Linn County committee to fill supervisors vacancy opens applications, votes to appoint

The Linn County Committee of County Officers voted on the record to fill a vacancy on the Board of Supervisors by appointment and directed county HR to open an applications portal with a 10-day window closing Sunday, March 23. The committee scheduled a follow-up meeting to review applicant packets in the afternoon of March 26 and discussed possible interview dates the week of March 31–April 4 and a potential appointment the week of April 7.

The action came at a meeting convened at 3:30 p.m., during which the county auditor reported that no valid petitions had been filed during the initial 14-day petition window. "By yesterday at close of business, we did not receive any petitions formally in the office," the auditor said, reporting that the petition window had expired.

Darren Gage, Linn County director of policy administration, presented a tentative calendar for the process and said the standard internal 10-day application window would place the deadline on March 23 and allow committee review the week of March 24. He warned the committee of pending legislation: "Senate File 75 has passed the senate and that would require a county of our size ... to fill a vacancy in the Board of Supervisors by special election, not by appointment," Gage said, noting that the bill, as written, would take effect immediately on enactment.

Committee members agreed applicants should be told up front that any appointment could be temporary. The county auditor asked that posting language state the appointed person would serve until "either a petition that triggers a special election, a law change, or the next general election." The committee also directed HR to note on the posting that application materials and applicant names are subject to public records rules; HR staff said sensitive data would be redacted when packets are made public.

Public comment included a statement from Circe Stumbo of Cedar Rapids, who thanked the committee and urged a prompt appointment so the board could make decisions with a full slate of supervisors: "I think that that's the need in this moment in time to have someone in place and to have a full slate of directors making some really significant decisions," Stumbo said.

On formal actions, the committee approved the minutes at the start of the meeting and later passed a motion to formally announce it would fill the vacancy by appointment; both votes were taken by voice. The transcript records committee members saying "aye," but individual vote tallies are not fully recorded in the transcript for every motion.

HR confirmed the county's standard practice is to keep applications sealed until the posting closes so all candidates can be considered together; the committee agreed each member would receive an applicant packet after the portal closes and would mark which applicants should advance to interviews. Darren Gage said he would compile members' advance preferences (an "offer pot" style review) and have materials ready for the March 26 meeting. HR staff indicated they could make the portal live that afternoon.

The committee set a next public meeting for the afternoon of March 26 at 1:30 p.m. in the same room to review packets and decide whether to schedule interviews or make an appointment once the vacancy is effective. A motion to adjourn passed by voice vote at the end of the meeting.

What happens next: the applications portal will be open immediately, with a March 23 deadline under the committee's proposed calendar; the committee will receive applicant packets after the close of the window and reconvene March 26 to determine next steps.