SIOUX CITY — Woodbury County Supervisor Matthew Ung has proposed a way for fellow supervisor Mark Nelson to attend mediation for the Woodbury County Law Enforcement Center project.
Ung suggests Nelson, supervisor and LEC Authority member, step down from the LEC Authority temporarily, so he can serve as the supervisor’s representative in mediation. Nelson said he was supportive of the idea.
“He is currently the best positioned supervisor to represent at mediation,” Ung wrote in a letter to the board.
Currently, Nelson cannot attend the mediation due to the LEC Authority being a three-member board, and Chair Ron Wieck has been selected to serve on the Authority’s behalf. Wieck was selected over Nelson to serve as the Authority’s representative in a 2-1 vote.
During discussions, citizens asked for Nelson to serve as the representative since he is an elected official and has been outspoken throughout the process, while Authority member Dan Moore and the Authority’s attorney Jodie McDougal felt Wieck should serve due to his long-term involvement with the project and insider knowledge.
The LEC Authority is made up of three members – one selected by the Sioux City Council and the board of supervisors, one who lives inside the Sioux City limits, selected by the city council, and one who lives outside the Sioux City limits, selected by the board of supervisors.
Ung suggests that Nelson step down from the LEC Authority and serve as the supervisor’s representative in mediation, so the supervisor with the most knowledge is present, and the board of supervisors temporarily appoints David Dietrich to the LEC Authority. Dietrich is the only other member on the board who could serve in the role temporarily.
The bylaws allow the county to change its appointee at any time. In September 2023, Rocky De Witt resigned from the board of supervisors after being elected to the Iowa Senate. The supervisors voted to remove him from the LEC Authority and replace him with Nelson.
“Next week we could appoint Dave, and then the next week we can put me back on there if we were so inclined, as long as it’s a 4/5 vote,” Nelson said.
The next Woodbury County Law Enforcement Center Authority meeting will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 23.
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Caitlin Yamada
Education and county government reporter
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