CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA — With less than a week before a key vote on the proposed Morgan Valley Energy Center, the Linn County Board of Supervisors has approved a host community agreement intended to protect county taxpayers if the natural gas power plant is built.
The agreement passed during a Linn County Board of Supervisors meeting Wednesday. It does not approve the Morgan Valley Energy Center project. Instead, it outlines how IPL would help cover county costs associated with hosting the facility.
Under the agreement, once commercial operations begin, IPL would pay Linn County $50,000 a year, with that payment increasing 2% annually. County officials say the agreement is meant to help offset county costs and reduce the chance those expenses fall on taxpayers…