DES MOINES —
One legislator has proposed that by 2017, Iowa must cut its number of counties nearly in half, but southeast Iowa legislators are not keen on the idea.
Among 28 other bills he has filed this week, state Rep. Bruce Hunter, D-Des Moines, introduced House Joint Resolution 3, which proposes to reduce the number of counties in the state to no more than 50 by July 1, 2017.
“Such reduction shall be accomplished by the merger, in whole or in part, of presently existing counties. Newly created counties shall be composed of contiguous territory and shall be reasonably compact,” according to the resolution.
“I have a disagreement about that,” said state Rep. Mary Gaskill, D-Ottumwa. “He’s from Polk County, so it looks good up there. But a lot of things look good to them. I would prefer to keep things as much local as you can.”
Ottumwa’s Republican senator, Mark Chelgren, is “adamantly” opposed to the proposal.
“I love small-town Iowa and Iowa values, and those come from small communities,” he said. “I came from a big city; I don’t like big cities, and it’s not in the interest of Iowa to consolidate until the big cities have all the control.
“Part of what makes Iowa such a unique place is that we have small communities. I would hate to see that character be lost.”
Gaskill said it’s important not to regionalize local government as has been done with last year’s mental health overhaul.
“I don’t believe ... that it will save any money because you have to integrate all of those items,” she said. “I could see a day come when we have a lot more electronic communication and maybe be able to do some things electronically, but I don’t think we’re there yet. The court system is still trying to get their system up and going.”
Davis County could essentially be absorbed by Wapello County if counties were forced to merge, Chelgren said.
“The issue is there’s such a small population in Davis County ... they would lose a tremendous amount in trying to deal with day-to-day issues,” Chelgren said.
Cutting Iowa’s number counties nearly in half would also mean citizens would have to travel further to access local government, Gaskill said.
“A lot of times these people, particularly if they’re on disability, they don’t have enough money to take care of their home, let alone transportation to another part of the state for services,” she said.
The resolution has been sent to the Local Government committee, but Gaskill said she’s not sure it will move through.
“They’re going to have to be able to convince me,” Gaskill said.
Newcomer to the Iowa House, state Rep. Larry Sheets, R-Moulton, said he finds the proposal troubling.
“I think it’s a bad idea,” Sheets said. “I believe in having the government as close to the people being governed as possible. This approach sounds like they’re taking that away from the citizens.
“It might be efficient, but not very effective.”
But this change would require amending the Iowa Constitution since it would change county boundaries.
It would have to pass both chambers in two different legislative cycles in order to make it to the ballot in the following general election.
“If you consolidate counties, the larger and more powerful counties and the urban areas would get more power, and the rural areas will get less,” Chelgren said.
He said the philosophy behind the proposal is less duplication of services, meaning instead of 99 courthouses, there would only be 45 or 50. But the same point has been argued for regionalization of mental health services, and he said it’s not the direction the state needs to go.
“At the time people talked about how great it would be to have regions be more consistent to save money,” Chelgren said of regionalization of mental health services. “Now those same people are saying that’s a terrible idea because they miss the good ol’ days when they had control locally.
“As soon as you take it out of the hands of the people who are local, it’s no longer is something the people can respond to.”
Local News
January 19, 2013
Resisting an urge to merge: Legislator proposes cutting Iowa’s 99 counties to 50 in four years
- Local News
-
- Veterinary clinic rezoned to commercial OTTUMWA -- The Ottumwa Veterinary Clinic is now officially a commercial district. At Tuesday's city council meeting, members voted 4-1 to approve the rezoning of the clinic from R-1 Single Family Residential to C-1 Commercial District, with Councilma
- Ottumwa lands 2015 Iowa Tourism Conference OTTUMWA — It takes two southeast Iowa communities to yank the opportunity to host the Iowa Tourism Conference from Des Moines. Ottumwa Area Convention and Visitors Bureau executive director Mark Eckman was stunned by how quickly the Iowa Tourism Offi
- County to learn about disaster declarations OTTUMWA — The county is a step closer to finding out if they'll be getting money from the federal government. "FEMA was here last week, doing a damage assessment," said Wapello County Engineer Brian Moore during a meeting of the Wapello County Board
- Locals want to help Oklahoma emergency crews will report specific needs soon OTTUMWA — The sound of the telephone ringing is evidence to Julie Smithart that residents of Wapello County do care. The tornado damage to lives and property in Oklahoma has brought out the best in people, said Smithart, an AmeriCorps volunteer assig
-
Barber shows no signs of cutting career short
OTTUMWA -- Darrell Smith's hands are steady and sure as he picks up his clippers and straight razor to begin his first haircut and shave of the day. Smith, 88, has cut hair for 62 years and has owned Smitty's Barber Shop on Albia Road for the past 58
- Making memories on stage -- and off OTTUMWA -- Sold-out shows last year inspired Bridge View Center management to continue finding high-quality acts, they announced Monday. The venue's executive director, Larry Gawronski, said last year, booking good, expensive shows was a "leap of f
- Roaring winds Southeast Iowa in clean-up mode after storm passes through OTTUMWA — Work crews in and around Wapello County put in a lot of hours. And they were ready to do it again. “We had the storms roll through there last night,” said Ryan Stensland, a spokesman for Alliant Energy. “Down in southeast part of the state,
-
Flood debris removal up for consideration
OTTUMWA — A month after heavy rainfall caused rivers and streams to flood Ottumwa streets and homes, the city council will solidify a plan to remove the debris left behind. At the council's meeting tonight, members will consider awarding the $12,500
-
Community baccalaureate service Wednesday
OTTUMWA -- Seniors in the Ottumwa High School area will once again be special guests at the community baccalaureate service at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the high school auditorium. This is an annual gathering o
-
Storms forecast to return later Monday
OTTUMWA -- The first severe weather outbreak of the year didn't do as much damage to southeast Iowa as in other areas, but it's likely on to round two today.
- More Local News Headlines
