Lee County, IA – Fort Madison and Lee County have reached a deal on a water purchase agreement. The county started negotiating with the city several months ago.
The Fort Madison City Council approved a version of the 28E agreement last week. Just 10 hours earlier, the Lee County Board of Supervisors expressed concerns about several aspects of the proposal.
A meeting of representatives from both organizations resulted in the agreement. Lee County Supervisor Larry Kruse says a key hurdle involved the county giving the city a roughly 4-acre piece of property.
"That was taken out of the contract," says Kruse, "because it was not critical to the 28E agreement. The county will handle the land in the normal way that we do where we go through a public hearing and solicit bids."
Kruse says crews will connect the jail to a water distribution line that runs along Highway 61. He says this will allow Lee County to meet the deadline associated with a permit for the jail's sprinkler system.
Lee County will start out paying the out-of-town rate for Fort Madison's water. The county will switch to the in-town rate once the purchase agreement is signed.
The Lee County Board of Supervisors and the Fort Madison City Council could each approve the water purchase agreement on Tuesday, April 20.
Jail Construction
Meanwhile, construction at the Lee County jail is ahead of schedule.
Construction Manager John Hansen says the expanded and renovated facility should be ready for inspection on May 1. He says the jail should be operational by June 1, which is nearly two-months ahead of schedule.
Hansen says the earlier completion date should save Lee County thousands of dollars in construction fees.