Complaints about potential violations related to Iowa’s open meetings laws and a local board tasked with creation of an airport in Mahaska County were accepted by the Iowa Public Information Board Thursday.
The South Central Regional Airport Agency (SCRAA) is accused of violating Iowa Code Chapter 21. The Iowa Public Information Board received formal complaints from John Bandstra, Bert Bandstra, Jack Rempe, and Drew McGee in November of 2023. They reviewed those accusations at a meeting on Thursday, consolidating the complaints and finding that an executive committee of the SCRAA violated the code.
FULL AUDIO OF MEETING HERE:
The SCRAA was created in 2012 with a 28E Agreement between the Cities of Pella and Oskaloosa and the Mahaska County Board of Supervisors to create and operate a regional airport, which was proposed to be located between the two communities north of Highway 163 in rural Mahaska County. In 2022, the Iowa Supreme Court found that Article XI of the contract was void, which originally prohibited any of the parties from leaving the arrangement without consent of the other bodies. Mahaska County subsequently left the group after that ruling.
A board remains in place with five members from the two communities, and two of those members serve on an executive committee first created by the original 28E Agreement, according to the board. The four complainants alleged the SCRAA Executive Committee violated Chapter 21 in relation to the group’s handling of farm leases in 2022 and 2023 for parcels of land owned by entity. Ultimately, the Iowa Public Information Board’s initial findings asserted the entire SCRAA Board itself did not violate the law, but instead, investigated whether or not the smaller Executive Committee did so.
Executive Director Erika Eckley found that the SCRAA Executive Committee is a governmental body, and her view, violated Iowa Code and failed to adhere to open meeting laws, especially because the SCRAA group formed a recommendation related to farm leases in those meetings which was then voted on by the whole board on November 21st. Eckley recommended action from the Iowa Public Information Board to accept to consolidate and accept the complaints.
In a response, the SCRAA board said they will have the Pella and Oskaloosa City Councils amend the 28E agreement “to reflect that they are the only two parties in the SCRAA and making appropriate changes, which includes removing any reference to an Executive Committee. This is a matter that has to be handled at the City level, and is not something that can be done by the South Central Regional Airport Agency. The cities are targeting a completion date of 60 days. Any amended and restated agreement requires approval of both City Councils.”
The SCRAA also agreed to publish any further notice related to potential committee meetings.