County opposes ‘logging’ bill
The Chickasaw County Board of Supervisors passed [last] Monday a resolution opposing an Iowa Senate bill that addresses “Transportation of raw forest products” after hearing concerns about it that County Engineer Dusten Rolando relayed after a recent Iowa State Association of Counties meeting. The bill, Senate File 184, section 5 on logging, would allow up to 130,000 pound loads on secondary roads and bridges without having to get a permit from the county, and the current infrastructure is tested for only 80,000 pounds.The current system is that haulers would apply to the county engineer for oversize, overweight permits.“We’ll analyze it and go from there,” Rolando said, is the process.But the bill allows haulers to bypass the county engineer.“They’re not coming to me or any county engineer” the way the bill is written, Rolando said. “The Department of Transportation will authorize them — or give them the permit — to go on our roads, and we won’t have a clue about it.”— For more on this story, see the April 2 New Hampton Tribune.