The future of Planning and Zoning services in Henry County will be up for discussion and possible action Thursday, as the Henry County Board of Supervisors considers who will provide those services following the eventual retirement of Planning and Zoning Director Joe Buffington.
The supervisors held a work session Tuesday at the Henry County Courthouse to discuss their options.
Supervisor Marc Lindeen said he felt the full board needed to have a conversation about the future of the department because, in his view, the board had not previously discussed the options together as a full board.
Supervisor Steve Detrick disagreed, saying there have been numerous discussions about the different avenues the county could take to fill the position.
The discussion comes after Detrick brought forward a proposed memorandum of understanding, or MOU, from the Regional Utility Service Systems Commission, commonly known as RUSS, to provide Planning and Zoning services for Henry County rather than hiring a new county employee.
RUSS is a seven-county organization created under Iowa’s Chapter 28E law, which allows local governments to work together to provide services. RUSS includes Des Moines, Henry, Jefferson, Keokuk, Lee, Louisa and Van Buren counties, with a supervisor from each county serving on the RUSS board.
Lindeen said he did not see the RUSS proposal until shortly before last week’s regular board meeting, when the board was being asked to act on it. He said he believes the county needs to do its due diligence and agree on its next steps before deciding.
Options discussed include reaching out to colleges to find potential candidates, working through the county’s human resources provider to post and fill the position, contracting with RUSS, or contracting with the Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission, also known as SEIRPC.
The proposed RUSS agreement would cover Planning and Zoning services only. GIS mapping and E911 services would not be included. Other county departments have started to absorb these roles on behalf of the county.
One issue complicating the hiring process is that Buffington has not provided the county with a retirement date in writing. Buffington was not present for Tuesday’s work session.
Board Chair Chad White said the county needs a definite end date for Buffington before it can hire someone to replace him, saying, quote, “we need a definite end date before we can hire for Joe’s position.”
Lindeen also questioned why RUSS should be selected over the other options.
Detrick said he sees several advantages to working with RUSS. He said the people assigned to Henry County’s Planning and Zoning work would live in Henry County, and RUSS would dedicate a person to working out of the Henry County Courthouse.
Detrick also expressed concerns about SEIRPC, pointing to a recent data center site application in Des Moines County. He said he did not believe the Des Moines County Board of Supervisors was adequately alerted about the project before it moved forward, and he does not want a similar situation to happen in Henry County. However, to explore all options thoroughly, SEIRPC was contacted and is working on a more detailed contract for the Supervisors to review.
Detrick is pushing the board to move quickly on a decision, saying, quote, “I think we are in trouble already. We’ve procrastinated and kicked the can down the road. The longer we wait, the more it’s going to cost. RUSS needs an answer soon.”
According to Detrick, RUSS has been working on the proposed MOU since August 5th. Lindeen said he did not see the proposal until last week. Detrick also said RUSS is looking for an answer because the organization is currently managing a large commercial solar farm project in Louisa County.
No decision was made Tuesday because the meeting was a work session. However, the board has now put the issue on the calendar.
The Henry County Board of Supervisors will meet Thursday morning at 9 at the Henry County Emergency Management building. The agenda includes discussion and possible action on contracts selecting a provider for Planning and Zoning services through a 28E agreement.
Thursday’s decision could determine how Henry County handles Planning and Zoning services as Buffington’s assumed retirement approaches and could have a long-term impact on how the county handles land use, development and growth for decades to come.