Supervisors move forward with draft for surveying permit ordinance
By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
During the Feb. 11 regular meeting of the Guthrie County Board of Supervisors, discussion was held regarding the draft of a surveying permit ordinance. County Engineer Josh Sebern stated the ordinance would be applicable for situations such as the Summit pipeline and other similar situations. He noted that surveyors are often unable to find a marker at one spot, so they may need to survey at another spot, and possibly on another landowner’s property, to accurately complete a survey.
Supervisor Maggie Armstrong shared her perspective
“The question is, how do we work within Iowa Code to secure an ordinance that we can then enforce within Guthrie County so that it holds what we need it to hold,” Armstrong said.
Supervisor Brian Johnson said the county is allowed to make such an ordinance but not to supersede or be more restrictive than the state. Johnson advocated for the county to wait to see how ongoing litigation by other counties turns out.
“Why jump into a lawsuit ourselves? Why would we enter that fight right now?” Johnson asked.
The supervisors unanimously approved moving forward with the draft ordinance. There will be multiple readings of the draft in the coming weeks.
Several citizens spoke up during the Public Comments portion of the meeting to weigh-in on the surveying topic.
Budget presentations for the upcoming fiscal year were heard from Veterans Affairs and General Relief, Facilities, and Health Services.
Through March, the Board of Supervisors meets regularly Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9 a.m. The public is welcome to attend in person or via remote technology. To join remotely, call 323-792-6123, then use meeting code 547029216#.