Supervisors abandon proposed road rock policy

After receiving a steady stream of backlash in the form of phone calls, e-mails and Facebook comments, the board of supervisors unanimously rejected a previously discussed voluntary policy that would allow landowners to share costs for rock on gravel roads with the county during Monday morning’s regular meeting.
           
Grundy County Farm Bureau President Jon Freese expressed concerns that it could create a slippery slope and added that rural residents who wished to put rock on their roads could already do so without any formal policy on the books. The proposal, however, would have allowed the landowners to pay for the rock itself, while the county would pay for a private trucker to haul it.
           
“It’s making policy for the sake of making policy that gets the waters muddy sometimes,” Freese said.
           
Supervisors and attendees alike contended that an article in last week’s Grundy Register distorted the policy and that the comments, especially on Facebook, misinterpreted what it really meant. Barb Smith, who represents Grundy Center, and Jim Ross, who represents the southwest corner of the county, did go on to renounce the idea because it could potentially be seen as slanted in favor of wealthier landowners and farmers.
 
For the full story, see this week's Grundy Register. Subscribe by calling (319) 824-6958 or clicking here.