NORTHWOOD — The Worth County Board of Supervisors approved several resolutions ay the Monday, June 29, 2026, meeting, including action tied to a county zoning ordinance oversight involving solar projects and the creation of a new sheriff’s department weapons fund.
Supervisors Mark Smeby, A.J. Stone and Enos Loberg were present for the June 29 meeting. The board first amended the agenda to add discussion regarding Worthwhile Solar with Kate Millar and Jeff Gorball, then approved the amended agenda and minutes from the June 22 meeting.
One of the most significant actions was approval of Resolution 2026-23, which addressed an administrative error involving Ordinance No. 2019.09.30. According to the resolution, the county had approved zoning language in 2019 requiring conditional use permits for commercial and private solar generators and battery storage systems, but the actual published zoning ordinance was not updated at the time.
The oversight was discovered in early June 2026, after the Worthwhile Solar West project had already advanced through several major steps, including obtaining a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity from the State of Iowa, executing an interconnect agreement, and securing road use and drainage agreements with the county.
The board directed the county auditor to immediately update the zoning ordinance text to match the 2019 ordinance. Supervisors also recognized that Worthwhile Solar West had proceeded past the point where a conditional use permit would normally have been required because of the county’s administrative error. As a result, the project was deemed to have a vested right to continue without having to go back through the conditional use permit process.
The board also approved Resolution 2026-21, establishing a Sheriff Department Weapons Fund. The new fund, listed as Fund 0045, will be used for purchasing weapons for the sheriff’s department. Money for the fund may come from donations and allocations determined by the Board of Supervisors.
In a separate action, supervisors approved Resolution 2026-22, directing the county auditor to transfer $500,000 from the General Fund to the General Basic Trust Fund. The money is to be set aside for future capital repairs or projects as determined by the board.
Supervisors also approved several drainage district work orders, including work tied to DD #11-F, DD #11-F/Lat 38 and DD #49.
The board also approved the 2026 Homestead and Military Disallowances.
The meeting adjourned at 9:25 a.m.
Claims Approved
Supervisors approved claims totaling $26,727.10, including:
Agvantage FS Inc, Fuel-Eng, $11,820.34
Alliant Energy, Service-Con, $6,053.15
Black Hills Energy Inc, Service-Eng, $121.07
Brandon Diedrich, Reimb-Eng, $1,950.50
Cintas Corporation, Supplies-Eng, $241.78
Falkstone LLC, Rock-Eng, $543.26
Gordy’s Repair & Implement, Ltd, Parts-Eng, $78.85
Heartland Asphalt Inc, Supplies-Eng, $1,745.20
Jeff Greve, Mileage-Aty, $213.88
Kimberly Bode, Reimb-Eng, $88.16
Knudtson Automotive Service, Service-Eng, $1,160.27
North Central Occupational Med, Service-Eng & Con, $1,322.60
Northwood Electric Inc, Service-Eng, $440.20
Plunkett’s Pest Control Inc, Service-Gsr, $65.72
Vestis, Service-Eng, $18.48
WageWorks Inc, Service-Ndp, $71.10
Worth County Sheriff, Service-Juj, $83.35
Ziegler Inc, Parts-Eng, $709.19
Grand Total: $26,727.10