sewage disposal system ordinance.

9 a.m. 9 a.m. Good. I'm sorry, I didn't hear what it was for.

So it's for a public hearing to approve the new private on-site, sorry, private sewage disposal system. updated is that the changes or so this is going to replace um ordinance 250 and 88. does this include the new stipulations from that the government just put in part of the state put in place for a dnr or whoever so it it will cover that but it won't there's nothing specific in this ordinance that would pertain to that have we gotten changes from them yet okay and you were going to send them out to us correct Yes, what I'm going to do is I'm going to just send you, they had like a PDF thing that I'm going to send all of you so you can review those changes. I'm waiting to get that from the DNR.

Okay, I would make a

Motion by Mike, second by Ninh to approve a public hearing on Ordinance 323 of wastewater treatment. Public hearing for August 25th at 9 a.m. Any other discussion? All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries.

Thank you.

There you go.

Thank you. Have a good day.

You too. All right. Engineer's office coming up. Good morning. Good morning. Good morning, John. What you got going on?

They have signed, and we just recommend board approval. I think you have that in your pack.

We do. Okay.

Make a motion to approve.

I would second. Got a motion by Ninh, second by Mike to approve the FY27 RCTP agreement with the City of Lamont. Any other discussions? All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries.

We have We also recommend that for board approval.

So moved.

I would second that.

Got a motion by Mike, seconded by Ninh, to approve a utility right-of-way permit for Makoketa Valley Electric Cooperative from Makoketa Township section 31 on 211th Avenue. Any other discussion?

I can't give a specific timeline.

It's coming along real well. Have they tested, like, will this and stuff? Are they doing any grinding yet?

The contractor did a preliminary test of smoothness, but the DOT will get with them here in the future to do that again. Okay. That's pretty nice of them. It's coming together real well.

Good. I've had a lot of good comments on that. I'm going to call it Springbrook Highway Bridge. 815, 17, whatever.

That's open. The one northeast of Preston is open on 48th Avenue. Cool. Retrieving going well? Excuse me?

Retrieving going well or did you put on hold?

They put that on hold for

Okay. Tomorrow.

Appreciate it. Thank you very much. Appreciate it. Yeah. And Lisa, the auditor's office, you have the floor.

Good morning. I need a motion to approve the minutes of the July 28th, 2026 meeting as written by Andrew Smith and authorized publication in the official newspapers. I'll second that.

We've got a motion by Mike second by an end to approve the, uh, There it is. Approved the minutes of the July 28th meeting, 2026 meeting as written by Audra Smith and authorized publication official newspapers. Any other discussion? All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries.

I need a motion to approve the renewal of a special classy retail native wine license with outdoor service to the Timber Family Winery LLC at 3570 67th Street, Baldwin. Effective audit.

Native Wine License and Outdoor Service to Tabor Winery LLC at 3570 67th Street, Baldwin Effective, August 7, 2026 through August 6, 2027. Anybody? Any other discussion? All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries.

All that I have for the board today.

Any boards or commission reports?

I do not. We have RTA tomorrow, of course. And I think there's a tourism meeting tomorrow also.

I don't have a whole lot. I didn't have a lot of meetings, but I was at the conservation meeting. And just so the public knows, when you get your letters for your slips, there are going to be some changes made. So don't just sign things and send it back.

This morning at 8 o'clock, I met at Together We Build. Their ISU president, Dave Cook? Dane Cook? He was there. He came in. He's doing a tour of all the extension offices. And he was very, very impressed with the extension facility, the TWB building and the cooperation. Talking to the extension office and some of the things they're doing. There's a PB&J club, which during the fair, they have a dollar barn. And I guess we're one of the few counties that actually has this kind of youth entrepreneurial program going. And they raised $25,000 to fix up the little dollar barn. And with that, they were able to expand. It was kind of an interesting year. It was unfortunate I had to leave to come here. But it was neat to hear some of the stuff going on. And him and his wife, I was born and raised in Ames, went to high school. went out and did things after 30 some years, they came back and now he's president of ISU and he's just getting out and reconnecting with Iowa. And, uh,

So it's a, you know, that was recorded or anything. No, it was not. Okay.

No, but it was just kind of a question and answer forum kind of thing. So that was nice. Water, Wakoka River Water Management Authority. We're trying to get together. We hired our new director, Judy Joyce, and she's been spending the last month or so kind of grab getting her head wrapped around everything there's a lot of grants that need to be put out and submitted and stuff like that so we gave her you know half of june and all of july to get her feet you know get her feet wet and get in the an understanding and now we're going to meet here probably i think on the 18th we're going to get together and and uh get our first meeting with her at the helm and see where we're at where we want to go and what she thinks It'll be good to kind of get that going through the hiatus. There has been no break-in services between Michelle Turner and Aaron, the former director, kind of filling in when they need to. It seems like a fairly seamless transition, so

Other than that, that's all I got. Well, it's been fairly quiet. You know, again, the transfer station is open. We're delayed only a half a day or so. All good. That's good. No further business. I'd make a motion. We adjourn.

Got a motion by Mike, second by Dan that we adjourn. Any other discussion? All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. Have a good day.