Government Notes: Early voting for school, city elections starts this week

Early voting begins this week for municipal, school board elections

In-person absentee voting begins this week for the upcoming Nov. 4 municipal and school elections.

In-person absentee voting — sometimes called “early voting” — begins Wednesday in both Linn and Johnson counties and will run through Monday, Nov. 3. Ballots will include a host of city and school elections across the area, as well as multiple bond issues.

Linn County voters can vote absentee in person at the Linn County Auditor’s Office, 935 Second St. SW, in Cedar Rapids, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each weekday between this Wednesday and Monday, Nov. 3.

Starting Wednesday, early voting is also available to Linn County voters at Lindale Mall, 4444 First Ave. NE, in Cedar Rapids between 11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and from noon until 4 p.m. on Sundays through Nov. 2.

Johnson County voters can vote absentee in person at the Johnson County Auditor’s office, 913 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each weekday between Wednesday and Nov. 3. The office also will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2.

During those same hours, Johnson County voters can use drive-thru voting at the Health and Human Services Building parking ramp, 855 S. Dubuque St., in Iowa City. The county also will operate satellite voting locations throughout the month, all of which can be found on the Johnson County website.

To lean who is on the ballot, visit The Gazette’s roundup of local municipal candidates and our list of local school board hopefuls.

Johnson County Ambulance partners with Iowa City Fire Department

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Johnson County Ambulance Service and the Iowa City Fire Department are partnering to better serve the west side of Iowa City.

Johnson County Ambulance now has a crew operating from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day out of Iowa City’s Fire Station 2, located at 301 Emerald St.

The county’s ambulance services typically operate out of Iowa City’s Fire Station 4, located at 2008 Dubuque Road. Crews are stationed there 24/7 every day.

"This partnership will get an ALS ambulance on scene more quickly," said ICFD Battalion Chief Zach Hickman, in a news release. "It improves emergency care for the people of Iowa City."

While all firefighters are trained to basic EMT level standards, the fire department is unable to transport patients.

"Johnson County as a whole is growing and, along with it, the need for the delivery of timely emergency medical care," said JCAS Director Fiona Johnson, in a news release. "In a medical emergency, every moment matters and the ability to strategically place our personnel to improve call times is crucial."

C.R. Council OKs sale of 2 properties to local Habitat for Humanity

The city of Cedar Rapids has sold two properties to Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity for affordable housing development.

City Council members last week unanimously approved the sale of the properties at 1222 20th Ave. SW 1238 N St. SW for $1 each through the city’s Saving Properties and Revitalizing Communities program.

The city acquired both plots earlier this year through a state law that allows for city acquisition of vacant and abandoned properties. Due to the condition of the properties at the time of acquisition, the structures on each have since been demolished.

For each property, the city issued a request for proposals to eligible nonprofit housing developers, and Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity was the sole applicant in both instances.

Per council documents, the nonprofit intends to build one new house on each property.

“It’s such a best practice to … use the space that already exists instead of having urban sprawl,” City Council member Ashley Vanorny said ahead of the council’s recent vote. “I really appreciate” these projects.

Linn County Supervisors finalize application fee for nuclear rezoning

The Linn County Board of Supervisors has finalized the application fee structure for properties looking to rezone land for nuclear energy production.

The board last week unanimously approved the fee structure, which requires applicants pay a $40,000 base fee plus $100 per megawatt of energy the facility is expected to produce at full capacity.

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That structure will apply to any applicant looking to rezone land to the county’s new exclusive use zoning district for nuclear energy generation and/or waste storage.

The application fee would be used to cover preoperational county costs associated with nuclear projects such as facility rentals for public meetings, third party reviews of submitted project documents and/or staff training around the unique needs of nuclear facilities.

The fee is separate from the host community agreement applicants will be expected to sign establishing an annual, inflation-adjusted payment to the county to support the various government functions and public services associated with hosting a nuclear facility more broadly.

Linn County releases draft fringe area plan for Center Point

Area officials have released a draft of the fringe area plan of the City of Center Point and Linn County Fringe Area Plan and Agreement.

The 31-page agreement aims to direct city and county efforts to support community-appropriate development adjacent to the existing city limits while also preserving agricultural land for future use.

The draft plan is available for review at online at bit.ly/CenterPointFringe. The fringe area is defined as the land in unincorporated Linn County within two miles of Center Point.

Prior to adoption, the plan must be reviewed by both the city and county’s planning and zoning commissions and by the Center Point City Council and the Linn County Board of Supervisors.

The Center Point Planning and Zoning Commission will review the plan at its 6 p.m. Oct. 20 meeting at Center Point City Hall, 200 Franking St., and the county commission review will follow at 6 p.m. Nov. 17. Both meetings will have opportunities for public comment.

Should the plan receive commission approval, it will be placed on the City Council and Board of Supervisors agendas for a future date.

City of Cedar Rapids to host ‘City Week’ open house

Cedar Rapids residents are invited to a “behind-the-scenes” look at city services at a community open house next week.

The free, all-ages event will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. Oct. 22 at the City Services Center, 500 15th Ave. SW. The open house is part of “City Week,” an annual effort to engage citizens with local government.

Attendees at the open house will have a chance to learn about different city departments and see the vehicles and equipment used by city employees in their day-to-day operations.

The open house also will feature a variety of all-ages games and activities, and staff from Cedar Rapids Animal Care & Control will be on-site with adoptable animals from the city-run shelter.

For more information, visit the city calendar at cedar-rapids.org.

Iowa City Council votes against Caterpillar trash compactor purchase

Iowa City Council unanimously voted against the purchase of a $1 million Caterpillar trash compactor citing concerns over Caterpillar’s history supplying bulldozers and other equipment to the Israeli military.

The city planned to purchase a Caterpillar landfill trash compactor to replace the city’s 2015 Caterpillar 826K model that staff said has reached the end of its serviceable life.

The city’s landfill uses two trash compactors throughout its day to day operation. At the direction of the council, city staff will look toward other manufacturers and alternatives to replace the aging trash compactor.

Members of the public spoke at the city council meeting against the purchase saying the purchase would not be line with past council action.

In August the council unanimously approved a resolution that calls for the city to boycott the use of public money toward any entity that supports Israel or is “complicit in the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.”

Iowa City passed a resolution calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in January 2024.

Government Notes is published Mondays and contains updates from area governmental bodies. The Gazette’s Grace King, Grace Nieland and Megan Woolard contributed.