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Residents press county on road‑milling, assessments and a wind‑turbine setback around Yarmouth School
Summary
During public comment residents raised concerns about road millings and recurring gravel on private roads, questioned recent property‑assessment increases, and asked the board to reopen its ordinance to consider greater setbacks near a designated MedForce landing zone at Yarmouth School after an Iowa Supreme Court ruling.
Several residents used the board’s public‑comment period to press county staff on infrastructure, property assessments and wind‑project setbacks.
Jeff Bernhardt (public commenter) described repeated problems on 94th Avenue after a milling/repair project. “Our road was just road milled, fully redone, cost over $4,000... Now 2 years later, we've been patching that with gravel again,” Bernhardt said, asking why millings were not replaced and why gravel keeps returning. He said he had experienced multiple flat tires and that a carport near the roadway had raised assessment questions.
Board members advised Bernhardt to consult the county engineer and the assessor’s office and to contact Southeast Iowa Regional Planning regarding any zoning or setback questions. Jared Lassiter (land use) and Brian Carter (roads/operations) both suggested staff follow‑up to determine whether corrective measures are appropriate.
Allison (public commenter) referenced a recent Iowa Supreme Court decision in favor of Worth County and urged the board to reopen the local ordinance so the county could establish a greater setback around the Yarmouth School and protect a designated MedForce landing zone. Allison said the landing area had been used for emergency responses and asked the board to confirm whether the private landowner (identified in the discussion as Barb Sigworth) had given written permission. Board members said they had previously been provided coordinates for the landing site and pledged to request landowner sign‑off if it was not already documented.
Rose Fisher asked for an update on a state complaint about county road tours; the county attorney’s office said the matter remained with the state board and that no draft opinion had been received. Supervisors also confirmed that AES representatives had met briefly with some supervisors but were not yet prepared to submit a permit application.
The board offered procedural guidance — who to contact at county offices — and invited commenters to return after speaking with the county engineer, assessor or land‑use staff if issues remained unresolved.
