| The Purpose
Black Hawk County, Johnson County, Linn County and Scott County are members of the newly formed Urban County Coalition. The Coalition’s purpose is to jointly develop, communicate and advocate for issues of mutual interest on behalf of our respective counties and residents to the General Assembly, Executive Branch of the State of Iowa and other appropriate agencies, departments and organizations. Oftentimes, issues deliberated on and regulated by the General Assembly, Executive Branch of the State of Iowa and other agencies are issues common to our urban counties. By forming a Coalition, we will have a stronger, more unified voice on issues that ultimately impact our residents. The Urban County Coalition will also collaborate on strategic planning to jointly develop regional solutions to issues of mutual interest. Issues may include, but would not be limited to, property tax reform, mental health funding and the fuel tax.
The Structure
Each County has appointed two members of their Board of Supervisors to participate on the Urban County Coalition Steering Committee. Linn County’s Steering Committee members are Supervisors Ben Rogers and Brent Oleson. The Steering Committee meets regularly to plan strategies and make recommendations for the Urban County Coalition, subject to the direction of each respective Boards of Supervisors. Each county has also designated a staff member to help facilitate the operation of the Coalition.
Linn County serves as the lead agency for the purpose of providing a legal entity for entering into any contracts or agreements on behalf of the Urban County Coalition and will serve as the fiscal agent for the Coalition.
The Funding
Each member County has agreed to contribute $10,000 in fiscal year 2012 for membership and to budget $20,000 in fiscal year 2013 for continued membership in the Urban County Coalition. This funding will be used for consulting, advisory and advocacy services for issues identified by the Coalition as important to residents of Black Hawk, Johnson, Linn and Scott Counties. Linn County’s funding is part of, and not in addition to, funding already budgeted for legislative advocacy.
Our goal is to provide efficient and responsive government that improves the lives of residents. Building partnerships with our neighboring urban counties will help Linn County accomplish this goal and is an identified strategy in our Strategic Plan.
For more information about the Urban County Coalition, contact:
Darrin Gage
Linn County Director of Policy and Administration
(319) 892-5105
darrin.gage@linncounty.org
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