The Atlantic City Council will act on a couple of resolutions pertaining to the purchase of bonds when they meet Wednesday evening, at City Hall. The bonds amount to nearly $9.8-million dollars, and are designed to help pay for the City’s 2013 Capital Improvement Plan projects, and save money by reducing the amount the City pays in interest.

The Capital Improvement Projects include: Street and storm sewer work; the acquisition of traffic control devices, along with equipment for the Police and Street Departments; Improvements to City Hall, the Municipal salt shed and Senior Center, and, making a grant to Iowa Western Community College for building improvements.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council will hear a report from Councilmen Shaun Shouse and Steve Livengood, representing the Cass County Public Safety Committee. Their report is with regard to the County’s exploration of housing for a new communications center. As we reported last week following the Board of Supervisor’s meeting, the County would like to know if the City would be interested in considering options for moving any or all of the City’s offices to a joint-use facility, assuming a suitable lot or building could be found.

The Council will also hear a report from John Lund, Assistant to City Administrator Doug Harris, with regard to enforcement of the Minimum Maintenance Code. And, they’re expected to act on the setting of May 15th as the date for a Public Hearing on any necessary adjustments and/or amendments to the City’s Fiscal Year 2013 Budget, as well as a request from the Jaycees, for permission to hold the annual Fireworks display on July 4th, at the Airport. The event is expected to cost $6,000, with the City paying the cost upfront. The Jaycees would reimburse the City for the expense, after July 4th.

The City Council meeting begins at 5:30-p.m., Wednesday, and is normally televised live on Channel 18, in Atlantic.

The Red Oak Police Department reports the arrest this (Tuesday) afternoon of 25-year old Timothy James Stewart of Red Oak for a Violation of Probation and Theft/3rd Degree. His bond was set at $2,000.

Also arrested Tuesday, 19-year old Devon Ray Briggs of Red Oak for Violation of Probation and Drug Paraphernalia charges. His bond was set at $1,000.

The Dallas County Board of Supervisors have unanimously approved a location for a proposed administration and public safety facility on the east side of Adel, taking the next step in a seven-year process to provide necessary services for residents in one of the nation’s fastest-growing counties. Board Chair Mark Hansen said today’s (Tuesday’s) decision means the Supervisors will have to act by June 21st to set the date for a countywide referendum on the issue. The referendum will likely be held sometime this summer.

Hanson said the three-member board and other elected officials have worked closely together to determine how to best serve Dallas County residents with the most efficient services. A previous board had commissioned a master plan survey in 2006 to review how to meet current and future needs for the range of services the county delivers. The supervisors approved a formal study of department needs and a space assessment in July 2001, which was completed two months later. With the combined research in hand, county officials spent the rest of that year analyzing and ranking potential sites for the proposed administration and public safety facility.

Hanson said early discussions yielded several potential locations, but attention focused on a site in east Adel on the north side of Highway 6 that the county already owns. He said the county will maintain offices in buildings that it owns at 902 Court St., 121 Ninth St. and 201 N. Nile Kinnick Drive. Additional information about the study process and the proposed administration and public safety facility will be available at www.dallascountyfuture.com.

According to Hanson, Dallas County was the seventh fastest-growing county in the nation in 2011 and the 14th fastest-growing county last year, and as county officials, they “Have a responsibility to see that services keep up with the needs,”  of their residents.

Deputies with the Cass County Sheriff’s Department were involved in pursuit late this morning south of Atlantic. Cass County Chief Deputy Sheriff John Westering told KJAN News there no injuries were reported, but the lives of the public were in jeopardy. He said the incident began sometime after 11-a.m., when the Cass County Communications Center reported a resident at Willow Heights Residential Care Facility had taken off in a vehicle and was traveling south from facility on a gravel road. Cass County Deputy Corey Larsen was able to locate and follow the subject and made several attempts to get him to stop. Westering said chase became a “Huge public safety concern,” when the subject of the pursuit allegedly began to try and run other motorists off the road. He says the subject was stopped at one point when contact was made between a squad car and the stolen vehicle, but the chase didn’t end until the subject lost control of the vehicle on Highway 71, just south of Newport Road, where the vehicle went into a ditch. He was then taken into custody. No injuries were reported, and the vehicles involved sustained only minor damage. Westering said the incident ended “About as good as it could for the way it was looking there for a while.”)

Westering’s cruiser sustained some minor front end damage during the pursuit. He said the suspect had spun-out, and Westering tried to box him in, but didn’t want to disable his cruiser. The subject managed to get the vehicle he was driving going again, but lost control on Highway 71 and spun out on the road. Westering moved his vehicle into position to pin the driver’s side door shut to keep the subject from getting away, and to keep the vehicle from taking off again, because speeds during the chase were in excess of 80 miles per hour into oncoming traffic. The subject lost control when Westering placed his cruiser in front of the other vehicle and the subject attempted to make evasive maneuvers.

(12-p.m. News)