Two weeks ago, Loren Danner and his attorney, Steve Hamilton, met with the Carroll County Board of Supervisors in an effort to settle a nearly three-year-long legal issue. Loren and Pan Danner own property near the Carroll Airport, and had applied for a permit to build a gravity-fed grain leg on their farm in 2013. The permit was approved by the county, but the Danners were notified in 2015 that there was a zoning issue with the structure. The commission won the initial case, but it has been run through the appeals courts and currently is awaiting a decision from the Iowa Supreme Court. Supervisor, Rich Ruggles, says they began discussing a possible resolution in a closed session two weeks ago.
The $100,000, according to Hamilton, is about half the expense to reduce the leg height. Carroll County Attorney, John Werden, was asked to conduct more research, which he did. At Monday morning’s meeting, supervisors again entered into a closed session to discuss their next steps. Ruggles says a decision was made.
Danner has also offered a settlement option to the Carroll Airport Commission, asking for them to forgive a $200 per day penalty that has been running since the District Court’s decision last May. That penalty is now at more than $60,000. The commission has been developing a counter offer, asking for legal fees and court costs to be covered. Going forward, the supervisors are working with the City of Carroll and the City of Glidden to develop and update policies to address how building permits are issued and who needs to sign off.
Ruggles says the supervisors want to continue working with rural residents to meet their building and expansion needs.
