SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
January 27, 2017
Sullivan’s
Salvos 1/31/17
In this edition:
*Women’s Marches
*DVIP Souper Bowl
*County Budget
*Composting Help
*Comprehensive Plan
*Highway 22 and Utah Intersection
*Did You Know?
*Women’s Marches
Last
week was filled with pink hats, as Women’s Marches took place in cities around
the world. Turnout was beyond belief – three quarters of a million people in
DC; ten thousand in Des Moines; perhaps three thousand in Iowa City. Clearly,
people feel the need to stand up and be counted!
Melissa
was in DC – and was featured in Salon! I had many friends travel to Des Moines.
Marie and I marched here in Iowa City. It was exhilarating!
I
am thrilled with this effort and this energy. I have heard a lot of people ask,
“What next?” While this is a fair question, I’m not certain anyone needs to
have the answer just yet. It is good to gather. It is good to speak out. It is
good to commiserate. That can be enough for now.
The
point is a good one, however. How can we harness all this energy? How can we
use it to improve the lives of those who need our help?
*DVIP Souper Bowl
The 20th Annual Domestic Violence
Intervention Program (DVIP) Souper Bowl will be held on Thursday, February 2 at
The Clarion Highlander Hotel from 5:30-7:30 pm. There are soups from scads of
local restaurants, attractive bowls, and Kevin B.F. Burt will be providing
entertainment once again!
More
importantly, this is the single biggest fundraiser for DVIP. Tickets are $25
for adults and $15 for students, and can be purchased at the door or online at
dvipiowa.org.
*County Budget
The
Board of Supervisors is putting the final touches on the FY18 budget. Frankly,
it is pretty tight. There are many things I would like to do that we simply
can’t afford. If you want to blame someone, blame every Iowa Legislator who
voted for the Commercial Property Tax cut of a few years ago.
The Public Hearing on the County Budget is Thursday, February 23
at 5:30 PM in the Boardroom at the County Administration Building. There
probably isn’t a lot to see this year, but the public is always welcome.
*Composting Help
Our
household has composted for years. It used to be a bit of a rarity; we were
always explaining it to others. The last few years have seen a significant
increase in the number of households that compost. This is a great thing for
the environment! I give credit to several local initiatives that have helped
promote composting in Johnson County.
North Liberty residents
have had curbside composting since late 2014! Residents can pay a refundable
deposit for a curbside collection bin, which they line with a yard waste bag,
available for $1.65 at a variety of stores in North Liberty. The compost will
be collected with their recycling and trash each week.
Iowa City made composting easier last year when they handed out
free tabletop compost bins. I have to tell you, I LOVE this little unit! It
used to be that unless you ran out to the compost pile a couple times every
day, you had stinky compost sitting around in your kitchen. Iowa City’s little
green buckets have a snap-tight lids and allow you to delay those trips.
Composting is a great thing, being made simpler by your local
governments!
*Comprehensive Plan
Johnson County is developing a
Comprehensive Plan. A comprehensive plan will do several important things. It
will articulate how residents expect development to occur in Johnson County’s
unincorporated areas, including balancing competing interests of development
and preservation. The plan also will document county residents’ interests and
desires; allow for a predicable future; and provide a firm basis for the
policies, ordinances and decisions made by the county Board of Supervisors. In
fact, the state requires development ordinances be based on an adopted
comprehensive plan.
Creating a comprehensive plan is
especially important for Johnson County because our county has transformed in
the last 10 years and continues to change. We are the second fastest growing
county in Iowa, with 18 percent population growth compared to 10 percent
nationally and 4 percent statewide (U.S. Census data). As cities grow,
development pressures in unincorporated areas increase.
Come help us set a vision, define
goals and sustain success in Johnson County for the next decade and beyond. We
need your participation. This is just the beginning of the process; there will
be other public gatherings, including sessions to discuss the draft plan. You
may also visit online at JoCoPlan.com to stay informed and participate in future input opportunities.
The entire process will take at least one year. The Board of Supervisors
encourages you to participate and values your ideas.
Public input sessions for the Johnson County
Comprehensive Plan:
•
Feb.
7: 6-8 p.m., Lone Tree Community Center
•
Feb.
16: 6-8 p.m., Kent Park Education Center
•
Feb.
22: 6-8 p.m., Solon High School, Media Room
•
Feb.
28: 11 a.m.-1 p.m., String Town Produce Barn
•
March
6: 6-8 p.m., Iowa City Public Library
*Highway 22 and Utah Intersection
Just
got word from the Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT) that the
intersection of Highway 22 and Utah Avenue is going to become a 4 way stop.
This
decision is interesting. The intersection, just north of the city of Lone Tree,
has been one of the most deadly in Johnson County – but no one can figure out
why.
Drivers
can see every direction; there are no obstacles; the road is straight and flat.
But for whatever reason, we get a lot of accidents there. Hopefully, this
change will be for the better.
*DID YOU KNOW?
There were Women’s Marches all across the globe. Over 5 million marchers
took to the streets worldwide, including 30 people in Antarctica!
Anyone
interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the
County website-
"Sullivan’s
Salvos" is sent once per week to any interested party. It will give a
brief update on issues of interest to Johnson County residents.
These messages
come solely from Rod Sullivan, and neither represents the viewpoints of the
whole Board of Supervisors nor those of groups or individuals otherwise
mentioned.
If you do NOT
want the weekly E-mail, simply reply to this message, and type
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If you know
anyone else who might be interested, just forward this message. They can E-mail
me at rodsullivan@mchsi.com with "subscribe" in the subject line.
As always,
feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan@mchsi.com. I look forward to
serving you!
---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 3:24 PM
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