Managing editor
Richard Meisinger of rural Marion is facing a dilemma.
He owns property that adjoins Marion Municipal Airport. The city has asked permission to enter his property June 20-21 during a Heart of America Free Flight Association remote control airplane competition to retrieve errant aircraft.
Meisinger said he has considered himself a “friend” of the city and wants to cooperate, giving the city permission to use his property but has misgivings.
“The dilemma is whether to grant permission for access, which I have no problem with, while the city’s joining an atrazine class action lawsuit which will likely cause negative implications for me,” Meisinger said at Monday’s Marion City Council meeting.
Prior to the public forum and Meisinger’s comments, Councilman Bill Holdeman again asked the council to consider rescinding its decision to join an atrazine lawsuit, which was presented by a pair of Dallas, Texas, attorneys a number of weeks ago.
City attorney Dan Baldwin said the attorneys’ intent was to “sign up as many as what fits their profile.”
“At some point they’ll stop signing up cities and start working on the lawsuit,” Baldwin said.
He continued that the best course for the city, if the council decided not to participate in the lawsuit, would be to negotiate out of the contract.
“I don’t think there would be a problem,” he said. “The contract said we would be liable for certain costs but I don’t expect many costs at this point.”
Baldwin continued that repercussions would have to be determined and withdrawal could cause more issues.
“I don’t think we had enough information when we voted on it,” Holdeman said.
With that, Holdeman made a motion to rescind the decision for the city to participate in the lawsuit but the motion died for a lack of a second.
“Basically, I feel I’ve been kicked in the teeth by the atrazine lawsuit,” Meisinger said, later in the meeting. “I’m not telling you what to do but it puts me in an awkward position of granting the city permission to have access to my property but I’m being denied (by the city) the opportunity to use a product (in the future).”