Reichman talks property tax and energy projects

MONTROSE – State Sen. Jeff Reichman fielded some questions from a small contingent at the Career Advantage Center Friday morning.
The monthly legislative update was attended by Reichman and incoming State Rep. Blaine Watkins, who has yet to be officially installed in the office replacing Martin Graber, who died earlier this year.
Watkins won a special election against Nannette Griffin earlier this month and has been going through some procedural processes prior to getting to Des Moines.
Watkins said that will happen officially on Monday.
Reichman fielded questions from Lee County Supervisor Garry Seyb, Lee County Engineer Ben Hull, and Fort Madison City Manager Laura Liegois, Lee County GOP Chairman James Creen, and also answered a few questions from residents who submitted them to the Lee County Economic Development Group and were presented by LCEDG’s Tim Gobble.
Seyb asked Reichman specifically about legislation around windfarm and solar power generation projects asking Reichman to leave as much control with local governments as possible. Seyb referred to Iowa Senate File 376 which dealt with siting and operations of power-generating fields in the state. That file is aimed at regulations on wind farms that he said did very little in the way of limiting anything.
Reichman said he spoke with the bill’s drafter and said windmills, community solar, and the energy bill are all part of it.  He said he couldn't can’t say what will happen, but he said he doesn’t think the bill would come up with limiting language for what the counties can do. He said the intent seems to be all encompassing.
“It’s all or nothing. We’re talking about pipelines, property rights and windmills, solar. You either want the right to have solar or a windmill on your property or you don’t,” he said.
But the issue spills over into neighbors who don’t want the intrusiveness on their property, and they could get it indirectly through strobe lights or shadows or other intrusions.
Seyb said, for Lee County, it’s two big issues – one is eminent domain and the other is home rule.
“It’s not something that’s currently legislated at the state level. Counties are doing it on their own. I know some counties are doing some ordinances and by proxy or, in essence, banning them. Lee County is not taking that stance and we have put a lot of work in on this,” Seyb said.
“I would encourage that at the state level you allow that process to stay as close to the homeowner, the taxpayer, the citizens,  the local government as we can possibly stand.

He said the industrial lobby is trying to move the decisions past the county and make regulations unilateral across the state.
“That seems to be very much in favor of the industry, in my opinion” he said.
The county’s held several meetings with property owners this year to gauge property owner reaction to projects being proposed for Lee County, including a large-scale windfarm by Tenasco, and a solar-hydrogen project in Wever by GoSolar.
Lee County Engineer Ben Hull encouraged Reichman to consider the impacts of rural basic funding with the state’s proposed property tax overhaul. Hull said the residual impact of the changes could have a negative effect on county’s farm-to-market funding and other resources as a formulary of the property tax structure.
Creen asked Reichman about additional options for helping improve safety conditions at Iowa State Penitentiary, where multiple assaults have been reported over the past year.
Reichman said former State Rep. Graber had brought up the idea of paying people at ISP more than other state corrections facilities because of the maximum security status and level of danger with the criminals. Reichman said the DOC has been unresponsive to his requests.
“Martin brought up paying extra because their employment is at a low level, as low as it's been,” Reichman said.
“I did talk with Corrections about it and I have yet to hear back from them. So I’m going to have to go back to them again and hold them down and ask them what they thought about that. It’s a tough situation, but just asking them the question apparently wasn’t enough.”
Reichman said there is a tool in place to allow for higher pay for those officers.
Seyb said there was also a study bill, House Study Bill 265, that looked at IPERS formulas for protected-class employees which includes correctional officers.
He asked Reichman to put that on his radar, as well. Seyb said it reduces the retirement age for correctional officers working directly with inmates.
Liegois asked when there would be discussion and opportunity for discussion on the property tax bill. Reichman said Ways and Means will be scheduling discussion on the bill, but he couldn’t give her a date.
“As a county and a city, it affects all of us, and all of our professional associations are watching it,” she said.