Supervisors Say They Are Still Out Of Airport After Pella Vote
Oskaloosa, Iowa – The Mahaska County Board of Supervisors says that they have removed themselves from the 28E agreement for the new regional airport.
Dan Gonnerman is a Slater, Iowa attorney that was hired by the board to represent due to a conflict of interest with the county attorney.
Mahaska County Supervisor Mark Doland said that Gonnerman has reached out to the City of Pella and Oskaloosa “to discuss the resolution.”
Gonnerman says that both cities refuse to agree to a meeting and directed him towards their city attorneys.
“Oskaloosa city attorney wrote me a letter informing me that they would not agree to a meeting. Pella’s attorney has not given me a final answer,” said Doland, reading the Gonnerman email.
“From Mahaska County’s standpoint, we are no longer a part of the airport. We are no longer a part of the SCRAA board,” said Doland. “We voted to terminate. We’re going to file those papers with the Secretary of State is what you do. We believe the legal opinion will hold up.”
“If it’s challenged, the difference between two words there’s a big difference, and in legal contracts, words have meanings. This one boils down to the words each and all. It says in the 28E agreement that each entity can vote. Which we would say is individuality. We have individualism. We have unilateral decision-making power to withdraw and terminate the agreement. If the 28E agreement said all, all parties have to agree to it, there’s a difference. That word is not used,” Doland said to those gathered at the supervisor meeting.
“We are making a declaration, we are no longer a part of the airport when that [resolution] passed,” says Doland.
Doland says he was instructed by “legal counsel” that the board no longer had a seat on the SCRAA board due to their vote. “I terminated our role on the board. So I called Mr. Warrick and told him we are no longer a part of the board.”
“That’s where things stand as far as I’m concerned,” Doland said in closing.
The vote by the Mahaska County Board of Supervisors was 2-1, with Doland and Groenendyk voted in favor of leaving the 28E agreement, while Van Weelden dissented and voted for staying a part of the agreement.
The City of Oskaloosa took up the measure later that evening, declining Mahaska County’s resolution to leave the 28E agreement for the regional airport.
The City of Pella voted on July 3rd to not accept the resolution from Mahaska County to terminate themselves from the 28E agreement.
Dave Swenson from ISU presented statistics to the board about the economy in Mahaska County. Manufacturing and government jobs make up a majority of the employment for the county.
In other action, the board heard reports from Mahaska County Conservation, and MCARD.
The board took no action on an amendment to the 28E agreement with South Iowa Detention Center. That group is seeking to find clarity from Mahaska County about their intentions on where they will be sending their youth.
