By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
At the Dec. 10 regular weekly meeting of the Guthrie County Board of Supervisors, discussion was held regarding the option of engaging with Tim Whipple of Ahlers & Cooney for legal representation in the matter of hazardous liquid pipeline permits and regulations. The letter of engagement has been received from the Ahlers & Cooney firm.
Supervisor Brian Johnson shared his opinion that it would be prudent to wait to see what is decided by the 8thCircuit Court regarding similar issues that some other Iowa counties are currently litigating.
“I’m going to propose that we not engage in the drafting of an ordinance right now. I think we should at least wait until the appeal and the southern court decision is made, and that won’t be until late spring or early summer,” Johnson said. He added that he feels the county should be careful not to put itself into a position of liability for being sued.
Supervisor Maggie Armstrong voiced her concern.
“If we amend our ordinance, and our intention is to prohibit pipeline-like industries from coming through, that is very problematic. So, we do need to be cautious,” she said. “I’m sure Mr. Whipple is very understanding of that.”
Whipple shared that the county could engage in beginning to draft an ordinance, but at any point, the county could decide not to enact any proposed amendments.
A citizen, Candice Salvin, asked to address the supervisors about the issue. She objected to what she viewed as “stalling” if the county were to choose to wait and see what happens in the 8th Circuit Court.
Supervisor Mike Dickson made a motion to enter into engagement with Mr. Whipple as described in the engagement letter. The supervisors voted 4-1 in favor of this, with Johnson opposed.
Several librarians from the various libraries in the county spoke regarding the FY2026 Guthrie County Library Association funding request. They pointed out the many roles that libraries fill in small towns, and they asked the county to keep that in mind when setting the budget.
Supervisor Maggie Armstrong checked to see how much was funded last year. She shared that a year ago, the county voted to increase the funding by 5%, to $139,256. No formal action was taken by the supervisors at this time.
Health Services Department head Jotham Arber updated the supervisors on the status and operations in that department. He said immunizations are continuing.
The Board of Supervisors meets regularly each Tuesday at 9 a.m. at the courthouse. The next regular meeting of the supervisors will be Tuesday, Dec. 17. The public is welcome to attend in person or via remote technology. To join remotely, call 323-792-6123, then use meeting code 547029216#.