The Webster County Board of Supervisors approved by a narrow margin Tuesday a 4,999 head hog confinement to be located in Jackson Township.

The vote passed 3-2 with supervisors Bob Thode and Austin Hayek voting yes. Supervisors John Cochrane and Nathan Montgomery voted nay. Supervisor Chair Niki Conrad voted yes as the vote’s tie breaker.

“I’ve been on this board about nine years and at one point we voted down a hog confinement near Moorland,” said Thode. “The DNR turned around and permitted them to go ahead and put the confinement up anyway. At that point, we asked the owner to put electro-static fencing up and put in trees. I’m not going to use the language he used towards me, but he said that since we weren’t going to support him that he wasn’t going to do it, and now we have a hog confinement that’s permitted to do whatever they want. No matter what we vote on today, the DNR is going to allow this facility to go in. I think it’s a lot easier to work with the citizens and work with those around to be a good neighbor because this is going to go in no matter what.”

The DNR he referred to is the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Cochrane read letters from four residents in Jackson Township, which he represents.

“I am heartbroken and disheartened that this is happening,” wrote Clare resident Glenda Benson in a letter to the board. “I’m concerned about the proposed hog confinement proposed for north of Clare for several reasons. It could open the door for future hog confinements in the area and pollution of our air and water quality. Also, not only do these facilities diminish the quality of life for residents in the area, but also affects our property values.”

“I personally object to the hog confinement if they cannot promise that the confinement smells will not come down wind from the north to the City of Clare,” wrote Barb Passow, mayor of Clare, in a letter to the board. “We have had farm ag smells from four different directions for many years, and finally we have been blessed that flies and the smell have not been an issue. We couldn’t go outside because it smelled so bad. Companies promise that we would not smell them, but that just isn’t true.”

Webster County Attorney Darren Driscoll explained to a full gallery at the meeting that current Iowa legislation makes it difficult for counties to have a say in the permitting of confinements.

“We have very little control as Supervisor Thode said,” said Driscoll. “Regardless, if it was a 5-0 no vote today, they’d still be allowed to build the facility by the DNR. It appears like we have some authority here today, but we really don’t have much authority other than to say that we want to work with them to make it as minimal of an impact environmentally and to those around.”

“It looks like local control, but in fact, is not,” added Conrad.

As part of the vote, Summit Farms Pork, LLC will be asked to put electro-static fencing around the facility to reduce dust and odor from the facility’s exhaust fans before hogs are loaded into the building. Summit Farms Pork, LLC was also asked to plant trees on three sides of the facility as well.

The board also approved the lowest bid of $67,521.75 from Karl Chevrolet, of Webster City, for a new 2025 Chevrolet Suburban to be used by WIC and the Webster County Health Department.

A 28E sharing agreement with the Iowa Department of Transportation was also approved for grant funding purposes

The supervisors also approved plans and specifications for paving of the shoulders on county highways C56, D20, and P59, as well as a roundabout project at 170th Street south of Fort Dodge Regional Airport.