Data center rules pass + three teams to state

Coffee & County

Five minutes on what's happening from Orange City to Rock Valley.

Good morning, Sioux County.

Pack the bags for Coralville. Three of our volleyball teams punched their state tickets Tuesday night, and Boyden-Hull gets its shot tonight. Meanwhile, the supervisors wrapped up the data center rules after months of meetings, so I read the coverage twice to make sure I had it right. Keep the umbrella handy: storms are possible this afternoon.

● The county's data center rules passed 4–1, and the moratorium is lifted.

● Western Christian, MOC-Floyd Valley and Sioux Center are going to state.

● Sioux Center's sewer rate increase is now final.

● Early voting ends Monday at 4:30 p.m.

OUT THE WINDOW

Showers and a few storms are possible today, most likely late afternoon, with a high near 70 and gusty south winds. Thursday clears out. Rain moves back in Friday night, and Halloween Saturday has a 70% chance of showers, mainly before 1 p.m., with a 40% chance Saturday night. Election Day looks cool and damp: mid-50s with a 50% chance of showers.

Forecast for Sioux County from the National Weather Service →

TOP STORY

Data center rules pass, moratorium lifted

The Sioux County supervisors passed the county's data center ordinance Tuesday on its third and final reading, 4–1. Then, by the same 4–1 vote, they lifted the moratorium on data centers the county put in place in June. Supervisors John Degen, Craig Hoftyzer, Jerry Muilenburg and Carl Vande Weerd voted yes both times. Dan Altena voted no.

● What it does: sets the rules a data center has to meet, covering facility size, water use, noise and setbacks. Any one site is capped at 25 megawatts, and a formula limits how many can be built in the county.

● What it doesn’t do: approve any project. “It’s not an OK to data centers,” Vande Weerd said. Companies can now apply, and they have to follow the rules.

● Where things stand: PathOne Data Centers has been exploring a project in the county. The only potential site identified so far is the former Bison Renewable Energy plant at Perkins Corner, southwest of Hull.

● The case for waiting: Altena said he's “not opposed yet” to data centers, but would have used the full year of the moratorium to watch what other counties do. A Lyon County resident also asked the board to keep the moratorium.

● The case for acting now: Vande Weerd said the county shouldn't kick the can down the road, and that Lyon, Plymouth and O'Brien counties already have copies of the ordinance.

The rules take effect when they're published Nov. 4. The full eight-page ordinance is posted at siouxcountyia.gov.

Read the full story at the N'West Iowa REVIEW →

WHAT GOT DECIDED

A final sewer vote, a water tower loan and Hawarden's TIF map

The latest from two local councils.

Sioux Center City Council · Oct. 26

● Sewer rates: Gave final approval to the 9% increases in 2027 and 2028 for the East Interceptor project and upkeep of the sewer system. The vote was 4–0.

● Electric: Approved borrowing $16.3 million through electric revenue notes, accepting a buyer's bid after Piper Sandler reviewed the offers.

● Water tower: Approved a $5.16 million loan agreement with the Iowa Finance Authority.

● Traffic lights: The 20th Street South signals are switching to a NoTraffic system. The old controller is no longer supported.

● Land: Approved selling city-owned property and an amended development agreement with Vision Builders.

● Urban renewal: Set a public hearing on Amendment No. 11 to the city's urban renewal plan for Nov. 16 at 4 p.m.

Next meeting: Mon., Nov. 16, at 4 p.m.

Hawarden City Council · Oct. 14

● Urban renewal: Expanded the city's urban renewal area, including parts of downtown, so tax increment financing can help pay for streets, curb and gutter, sewer, water and drainage to support new housing. A separate ordinance took some properties out of the existing TIF district. Every vote was 4–0.

● Also: Approved a mortgage release for Hawarden Harvest Inn and approved the city's solid waste contract.

● Schedule: Moved the November meeting from Wed., Nov. 11, to Tue., Nov. 10, because of Veterans Day.

Next meeting: Tonight, Wed., Oct. 28, at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.

The supervisors' final data center vote is in the top story; their minutes since Sept. 29 aren't posted yet. Orange City's October minutes aren't up yet either.

AROUND THE COUNTY

Sioux Center and Rock Valley: Meet your House District 4 candidates

It's the one contested legislative race on Sioux County ballots. The district covers all of Lyon County and part of Sioux County. Both candidates talked with Sioux County Radio. Republican Rep. Skyler Wheeler of Hull, in the House since 2017 and chair of the House Education Committee, points to his conservative record: “They know where I stand on everything.” Independent Garth Van Donselaar of Sioux Center, a systems administrator and Dordt computer science grad, says he's running to give voters another choice. He supports term limits and open primaries.

Wheeler at Sioux County Radio →

Van Donselaar at Sioux County Radio →

FROM THE BLEACHERS

Three teams are going to state

Tuesday was a big night: Western Christian, MOC-Floyd Valley and Sioux Center all swept their regional finals and head to the state tournament, Nov. 2–5 at Xtream Arena in Coralville.

● Western Christian makes a record 26th straight trip. Coach Tammi Veerbeek became the winningest coach in Iowa high school volleyball history last Thursday with win No. 1,228.

● MOC-Floyd Valley is back for the first time since 2018.

● Sioux Center makes its third straight trip.

Tonight, 7 p.m.: Boyden-Hull, which swept South O'Brien Monday, plays St. Edmond for the Class 1A Region 2 title at Spencer High School. KIWA FM 105.3 has the call. Rock Valley's season ended Monday with a 3–1 loss at top-ranked Hinton.

Tuesday's scores at KIWA Radio →

Football Friday

Friday, 7 p.m.: West Sioux hosts West Monona in the Class A round of 16, and Sioux Center plays at Sioux City Heelan in Class 3A.

Round of 16 matchups at the N'West Iowa REVIEW →

College

Northwestern's Stella Winterfeld, a Sioux Center native and former Western Christian standout, is the GPAC volleyball attacker of the week. She had 28 kills in a four-set win at No. 8 Morningside for the top-ranked Raiders.

Read the full story at Sioux County Radio →

PUBLIC SAFETY

Rock Valley: Truck rear-ends school van

A truck rear-ended a van serving as a school bus for Rock Valley Christian School Friday morning on Elmwood Avenue, a mile south of Rock Valley, as the van slowed to turn into a driveway. Five students and the van's driver were checked at the scene and released. The truck's driver was cited for following too closely.

Read the full story at Sioux County Radio →

MARKETS

At the elevator

Tuesday’s closes. Corn and soybeans slipped, and hogs dropped $2.65. Feeder cattle were the bright spot.

Stocks: AI stocks led Wall Street higher Tuesday. The S&P 500 rose 0.6% to 7,722.60, the Nasdaq gained 1.2%, and the Dow edged up 15.99 points to 52,377.57. The 10-year Treasury yield ended near 4.99%, little changed. The Federal Reserve announces its interest rate decision today.

Mortgage rates: the 30-year averages 7.32%, down from 7.40%, and the 15-year 6.68%, per Freddie Mac's weekly survey released last Thursday. New numbers come out this Thursday.

NEW IN TOWN

No new openings crossed our desk this time.

Opening, moving or expanding? Hit reply. New businesses get a free mention.

NOW HIRING

Jobs around the county

More local openings are posted at Sioux County Radio's Job Hunter.

Hiring in Sioux County? Hit reply to post your job here.

COMING UP

On the calendar

EN ESPAÑOL

Reglas para centros de datos aprobadas

Los supervisores del condado de Sioux aprobaron el martes, 4 a 1, las reglas para centros de datos y levantaron la moratoria. No aprueban ningún proyecto específico.

Vote por adelantado hasta el 2 de noviembre

Puede votar en persona en el juzgado de Orange City hasta el lunes 2 de noviembre a las 4:30 p.m. El día de la elección es el martes 3 de noviembre. RIDES ofrece viajes gratis de puerta a puerta para votar. Reserve con anticipación al 1-800-358-5037, extensión 1.

ONE GOOD THING

Sioux Center is a national finalist for standing by its Guard members

The City of Sioux Center is one of 40 national finalists, out of 1,288 employers nominated, for the Freedom Award, the federal government's highest honor for employers that support National Guard and Reserve members. The city's HR and safety manager, a first sergeant in the South Dakota Air National Guard, nominated it. Two other city employees serve in the Army National Guard, with recent deployments to Syria and Iraq.

Read the full story at Sioux County Radio →

GOOD TO KNOW

Halloween is one of the riskiest nights for walkers

A University of Iowa researcher who studies pedestrian safety says Halloween is one of the most dangerous nights of the year for people on foot. Older kids who go out with friends and no adult tend to make riskier street crossings. Her tips: pick costumes drivers can see, add glow sticks or reflective gear, and go over safe crossing habits before the kids head out.

Read the full story at KIWA Radio →

Refill Friday. ☕

Know something we should cover? Hit reply. Tips, events, birthdays and new businesses all welcome.

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