Local Group Wants to Incentivize Energy Efficiency: Iowa City Daily News Links, Aug. 6

Foggy in the morning, muggy in the afternoon, rainy in the evening. I think that covers everything.

On to the Links!

Adam Sullivan of the Iowa City Press-Citizen reports about "Our Power" a local group that is advocating for the city to give incentives to rental unit owners to improve the efficiency of their buildings.

Josh O'Leary of the Press-Citizen writes that some people believe the Local Option Sales Tax that was supposed to have expired is still being charged in some areas.

Congressman Dave Loebsack will be in Iowa City today to tout his idea of creating a National Flood Center. (KCRG)

Iowa football's weakness going into next year. No surprise, it's passing game. (Hawk Central)

Speaking of football, a semi pro team called the Iowa City Liberty, it starting up in town.

Women in Iowa and Nebraska are suing the Olive Garden over the cyclospora outbreak. (KCRG)

Johnson County Supervisors are looking for more information from the public on what they can do about the overcrowded jail. Here are the dates they are holding public meetings. (the Gazette)

Daily Links Excerpt of the Day

Group leaders say landlords often don’t have an incentive to install electricity-saving items because their tenants pay utility bills. Tenants, meanwhile, don’t have much reason to invest because they often only stay in a unit for a year.

“We found there’s a split incentive between renters and landlords because it’s not always the renter paying the energy bill, not always the landlord,” said Eli Shepherd, an incoming City High senior and Our Power organizer. “The renter doesn’t have as much power to make changes and the landlord doesn’t have an incentive.”

Part of the project involved visiting residents in the area to gauge interest in energy-saving amenities and offer tips on small changes to make.

“There’s a plethora of things people can do — Energy Star appliances, replacing lightbulbs, weatherstripping under doors, insulating piping,” Shepherd said.