Johnson County Land Conservation Bond Squeaks Through

Thanks largely to 70% of early voters who voted "yes" for the Johnson County land conservation bond issue, the issue withstood 61% of Johnson County residents outside of Iowa City who voted against the $20 million bond over 20 years on election day. The issue passed by slightly under 61% of the vote.

The issue was a grassroots campaign managed by Janelle Rettig, her partner, Robin Butler, and a small, but committed group of environmental and recreation-minded volunteers. The issue was opposed by a small and anti-tax advocacy group who relied on, by some accounts, distorted figures about the cost to taxpayers to make its case.

With the issue needing 60% of the vote to pass, it would not be surprising to see the vote total challenged by the "Flip No" advocates. Stay tuned.