City of Salix, Iowa, officials are taking steps to annex about 950 acres of land on the town's north edge, but are not saying what is being pursued with the acquisition of that land.
Annexation is where a city expands its boundaries to include adjacent unincorporated plots of land. Salix has a population of about 400 people in southern Woodbury County.
During the Wednesday Salix City Council meeting, Mayor Kevin Nelson said the city would benefit from the annexation because instead of the county getting the property taxes, the city would receive the revenue.
At the meeting, Siouxland Public Media asked if there was a specific project going on the land or if a data center is going to be constructed.
"The only information I know for sure they wanted their land annexed in Salix, 5 or 6 (people), they all voluntarily filled the application," Nelson said.
“From my understanding, by talking to the MidAmerican folks, they are doing site analysis there, and they have options on some of that land that’s being annexed, but to my understanding, they are still doing a site analysis and no final decisions have been made one way or another,” he continued.
SPMN over the month of March questioned Salix officials on the possible annexation and data center. Those officials said they could not answer specifics until the April meeting.
About twenty people attended the meeting to hear about the annexation, with only two asking questions about the action.
After the council unanimously approved the annexation, the majority of the people at the meeting left.
Now that the city council has approved the annexation, all documents regarding it will be sent to the Iowa Secretary of State, Woodbury County board of supervisors, MidAmerican, and any public utility.
Nelson also mentioned there will be no impact on utility costs for water and sewer because the city does not have to provide those utilities. He said the property owners have not requested the city to provide those utilities.
However, the city may need to work with the county on snow removal.
