Mahaska County Supervisors End 28E Agreement Regarding Regional Airport
June 29th, 2022
Oskaloosa, Iowa – After last week’s ruling by the Iowa Supreme Court, the Mahaska County Board of Supervisors voted to end their participation in a 28E agreement for a regional airport.
That agreement had initially been with the cities of Oskaloosa and Pella and was signed in March of 2012.
In June 2017, the Mahaska County Board of Supervisors voted to remove themselves from the 28E agreement, but Oskaloosa and Pella resisted.
In the Iowa Supreme Court ruling, the justices said that the agreement was unlawful as it bound the decisions of the current board of supervisors due to past board’s decisions in the exercise of governmental functions and that it unlawfully restricted Mahaska County from terminating its delegation of powers.
The resolution says that today’s vote “reaffirms that Mahaska County withdraws from the 28E agreement with the cities of Pella and Oskaloosa for the purpose of the joint acquisition, construction, equipping, use, expansion, and operation of an airport facility.”
Mahaska County resident Tim Van Maanen spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting, saying, “I hope that my county understands that this vote today has saved them millions of dollars in the future because it is unattached us from the airport.”
“But with Mahaska County pulling out of this, you guys have protected the residents from something they voted down many years ago. Not showing a need, and you have saved millions in the future in taxes, upkeep, and maintenance. Whatever it takes,” Van Maanen added. “I know you guys get a little bit of a bad rap about how much money you spent on attorney fees fighting this. That’s a drop in the bucket compared to the millions you’ve saved Mahaska County taxpayers in the future.”
Mahaska County Supervisor Mark Groenendyk said that the Iowa Supreme Court decision was about “the people of this county having a say in how their government is run and what they do.”
“You, the people, have a right to voice your opinion,” Groenendyk added about the 28E agreement the county decided to part ways with and end their participation in a regional airport.
On Monday evening, the SCRAA board met, but they have yet to outline what their plans are going forward regarding a regional airport.
