Linn County supervisors appoint regional solid-waste working group under new MOU

The Linn County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 13 appointed a regional working group established in a memorandum of understanding between Linn County, the City of Cedar Rapids, the City of Marion and the Solid Waste Agency.

A Supervisor who presented the item said the MOU had been approved by all parties "as of this morning," and moved to appoint the working group that will include local government representatives and agency staff. He named the proposed members as Darren Gage (Linn County), Tyler Olson (Cedar Rapids City Council), Roy Hessman (Cedar Rapids Utilities director), Ryan Waller (City of Marion manager), Grant Harper (Marion City Council), L. D. Miller (city administrator, Ely), Gerd Prestergard (lead environmental engineer, Solid Waste Agency) and Mark Weldon (sustainability engineer, Quaker Oats/PepsiCo). The presenter said the group’s first public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday at 5:30 p.m., with an agenda to be published on Monday.

The Chair praised the appointments as an example of regional cooperation, saying "this truly is leaders from all of these communities stepping up" to address difficult solid-waste issues. A seconding Supervisor noted the broader pattern of collaboration around projects such as Tower Terrace Road. The motion to appoint the working group was seconded and approved by voice vote; the transcript records ayes and the Chair’s announcement that the motion passed, but does not provide a roll-call tally.

The board moved next toward entering a closed session and adjournment; the working group’s meeting date and the published agenda are the next public steps noted in the record.