EDITORIAL: Time to examine Cerro Gordo County form of government

by Matt Marquardt –

A very knowledgeable NIT reader pointed me in the direction of an interesting story that appeared this week in the Cedar Rapids Gazette. The story, in a nutshell, is about two concerned citizens that feel their county government (Linn county) needs to be examined, with the potential of an entirely new form of government as the result.

According to the story, two retired gentlemen are seeking to “replace (Linn county’s) full-time supervisors with a county-manager form of government that features part-time supervisors and a full-time, professional manager.” The Linn County Board of Supervisors, according to the story, expanded from three members to five in 2009, and the board was considered part-time.  Now, the board has decided to call itself full-time and “raise their pay by 25 percent.”

The Gazette reported that the two men were motivated to look at a change in the form of county government when the board of supervisors gave themselves the massive pay raises.

Under Iowa code, the two Linn county men are spearheading a petition drive that would need 10,000 signatures in order to force the board of supervisors there to create a commission that would have the power to examine the form of government in Linn county and possibly make a recommendation on a brand new form of government that the voters could then select in the voting booth.  They want a county-manager form of government for Linn county.

That background brings me to the here and now.

I began attending Cerro Gordo County Board of Supervisor meetings in 2010, fresh off the street, having little knowledge of the board, how it worked, what they do, etc. etc.  I entered the scene with a clean slate.  Over the past 2.5 years, I have been able to educate myself somewhat on how the courthouse works and learn what the duties are of our three-member part-time board of supervisors.  I have watched them in action and reported what I saw.

What I have concluded since 2010 is this:

The Cerro Gordo County Board of Supervisors is somewhat closed to the public.  It does not readily cooperate with the public nor disclose public information in a fastidious manner; it has literally scoffed at the idea of becoming more open.   After numerous contacts from the public to me – some from people who actually work at the courthouse itself – I have determined that many folks fear supervisor Jay Urdahl and have used words to describe him such as “bully.”  The board has been warned multiple times by the state ombudsman to clean up its act, as recently as this month, due to the appearance of impropriety.  I have determined that the board of supervisors is dramatically overpaid.  When Jay Urdahl took office in 1989, supervisor pay was $18,750 for a position considered by most to be a part-time job.  With the help of a crony compensation board, supervisors have been able to vote itself pay raises that now compensate each board member $46,464 this year.  This figure does not include mileage, cell phone re-imbursement, retirement and an insurance package.   Furthermore, the board is doing  a poor job of managing or overseeing assets such as the North Iowa Events Center, which has fell to ruin over the years.  Lastly, I feel this board has done little or nothing to improve the economic climate here in Cerro Gordo County and has no proactive approach to doing so.

I feel it is time to begin looking at a change in the form of county government for Cerro Gordo County.

I have examined Iowa Code 331.  It goes into detail on how county government in Iowa is structured and the changes to it that are allowed under Iowa law.  It also explains how citizens can go about making a change to the current form of government. It goes like this:

In order to begin the process of analyzing county government in Cerro Gordo county, a petition must be presented to the board of supervisors with 5,956 signatures.  This figure is 25% of the electorate who voted for president in last November’s election.  This figure is straight from the auditor’s office.

Once that petition is handed in and verified, the board of supervisors is forced to create a commission to study the alternative forms of county government allowed under Iowa code to determine which they feel is the best fit. Iowa code implies that for Cerro Gordo county, this commission would have 20 members. Within twelve months after organization, the commission has to submit the final report to the board of supervisors.

If the commission recommends a charter including a form of government other than the existing form of government, the final report shall include the full text and an explanation of the proposed charter, an analysis of the fiscal impact of the proposed charter, any comments deemed desirable by the commission, and any minority reports.

The commission is dissolved on the date of the general election at which the proposed charter is submitted to the electorate.

I call on the citizens of Cerro Gordo County to think hard about examining the form of government here in Cerro Gordo county and ask yourselves if progress is really being made here.

Is this board of supervisors really doing all it can to enhance the quality of life here, or is there a better way?