Cerro Gordo supervisors submit letter to Iowa Utilities Board voicing concerns on Summit pipeline project; approve maximum property tax levy for FY 2023

MASON CITY — The Cerro Gordo County Board of Supervisors today without comment submitted a letter to the Iowa Utilities Board raising concerns about the proposed Summit Carbon Solutions carbon dioxide pipeline project.

Summit plans to build 700 miles of pipeline across Iowa, including through several counties in north-central Iowa, to capture carbon from ethanol plants and bury it deep underground in North Dakota.

The board in its letter say their concerns include impacts to public drainage districts and private farm tile, and use of eminent domain for the purpose of private company benefit. The board says potential damage to the drainage district infrastructure could come at public cost as a result of the project.

=== The supervisors today also approved the maximum property tax levy for the county in the Fiscal Year 2023 budgeting year. County budget director Heather Mathre says the county will be taking in $500,000 less next year from the countywide levy.  “General purposes we’re asking for roughly an additional $306,000. Overall, the increase will be down $505,000 because we will be looking at our mental health and debt service levy as well. Just the general side is up 2% as well as the rural side is a 2% increase in the levy, which for the rural side is $65,000.”

Mathre says the net levy countywide would decrease for the next fiscal year.  “The net levy for countywide is $5.18 and the rural you would add an additional $3.40.”

After establishing the maximum property tax levy for the next fiscal year, the supervisors approved scheduling a public hearing about the Fiscal Year 2023 budget at their March 8th meeting. The proposed budget would see the countywide levy decrease from $5.78 per $1000 assessed valuation to $5.47.