Solon’s Timber Dome Lodge was the meeting place for the Johnson County Area Goodwill Tour Monday, June 10th organized by the Iowa League of Cities and hosted by the cities of Solon, Coralville, Tiffin and North Liberty.
The Iowa League of Cities organization provides support to the cities in Iowa with their Mission Statement as “The Iowa League of Cities serves as the unified voice of cities, providing advocacy, training and guidance to strengthen Iowa’s communities.” The League, as known to those in local government, is a lifeline and primary resource to many Iowa cities.
Coralville City Council Member Laurie Goodrich and Solon City Administrator Cami Rasmussen are currently Iowa League of Cities Executive Board members. A goal of the League Board for this year has been to bring city officials together for conversations about the property tax legislation in recent sessions that create barriers for many Iowa cities from becoming their best. Goodrich and Rasmussen collaborated with North Liberty City Administrator Ryan Haier and Tiffin City Administrator Doug Boldt to jointly host the Johnson County Goodwill Tour.
Seven Johnson County Cities were represented on Monday including Solon, Coralville, Tiffin, North Liberty, Swisher, University Heights and Iowa City. Johnson County Sheriff Brad Kunkel also attended as his department provides law enforcement for many of the cities within the county. Rasmussen shared that law enforcement agreements have been a top discussion for the Solon City Council in recent months while the city strives to ensure law enforcement and public safety amid the property tax challenges imposed upon cities.
Rasmussen, who has served as mayor and on the city council of Solon prior to her current role as city administrator, believes that cities in Iowa are facing their greatest challenges as a result of property tax legislation and state rollback, “growing Iowa starts with having beautiful and safe communities where people can live, prosper, and enjoy life.”
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Iowa League of Cities Director of Member Service Mickey Shields facilitates conversations during Johnson County Area Goodwill Tour held at the Solon Timber Dome on June 10th.