Linn County joins regional MOU to study long-term solid-waste options

The Linn County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the City of Cedar Rapids, the City of Marion, and the Cedar Rapids–Linn County Solid Waste Agency to create a regional working group to evaluate long-term solid-waste strategies. Supervisors described the MOU as a planning framework that does not bind jurisdictions to specific actions.

One supervisor said the agreement grew from urgency around landfill capacity, noting that Site 2's timeline accelerated after recent natural disasters such as the 2020 derecho and floods. "This is a memorandum of understanding between the Solid Waste Agency, the City of Cedar Rapids, the City of Marion, and Linn County that would basically be a proposal to start discussing the future of our solid waste management as a region," a supervisor said. Board members praised Marion and Cedar Rapids for a regional approach and approved the MOU by voice vote.

The MOU establishes a working group and criteria to consider national practices and options; it is expressly nonbinding, and participating entities will still need separate approvals for any program or capital projects that might result from the group's recommendations. The Solid Waste Agency and the cities were said to be taking the MOU to their respective governing bodies on upcoming agendas, and the county planned to place the agreement on the Wednesday consent agenda for final approval.