The Mower County board is about to discuss expanding the Shooting Star Trail — toward Iowa.

Commissioners will discuss a request from Mitchell County supervisors to make a commitment to link Iowa’s Wapsi-Great Western Trail with the Shooting Star near Taopi at the board’s 9:30 a.m. county board meeting Tuesday.

The Wapsi-Great Western Trail is currently about a mile from the Minnesota border, but the Mitchell supervisors — Iowa’s version of commissioners — previously said they don’t want to spend money unless the Mower County board intends to expand south about four miles to the Iowa border.

The Mitchell supervisors first brought the request to the county board in February.

Mitchell County has come up against a few road blocks with homeowners to reach the Minnesota border, but officials are still willing to get the project completed to Minnesota, as long as the Shooting Star is waiting on the other end of the state border. Mitchell County has about $350,000 set aside for the portion of trail, but the supervisors would find a different purpose for the money or return the dollars to the state if there’s no interest in expanding the Shooting Star.

The supervisors want the Mower County board to commit to heading south soon, before funding expires for the Iowa leaders.

Mower County commissioners seemed receptive to the idea in February, but have indicated that expanding the Shooting Star Trail to Austin is the county’s top priority.

Tuesday’s meeting starts with department report from Dispatch Supervisor Marti Higgs at 8:30 a.m. and Human Services business at 9 a.m.