A special election is coming up for a specific population in Greene County.

The unincorporated eligible voters in Greene County are being asked to vote on two ballot measures in a special election on March 5th. The first item on the ballot is continuing to use the rural portion of Local Option Sales and Services Tax (LOSST) funds, at a rate of one-percent, but without a sunset date. This would mean the unincorporated LOSST funds would no longer have an expiration date, unless LOSST is repealed by a public vote or it is changed by the Iowa Legislature.

The other ballot measure is changing language for how the LOSST fund revenue from the unincorporated areas of Greene County can be spent. The Greene County Board of Supervisors is wanting to change it from “100% for rural property tax relief and any other lawful purpose of the county” to “100% for any lawful purpose.”

The Supervisors are looking to update the HVAC system in the Greene County Courthouse. They are planning to use the funding they received from the American Rescue Plan Act for a total of $1.8 million toward the $3.2 million project. The rest would be funded by LOSST to repay a bond issuance, after the commitments of funding the Secondary Roads Department and purchasing a Sheriff’s Office vehicle. 

In-person absentee voting is currently taking place now through March 4th at the Greene County Auditor’s Office. The polling locations on March 5th for the unincorporated voters to cast their ballots includes the central precinct at Clover Hall on the Greene County Fairgrounds, the north precinct at the Churdan Library, the east precinct at St. Brigid’s Parish Center in Grand Junction and the west precinct at the Scranton Community Center.