Three years ago, Winneshiek County Supervisors hired Luther College to do an environmental study. On Monday a new county board will decide whether they still want to do the survey

In December of 2018, Winneshiek County Zoning Administrator Tony Phillips, Winneshiek County Zoning Commission Chair Wendy Stevens and Luther College Environmental Studies Associate Professor Rachel Brummel met with the Winneshiek County Board of Supervisors to discuss a contract with Luther College for research into zoning protection zones forenvironmental, natural, cultural, historical, and other resources in Winneshiek County. The five supervisors unanimously approved the $12,000 project. Brummel's group held one public forum--and then COVID-19 hit. As each COVID-19 wave lessened, Brummel's group thought it might get a chance to hold the rest of the public forums--but then the next COVID-19 wave hit. Now Brummels' group is feeling more confident. But before resuming the project, Brummels wrote a letter to Phillips, saying, "I want to check to see if this is still a project you want done, or if you see it differently than you did two years ago and would like to shift and re-envision." Phillips has written his own letter saying his recommendation is to cancel the contract and forfeit the $12,000 to the Luther group. Phillips said he's worried the study would lead to increased regulations, causing a drop or perceived drop in housing availability. He also worried that the $12,000 payment would be considered insufficient in 2022 and that because of COVID and other factors, "quality participation will be nearly impossible to obtain." County Supervisors Dan Langreck and Mark Vick agreed with Phillips at last Monday's board meeting, but three other supervisors had questions and wanted time to do research to get answers. As a result, Planning & Zoning Commission members Wendy Stevens, Mary Hoffman and John Berlage, along with Brummel and Lindsay Lee from Luther, will meet with Supervisors at 10:30 a.m. Monday in the Courthouse Annex, with a discussion and possible vote by Supervisors to follow on the issue of whether to continue with research into public opinion about the need for Resource Protection Overlay Zones.