City And County Representatives Answer Questions At Eggs And Issues
Oskaloosa, Iowa – The Mahaska County Chamber and Development Group sponsored Eggs and Issues continued with its virtual series this past Saturday.
On the hot seat was Oskaloosa Mayor Dave Krutzfeldt and Mahaska County Supervisor Mark Groenendyk.
The live event was broadcast on MCG Channel 7, Mahaska Chamber and Development Facebook page, and the Oskaloosa News Facebook page. Both Facebook pages have the program available for on-demand viewing.
One of the first questions fielded to the two representatives was the ongoing legal battle between the cities of Oskaloosa and Pella and Mahaska County regarding their 28E agreement over a regional airport.
The question involved how the lawsuit’s cost was being assessed among city and county residents for the ongoing litigation.
Mayor Krutzfeldt said he believes that many residents within Oskaloosa don’t realize that they are paying for both sides of the litigation.
Krutzfeldt said that the lawsuit “grates on the nerves of me too, that to think that we had an agreement that was struck back in the day, and all we had to do was keep it going.”
“It seems to me that the resistance to the airport is coming primarily from the agricultural sector,” said Krutzfeldt as an argument to use rural funds collected by the County for the ongoing legal battle versus using general fund dollars that are collected from cities as well. “Just as Mayor, that’s the way I would do it.”
Supervisor Mark Groenendyk said that the only portion of the lawsuit the Supervisors have asked the courts to determine “What is a fair, valid 28E.”
Groenendyk said that up until 2018, the Supervisors had spent no money on attorney fees until the cities of Pella and Oskaloosa sued the County for damages, saying the County had delayed the airport.
Groenendyk said that its County taxpayers, “and that means everybody had to pay” to file to get the cities case dismissed “and put pressure on the city’s attorneys to finally admit we have no claims.”
“So that’s the short of it. The County did not sue the cities. The cities actually sued the County. We’re just asking the Supreme Court if this is a valid determination and how do we proceed,” added Groenendyk.
The pair also fielded questions regarding roads, infrastructure, recycling, radio system, and the restructuring of E911 services.
You can watch the entire session above.
The next scheduled Eggs and Issues is planned for February 27th, 2021, at 8:30 am on the same outlets of Mahaska Chamber and Development and Oskaloosa News Facebook pages. The discussion will also be available on MCG Channel 7.
That session will once again feature local legislators Dustin Hite, Holly Brink, and Ken Rozenboom.
