The Greene County Board of Supervisors met Monday in regular session.

The main discussion item was regarding the decision by the County Board of Adjustment to deny a conditional use permit for NationalGrid Renewables to build a 100-megawatt solar panel project near Grand Junction. County Zoning Administrator Chuck Wenthold said the Board of Adjustment voted 4-1 against the permit, citing mainly the issues they felt the company didn’t have in their emergency response plan, as outlined in the county ordinance. 

County Attorney Thomas Laehn said NationalGrid Renewables can either re-submit their application that would address the concerns from the Board of Adjustment. However, since the company already obtained a state permit from the Iowa Utilities Board, the IUB could deny NationalGrid Renewables another opportunity and then the company could appeal the Board of Adjustment’s decision in district court. The Board chose to wait and see what the company decides to do.

Additionally, during reports, Peg Raney addressed the Board. She mentioned there being 100 new songs added to the existing digital library of the Mahanay Memorial Carillon Tower. She also talked about a contest to “Name That Tower Tune” during this year’s Tower Tunes Live concerts, and playing music during a couple of the Greene County Farmers Markets for people to paint, dance and chalk with. 

County Engineer Wade Weiss talked about making temporary repairs to a bridge near Rippey over Snake Creek on this year’s Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI). He said that the bridge will be slated to be replaced next year. There was also a brief discussion in which the Supervisors were opposed to permanently closing the Linwood intersection with the Union Pacific Railroad. 

The Board also heard from Jefferson City Administrator Mike Palmer. He said a crew is expected within the next month to do an asphalt overlay on West Lincoln Way from Highway 4 to Grimmell Road, and that the City Council hired a second part time employee to clean the animal shelter.

The Board also approved the first reading of an ordinance for when RAGBRAI comes through the county on July 25th, with the part about vendors only being on the right side of the route to be deleted. They also approved abating property taxes for a state of Iowa parcel of $8, hiring Logan Wolf as a full time emergency medical technician with an annual salary of $34,000 and once he is promoted to a full time paramedic, his pay will increase to $44,000 annually. 

Finally, the Board set two public hearings on May 30th, with one at 8:45am for a budget amendment for the current fiscal year, and the other hearing at 9am for a hog confinement expansion in Section 21 of Greenbrier Township for Oakview Pork LLC.