Clarke County NO Local Option Events Planned for Thursday September
6th
September 5, 2007, Osceola, Iowa
At 2PM Thursday September
6th, 2007 on Hwy 152, 2.25 Miles West of I35, NoLocalOption.com will
attend a meeting with State Representatives Jeff Kaufman and Jodi
Tymeson to see the proposed reservoir site land. This site
overlooks land held by farmers and families that Clark County
politicians are trying to take using eminent domain laws for a water
source Osceola does not need. This could be the first test of
Iowa's new eminent domain law. Osceola sells off a third of
its water to SIRWA, and is not in need of water if only it did not
sell the water it has. The $40 Million proposed reservoir
could be replaced with a $500,000 pipe to Rathbun or another water
source in the area or Osceola could simply buy SIRWA water instead
of selling to them. Grassley aide Aaron McKay and Harkin aide
Ellen Huntoon may also attend.
At issue is the proposed 4B recreational use of the land outlined in
the May 30th minutes of the Clarke County Reservoir Commission as
well as other issues regarding the need for building yet another
reservoir in Clarke County to feed Osceola, a town of just 4700
people.
NoLocalOption.com believes the reservoir is an excuse to continue
charging Clarke County residents a 7% sales tax beyond the time when
the tax was promised to expire. Many folks in Clarke County
are wondering why they would need to pay for their water twice so
that people outside Clarke County can have more water.
Why the need to sacrifice family farms to fund the SIRWA water
supply? Residents are also considering taking legal action to
prevent any further selling of their water to SIRWA to reverse the
current "shortage." At 7:00 PM Farm Bureau will host a public
forum on the topic at the REC building on Hwy 69 in Osceola.
