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Local residents concerned about the prospect of wind turbines being erected across the northern part of Webster County should not expect the state legislature to weigh in on the matter.
When asked about wind farms during an Eggs and Issues forum Saturday, lawmakers said it is too late in the 2023 legislative session to introduce new policy bills.
Currently, county governments have control over the location of wind farms, according to state Rep. Mike Sexton, R- Rockwell City.
"Your county supervisors have all the authority on wind mills," he said.
While this year's legislative session is winding down, taxation bills are still eligible for debate. Sexton and state Sen. Tim Kraayenbrink, R-Fort Dodge, and state Rep. Ann Meyer, R-Fort Dodge, discussed proposed property tax relief bills.
Kraayenbrink and Meyer also defended a child labor law bill, which they said has been distorted by legislative Democrats and the news media.
"This bill truly does strike a balance," Meyer said.
Depending on how the work on the estimated $9 billion state budget goes, the legislative session is expected to end within the next two weeks.
About 25 people attended Saturday's Eggs and Issues forum in the Triton Cafe at Iowa Central Community College. The forum was sponsored by the college and the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance.
Wind farms
Wind turbines already dot the landscape across the southern part of Webster County. They have been there for more than a decade.
MidAmerican Energy is now in the early stages of planning a set of turbines in northern and northeastern Webster County that would be called the Gypsum Wind Farm. The county's Planning and Zoning Commission is considering some new regulations for placement of wind turbines.
The proposed wind turbines are running into some opposition from people who live in the area where they would be located.
During Saturday's forum, the lawmakers were asked for their thoughts on the project. None of them commented on the specifics of the proposal.
Sexton said the wind farm is a county government issue. The legislature, he said, "hasn't really weighed in" on wind farms.
He said wind farms have been discussed in the House Agriculture Committee, but no legislation has advanced.
He recalled that 30 years ago, the legislature took regulation of livestock confinements away from counties so that there would not be 99 sets of rules in Iowa. At that time, he said, county boards of supervisors objected to the state taking away local control of confinements.
Now, he said, counties seem to be asking for state control of wind turbines.
"They kind of want to have their bread buttered on both sides," he said.
There will also be no action regarding the use of eminent domain to acquire land for carbon dioxide pipelines during this year's legislative session.
Meyer said the House passed a bill that would require pipeline companies to get 90 percent of the needed land by voluntary easements before they could use eminent domain to acquire the rest. With an eminent domain process, the pipeline company could get a piece of property appraised, pay that amount to the land owner and take the land even if the owner isn't willing to sell.
However, the bill failed in the Senate.
"There just wasn't enough votes in the Senate to get it across the finish line," Kraayenbrink said.
Property tax reform
With recently delivered assessment notices showing the value of most homes going up 10 percent to 45 percent, property tax relief has been a major topic of debate in the state Capitol.
Meyer said the House passed a bill that would reduce property taxes by 20 percent.
Kraayenbrink said the Senate's property tax relief bill would reduce levies as the valuation of property rises.
Sexton seemed skeptical of the property tax measures, however.
"I just don't think it's going to be a substantial piece of property tax relief," he said.
Child labor
Kraayenbrink said the recently passed bill "actually tightened up the youth work law."
He said it does allow young teenagers to work until 9 p.m. He said kids that age are already out until 11 p.m. when they are coming home from school sports events so they should be allowed to work until 9 p.m.
He said the bill was passed late at night only because Senate Democrats went into a private caucus for about six hours.
Meyer said the bill allows teens to do these tasks:
• Go in walk-in coolers.
• Use microwaves.
• Load and unload vehicles.
• Use cleaning products.
Kraayenbrink and Meyer were both critical of how Democrats approached the measure.
"Every single issue they brought up was a lie and was false," the senator said.
Meyer said Senate Minority Leader Zach Wahls, D-Coralville, put out a tweet criticizing the bill, which was "truly fear-mongering."