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At a recent meeting of the Iowa County Board of Supervisors a vote was taken after a closed session to spend up to $50,000 in a potential lawsuit against the Public Service Commission's approval of the Cardinal-Hickory Creek transmission lines.
The issue has its detractors and supporters of the line and rightly so. The detractors have been diligent in attending meetings of all kinds of government including school boards, town and village boards, city councils and the Iowa County Board. They have been unwavering on how opposed they are to the project. Reasons include destruction of the beauty of the land, danger to the bird population, danger from potential leakage and the devaluation of land.
Area residents with these views have freely expressed them at many meetings of the Iowa County Board. They have expressed their appreciation of the board taking that step.
In looking at the decision to support the lawsuit there are some questions needing to be asked.
-Where is this money going to come from? Board chairman Joh Meyers told supervisors and attendees at last month's meeting the budget has to be balanced which means what is spent must also come in. If the board is going to spend up to $50,000 it will have to be taken from one of the budget sources already proposed.
-Is this a good move with the current Law Enforcement Center being proposed? That multimillion dollar project will fall on the taxpayers and several supervisors are worried about the potential tax hike.
-How about the merger of the nursing home facility owned by the county and Upland Hills Health? No doubt there will be some building connected with that project also.
-What about the roads that Iowa County is responsible for maintaining? Our local county road system and the bridges are in terrible shape and need attention right now. The highway department needs the help and is not getting it.
-Is the county board an agency that should take sides financially? No doubt the supervisors as citizens have the right to form their own opinions on the project but should fund any part of a measure for or against? And there are people who are for the project who do not make their feelings known because the PSC approved it.
For many reasons the expenditure the board approved does not seem to be right for the taxpayers at this time. Let's hope there can be another thought on this so the money can be put to use to help all taxpayers.