District 28 State Representative Greg Heartsill is pleased with a recent ruling by the Iowa Supreme Court regarding eminent domain.

In a 6-1 decision, the court ruled in favor of Clarke County landowners whose property was being threatened with condemnation by the Clarke County Reservoir Commission (CCRC) using eminent domain to acquire land to build a public reservoir for drinking water needs.
Heartsill says the problem was that the CCRC was moving forward with condemnation that went exceedingly beyond the scope of drinking water, in particularly trying to build a regional recreational facility as well.
Heartsill says he’s been an advocate for protecting the property rights of Iowans for years, including co-sponsoring a bill on the matter in 2013 that failed to be taken up by the Iowa Senate. He believes the court’s ruling is a vindication that the Iowa Legislature is on the right track in dealing with eminent domain.