CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – The Linn County Planning and Zoning Commission ended its meeting Monday night without a recommendation on Alliant Energy’s request to rezone farmland in western Linn County for a new power plant. The commission’s vote on a motion to recommend denial of the application ended in a tie. Because the vote was tied, the commission could not recommend either approving or denying the rezoning request. The Linn County Board of Supervisors will now take up the application Tuesday night without a recommendation from the commission. Commission member Joe Sperfslage was attending the meeting over Zoom. When he was called on to vote, he did not respond. Commission staff also called him by phone, and he did not answer. Alliant Energy met with the commission for about four hours Monday, answering questions about its plans for the Morgan Valley Energy Center. It was the second time Alliant met with the commission on the proposal. One member of the public described the power plant as an “abomination” under its current plan. The land Alliant wants to use for the plant is currently farmland in western Linn County. When Alliant and the commission first met about a month ago, members raised questions about water usage, noise levels and environmental impact. Some of those questions were answered Monday night, but the commission also raised a new round of questions, including the actual need for the power plant. Alliant told the commission Monday that the vote should not be about whether the project has support. “The question before us is not whether we have robust agreement or support with this project. The question is does this application satisfy the standard Linn County established for this type of facility and if the evidence supports the approval,” said Ben Rogers, with Alliant Energy.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – The Trump Administration has announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will make $8 billion available for one-time payments to American farmers to provide relief during a costly harvest season. In a news release, the administration cites “temporary market disruptions” and “increased input costs” as reasons for the relief. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said in a statement, “Today, I am proud to announce alongside President Trump more targeted relief is coming to our farmers through the Harvest Fuel Relief program. This $8 billion dollar investment will help bring certainty to our farmers during this harvest so they can continue to feed our nation.” The Harvest Fuel Relief (HFR) program will set up support to producers using a formula to cover a portion of projected losses during the current crop year. The administration says the $8 billion in payments are authorized under the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) Charter Act, and they will be administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA).
DUBUQUE, Iowa (KCRG) — The Dubuque City Council approved a plan on Monday to buy the former Dubuque Bank and Trust building to consolidate municipal services in a three-block area, composed of the old DB&T building, City Hall and the Ruby Sutton Building. Purchasing the building at 1398 Central Ave. from UMB Bank will cost $1.82 million—lower than the original asking price of $4.2 million. Remodeling the building for occupancy will cost about $3.4 million. Assistant City Manager Cori Burbach said residents who want to make a change to their home currently start at city hall but may be sent elsewhere. “If we tell them they need a building permit, they need to go all the way over to the Federal building, and so with this change we’ll be able to say, oh, it’s just down the hall,” Burbach said. Burbach said the purchase also helps city staff. A 2022-23 assessment found that many city departments were split across several buildings. Additionally, the aging facilities were growing more expensive to maintain and lacked space for growth. With the move to 1398 Central Ave., 14 city departments will stay or move into 1398 Central and City Hall. For example, IT workers will no longer need to travel across town from offices in the west end of Dubuque at 7900 Chavenelle to fix a laptop. “If they have to do that a couple times a day, that really adds up. It’s vehicles, it’s staff time. It’s just operational inefficiency,” Burbach said.
LINN COUNTY, Iowa (KCRG) – A driver suffered minor injuries after a rollover crash in Linn County Monday night. The Linn County Sheriff’s Office says it was called to Highway 13 at Austin Road at 8:22 p.m. Deputies arrived to find an SUV on its top and a box truck pulled over on the shoulder. It was discovered the SUV hit the truck from behind and rolled. The driver of the SUV was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, while the driver and passenger in the truck were uninjured. The accident remains under investigation.
