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Linn County preliminarily approves sustainability budget; director outlines resilience, tree‑planting and ARPA projects
Summary
Supervisors preliminarily approved a FY2026 sustainability appropriation of $173,535. Sustainability Director Kara Matson outlined department KPIs, watershed partnerships, an Iowa DNR tree‑planting grant application ($27,840), ARPA‑funded resiliency units and a native‑planting pilot.
Linn County supervisors gave preliminary approval to the sustainability department's FY2026 appropriation and heard an overview of current initiatives, partnerships and planned projects.
Budget Director Sarah Barrows said the sustainability budget totals $173,535, an increase from $147,706 in FY2025, and noted the operating budget remains $28,320. Kara Matson, sustainability director, outlined three KPIs — increase sustainability initiatives at county facilities, expand grant and funding initiatives, and provide education and outreach — and described internal benchmarking, watershed partnerships and a native planting pilot in partnership with a monarch research project.
Matson said she will apply to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources for a $27,840 tree‑planting grant with Trees Forever providing planting and two years of watering and maintenance; the item was placed on the consent agenda for Wednesday. She also described ARPA‑funded resiliency units intended for disaster response and community outreach and said the department sought to grow organically without requesting new staff in FY2026.
Board members commended Matson for partnership building and asked staff to continue coordination with facilities and risk management. The board preliminarily approved the appropriation by voice vote.
What's next: The tree‑planting grant and other items will appear on the consent agenda or future agendas as specified; staff will return with any grant awards or implementation details.
