One southeast Iowa lawmaker is re-entering the heated debate in Lee County over where government services should be offered and where the county seat(s) should be located.
Former Lee County Supervisor Ernie Schiller said on many occasions, during the last 12 months, that State Sen. Rich Taylor (D-Mt. Pleasant) accelerated the county seat talk in Lee County.
Sen. Taylor announced about a year ago that he was considering legislation that would have reversed the 2011 reorganization of four county departments, potentially costing the county several hundred thousand dollars.
That bill was never filed for official consideration, but Sen. Taylor has begun the 2015 session with a new piece of legislation.
It would allow for a public vote on any consolidation, addition, or relocation of a county seat. Residents would be able to request the vote by presenting a valid petition to the local county board of supervisors.
"I want to make sure this is what the people want," said Sen. Taylor. "If they (don't) want it to happen, go out and vote no. If they want it to happen, go vote yes and we will listen to the people instead of three supervisors.”
Lee County Attorney Mike Short has said the Board of Supervisors has the authority to set the location of the county seat(s). Current Board Chairman Ron Fedler (D-West Point) took that to heart, drafting a resolution to name Fort Madison as the lone county seat.
Fedler never called for an official vote on his resolution. Sen. Taylor believes if he had, it would have resulted in a lengthy court battle.
"It could have drug out for several years and cost the county millions of dollars in legal fees, fighting. That is what I am trying to prevent."
Sen. Taylor said he crafted the legislation so that a change in the county seat location could only occur with 60% approval.
He said if that is achieved, the County Board of Supervisors would have two years to come up with a plan to implement the change.
The legislation covers all 99 counties in Iowa, not just Lee County, which is the only county in Iowa with two county seats.
