Page County supervisors agreed to contribute $500 to the Iowa State Association of Counties (ISAC) to help fund an amicus brief backing Shelby and Story County in a dispute tied to federal pipeline safety law.

The request came during public comment when Jan Norris of Montgomery County said a law firm will file the brief and that ISAC is asking counties to contribute. “This is about local control, not the pipeline,” Norris said, describing concerns raised in an attorneys’ webinar about how federal and state routing decisions can undercut county zoning authority.

Why it matters: supporters told supervisors they view the issue as a potential threat to county home rule and local setbacks, especially after an Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals decision that commenters said limited county zoning powers. Marty, a caller during public comment, cited Shelby County’s 1,000-foot setback ordinance as an example of longstanding local rules that could be reduced by the regulatory push he described.

Supervisors discussed the ISAC request and voted to approve the $500 check; the board recorded the motion as carried 3–0 and instructed the clerk to send payment by the Nov. 21 deadline. County officials said the total cost being raised by ISAC for the filing is $25,000, and counties were asked to contribute $500 each.

Speakers and attributions in this report are taken from the meeting record. Jan Norris identified herself as from Montgomery County; Marty identified himself only by first name during public comment and described conversations with other county officials.

Authorities and references discussed at the meeting included the federal Pipeline Safety Act and filings tied to an Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals decision; attendees also referenced PHMSA and the Iowa utilities regulator (IUC) in describing the dispute that the amicus brief will address.

Next steps: the clerk was asked to prepare and mail the county check to ISAC. The filing deadline for the brief was cited as Nov. 6; counties have until Nov. 21 to submit the $500 contribution.