Commissioners and staff reviewed draft data‑center ordinance templates, discussed staged versus front‑loaded permitting and setback options, and directed staff to prepare a county‑formatted draft for legal review.

Dubuque County's Board of Health approved a letter of support for Blackhawk County to apply as a regional lead entity under Iowa's public-health realignment, after discussing subcontracting, scoring and administrative capacity.

Officials reported continuing measles activity in nearby counties and described ongoing local measles and flu clinics, urging residents to use no-cost vaccination opportunities and partnerships with schools and community groups.

The Dubuque County Board of Health highlighted rising kratom-related harms in Iowa and asked staff to issue a press release; the board also emphasized suicide-prevention outreach as part of its mental-health priorities.

Environmental-health staff briefed the board on an online permitting rollout (GeoPermit), an EPA-funded DNR PFAS testing grant pending approval, and a smaller private well grant this fiscal year that will force prioritization of nitrate and bacteria testing.

Commissioners raised procedural objections to a small-group drafting approach for solar ordinance edits, saying public work sessions or subcommittee processes should be used; local stakeholders said multi-year public engagement had already occurred and urged the commission to forward the draft.

Staff warned that Senate File 2465 expands 'on‑farm' exemptions in state law and could limit county zoning authority; commissioners also debated data-center energy and infrastructure impacts and the need for section-by-section ordinance comparison (setbacks, noise, water) ahead of rezoning decisions.

Commissioners, staff and local stakeholders debated a proposed addendum for limited-scale (about 50-acre) solar projects; staff recommended forwarding the draft with minor edits to the Board of Supervisors while several commissioners pressed for broader public process and clear CSR and agricultural-impact metrics.

County staff and supervisors discussed aquifer monitoring options at the Sept. 14 work session. Staff promised a follow-up with models from Linn and Johnson counties; supervisors and residents urged drilling monitoring wells (estimates discussed: ~$20,000 per well, or a $500,000 multi-county USGS cost-share example).

At a Sept. 14 Dubuque County work session, a resident pressed the board to draft an ordinance that protects residents first, while zoning staff demonstrated countywide maps showing proposed 0.5-mile residential setbacks and other buffers. Supervisors asked for clarity on measurement methods and next steps.

The Dubuque County Board of Health and citizen speakers presented evidence associating artificial night light with circadian disruption and proposed enforceable lighting limits—including a 0.1 foot-candle nighttime threshold and downward-directed fixtures—to be incorporated into the county's draft data center ordinance.

After multiple landowners described late notification and historic county maintenance of Lovers Lane, the Dubuque County Board of Supervisors voted to retain independent outside counsel to evaluate options including vacating a recent judgment that declared part of the lane private.

Staff showed wind-rose data for the airport area; a former Title 5 permitting official said a dispersion analysis to predict pollutant travel typically starts near $100,000 and requires stack-height and local-structure inputs.

Board members discussed reported developer interest in a 420‑acre parcel near the Dubuque Regional Airport and proposed using that site as a test case for setback maps and a potential five‑mile airport exclusion.

Board members and residents debated whether setbacks for data centers should be measured from property lines or occupied buildings and asked staff to deliver map options (500, 1,000, 1,364 and 1,500 feet) and a 1,364‑foot buffer around a reported 420‑acre parcel to visualize impacts across Dubuque County.

Steve Peek of the Data Center Accountability for the Citizens of Dubuque County presented draft ordinance language aimed at heavy industrial installations, proposing a 0.1 foot‑candle maximum at property boundaries, full‑cutoff fixtures, a 50% overnight reduction (10 PM–7 AM), and pre‑construction photometric plans with post‑installation compliance checks.

Board chair and health staff summarized recent reviews linking artificial light at night (ALAN) to circadian disruption and associations with cardiovascular, metabolic and neurological conditions; they emphasized associations rather than proven causation and recommended evidence‑based ordinance elements.

During an Aug. 31 work session the Dubuque County Board of Supervisors heard public concerns about map accuracy, enforcement, and setbacks for a proposed data center, agreed to circulate a citizen‑draft ordinance to the Zoning Commission, and asked staff for multiple setback map options including a 1,364‑foot buffer.

At the League forum, Kristen Dietzel proposed a county "manufactured home bill of rights" and Rick Dickinson urged statewide legislation and local remedies to protect residents from out‑of‑state corporate buyouts that raise lot rents and risk displacement.

At a Dubuque League of Women Voters forum, candidates Rick Dickinson and Kristen Dietzel outlined differing approaches to Sunnycrest and fairgrounds transitions, supported bargaining with county employees, backed local protections for manufactured-home residents and urged stronger local water-quality and mental‑health responses while debating how the county should respond to data centers and budget pressures.

County engineer described a proposed vacation of an unused right-of-way (Gardeners Lane) and a draft road improvement policy with a points-based paving matrix; DOT short-term safety measures at Thunder Hills/Highway 20 were prioritized over immediate construction.

County staff and Fair Association leaders discussed transferring fairgrounds land to the association with deed restrictions and recapture clauses; fair officials said deed ownership would help fundraising while supervisors asked for limits on borrowing and a final legal review before a vote in April.

Residents urged the Board of Supervisors to restrict access to certain library titles they called explicit; librarians and trustees defended selection policies and outlined family-account options. The county’s library director said two challenged books will undergo the library’s formal review process.