Polk County supervisors reject RFP authorization for seven new county-built homes; approve emergency refugee funding and land conveyance

Polk County supervisors on Monday narrowly declined to authorize the county to issue bids to build seven single‑family homes, but approved a series of other measures including a land conveyance to the City of Bondurant and emergency funding to support refugee resettlement organizations.

The split vote came after a public hearing and extended discussion about whether the county should directly build units or distribute funds more broadly. The motion tied to Resolution No. 6 — approving plans, specifications, form of contract and an estimated cost to construct seven homes on county-owned lots — failed 3–2. Supervisors Holm, Altringer and McCoy voted no; Supervisors Hawkinsmith and Connolly voted yes.

Advocates urged the board to move forward. "We had more than 1,000 people knocking on our door last year," Lance Henning of Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity told the board during the public hearing, urging supervisors to expand housing supply to address cost burdens and overcrowding. Henning also said Habitat’s local cost to build last year averaged about $240,000 for a three‑bedroom, two‑bath house.

County staff said the lots for the seven homes are already owned by Polk County and the resolution would only authorize Public Works to issue an RFP to solicit bids; no contract would be executed without a later affirmative board action. "This is simply a procedural step," said Dominic of the county attorney’s office, explaining the requirements under Iowa Code chapter 26 for public improvement projects and emphasizing that "no contract is entered into today." Staff also said the funding timeline tied to the grant requires commitments that allow work to be paid by January 2026.

Opponents argued the approach was too narrow. One supervisor said allocating the same funds across more households might yield broader impact than constructing a small number of county‑owned units.

Outside the single‑family debate, supervisors adopted a resolution transferring county-owned land to the City of Bondurant for the Chautauqua Valley Trail realignment project; that motion passed unanimously. The board also approved a resolution instituting proceedings to reallocate certain unspent proceeds of Polk County general obligation bonds, series 2024B.

On refugee services, the board heard testimony from local resettlement organizations about an abrupt federal stop‑work order. Renee Hardman, president and CEO of Lutheran Services in Iowa, said the organization received a Jan. 24 notice from the Department of State ordering resettlement agencies to stop providing services that were reimbursed by federal funds, and asked the board to consider emergency one‑time county support so agencies could continue case management, housing placement assistance and initial services for newly arrived, vetted refugees. Nick Wirtz, LSI’s director of immigrant and refugee services, told the board LSI had 128 Polk County residents affected by the stop‑work order.

The board later approved emergency one‑time funding measures to support resettlement services; staff referenced a countywide ask tied to roughly 478 legal refugees transitioning to Polk County in related agenda language. Multiple routine items — plats, contract approvals for lead‑hazard repairs, community development grants, assessor recommendations and others — were adopted as presented.

What happens next

Because the failed motion related only to authorizing an RFP and approving plans/specifications, county counsel and staff said procurement can still issue and evaluate bids only if the board later chooses to bring the matter back. Staff emphasized that if bids exceed estimates the board can reject all bids and decline to proceed.

The board also moved into a closed session later in the meeting to consult with counsel on litigation matters under Iowa law. No contract awards tied to the single‑family homes were made during the meeting.

(Reporting note: quotes and attributions are taken from the board meeting transcript.)