Scott County Supervisors table decision on 28E agreement with Eastern Iowa Disability Alliance

Supervisor discussion and a public comment led the Scott County Board of Supervisors on Oct. 9 to remove a proposed 28E agreement with the Eastern Iowa Disability Alliance from the consent agenda and table consideration for two weeks.

Supervisor (speaker 4) said the agreement’s listed powers—on page 4, the cooperative’s ability to “retain legal counsel” and to “sue and be sued”—created unanswered liability and cost questions. He said, “anything that ... is going to govern the agreement needs to be in the agreement,” and asked who would be responsible for legal costs if litigation arose. He also described the alliance as “an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy” and requested additional review with staff before signing.

Resident Molly Reagan of Bettendorf, speaking during public comment, said she could not find a list of the counties that compose Region 7 in the agreement and asked that those counties be named explicitly when the item returns for consideration.

County staff responded that the item “is not time sensitive” and offered to have Julie Davidson present the originally planned briefing at a future Committee of the Whole meeting to answer questions. The board voted to table the resolution to allow supervisors and staff to meet and obtain additional information. The chair asked Supervisor 4 to meet with Laurie Elam and staff before the next Committee of the Whole so the supervisor would “have a document that you’re satisfied with.”

The board’s action was procedural: tabling does not approve or reject the agreement. The item was scheduled to return to the board in two weeks for additional discussion and a staff presentation.

What happens next: staff will provide the requested clarifications—who the Region 7 member counties are, how legal authority and liability are addressed in the 28E text, and whether other Region 7 members have executed the agreement—before the item returns for deliberation.