Supervisors OK housing trust fund contribution, discuss annexation process
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For the second meeting in a row, the Marshall County Board of Supervisors quickly worked through a light regular agenda before touching on some of the more hot-button issues of the moment during the public comment period on Wednesday morning.
Once the consent agenda had been approved, Region 6 Resource Partners Executive Director Marty Wymore stepped forward to provide information on the annual Housing Trust Fund contribution, which allows his organization serving Marshall, Tama, Hardin and Poweshiek counties to access approximately $404,000 in state resources. The local match requirement has been reduced from 25 percent to 10 percent, so the county was only being asked to kick in $17,483 for fiscal year 2027.
Between 2015 and 2025, $1.3 million from the Trust Fund has been spent in Marshall County to improve owner-occupied housing and increase the availability of rental units in the downtown area of Marshalltown. On the owner-occupied side, the projects focus on exteriors and emergency repairs, and there is currently a "very lengthy" waiting list for assistance, and the priority is serving individuals and families who are under 30 percent of the annual median income.
"Right now, we do have a backlog of projects with a lack of contractors in this area that want to do work, especially this government lane that we're in. It's a real challenge to find people that want to bid on projects," Wymore said. "We hope the county can continue to support like you have in the past, and we continue to serve a need."
It was clarified that the contribution funds come from the county's economic development fund, and from there, a motion to approve the $17,483 contribution passed unanimously.
Once the board had quickly moved through the rest of the regular agenda, the public comment period again included several remarks related to the ongoing data center controversy in Marshalltown and Marshall County. County Zoning Administrator Tyler Kelley informed the audience that the Zoning Commission will be meeting on Aug. 27 at 10 a.m. at the courthouse to consider a recommendation for a temporary moratorium like the one the city council voted on at its most recent meeting, and
Harold Lanning of rural Marshalltown raised a question about the process of annexing land and the roles of both the city council and the county board of supervisors in such an action. The proposed comprehensive plan for the city of Marshalltown includes areas just outside of the current southeastern city limits as targets for annexation, and an area off of Shady Oaks Road has been identified as a potential data center site.
Board Chairman Jarret Heil said there have been no formal annexation requests submitted yet, but he is well aware that it is a possibility.
"We've heard the same that you've heard as well," he said.
County Assessor Blaze Wurr then came forward and explained what he knew about annexations -- in his understanding, the city has meetings and makes a decision before it eventually has to be confirmed with the Secretary of State. During his tenure, Wurr has dealt with one annexation into the city near Wandering Creek and two severances south of the MCC campus.
He wasn't entirely sure on all details, and Sara Badger from the Auditor/Recorder's office believed it depended on whether the annexation was voluntary or involuntary. City annexation laws are governed by Chapter 368 of the Iowa Code.
Lanning hoped the board of supervisors would be more forthcoming with the public than "some of" the city fathers.
In other business, the board:
Approved a contract for AI document management with Cott Systems for the Auditor/Recorder and authorized the chair to sign. The contract will include a one-time cost of $2,681.25 for ingestion and setup, a one-time payment of $6,435 for digitizing records and an annual subscription cost of $5,760.
Approved the purchase of permanent and temporary right of way from DJS Family Farms LLC for $3,690 and from Vincene Ridout for $3,863 as part of the Bridge O6 project south of Haverhill.
Held a public hearing on the vacation of a portion of Brown Avenue with no verbal or written comments.