GUTHRIE COUNTY, Iowa — Guthrie County residents, Tuesday, voted down the new tax to fund emergency medical services and declare EMS an essential service. The Public Measure garnered 53.9% of the 60% approval needed for it to pass. Guthrie County was among a dozen across Iowa to ask for voters’ approval to fund countywide emergency medical services. The ballot measure asked for 75 cents per $1,000 dollars of assessed value on all taxable property in Guthrie County. It would have raised more than $750,000 a year.

Senate File 615, signed into law by Gov. Kim Reynolds in June 2021, provides the framework for counties to deem the service essential. It allows them to create a referendum to raise property taxes to fund EMS.

(Photo and logo provided to the Iowa Capital Dispatch, courtesy City of Stuart EMS)

As we’ve mentioned, the EMS measure passed in Cass County, with 76.4% of the vote. Page County voters failed to pass the EMS measure, with a 50.6% vote. In Sac County, the EMS initiative received 74.2% of the vote. Taylor County voters failed to approve their EMS initiative. It fell short of the 60% majority by 3.4%, or 56.6% yes to 43.4% no.

Iowa Senate District 8th:
Republican incumbent Mark Costello, 25,018*
Democrat Ryan Roenfeld, 10, 399

Write-In 73

Iowa Senate District 10:
Republican incumbent Dan Dawson 13,803*
Democrat Steve Gorman 10,798

Write-In 37

Iowa House District 15:
Republican incumbent Matt Windschitl, 12,783*
Democrat Benjamin Schauer, 5,636

Write-In 31

Iowa House District 16:
Republican incumbent David Sieck 12,837*
Democrat Candella Foley-Finchem  4,250

Write-in 31

Iowa House District 18:
Republican incumbent Tom Moore, 11,160*
Democrat Tripp Narup, 3,935

Write-In 46

Iowa House District 19:
Republican incumbent Brent Siegrist  7,738*
Democrat Roger Petersen 5,444

Write-In 26

Iowa House District 20:
Democrat incumbent Josh Turek 5,862 *
Republican James Wassell 5,298

Write-In 7

Iowa House District 23:
Republican incumbent Ray “Bubba” Sorensen  12,822*
Democrat Karen Varley 4,935

Write-In 36

(Area News) – It took a while for some counties to report their final election results from Tuesday’s General Election in Iowa. Cass County, which normally has the Absentee ballots reported first, didn’t get those results in until 2:43-a.m. Wednesday, due in-part to the heavy voter turnout.

In Cass County (IA), Republican incumbent Bernard Pettinger, of Anita held off a challenge from Democrat Phyllis Stakey of Massena, for the Board of Supervisors in District 5. Four candidates were running for three seats on the (non-partisan) Soil and Water Conservation District Board. The winners include: Curt Behrends, of Wiota; Chris P. Witzman, of Atlantic, and Chase Wheatley, of Massena.

A Public Measure for an EMS income surtax and assessed valuation tax passed in Cass County by a vote of 4,883 Yes to 1,506 No. Voters in the CAM School District in Cass County failed to approve a $22.5-million dollar bond measure, 859 NO to 671 Yes. The total vote (all CAM district counties) was 884 NO, 697 YES. A $55-million bond measure for Iowa Western Community College to pay for infrastructure and other improvements to the college’s campuses, including here in Atlantic, failed by a slim margin, 45,319 YES to 30, 977 NO, or 59.4%. The measure needed a 60% super majority vote to pass.

The Iowa Western Community College Public Measure also passed in Audubon, Montgomery, Pottawattamie and Shelby Counties. The measure failed in Adair and Adams Counties

There were no contested races in Adair and Montgomery Counties.

Voters in Adams County chose Christopher Standley to represent them on the District 5 Supervisors seat. His opponent was Karl McCarty. Adams County voters defeated Public Measure AJ, which asked if the Board of Supervisors be reduced from five members to three, per Iowa Code. The vote was 1,372 NO to 667 YES.

In Audubon County, where there were four candidates hoping to fill two seats on the Board of Supervisors, the winners were Republicans Kent Grabill and Donald J. Mosinski. And, Republican incumbent Audubon County Auditor Lisa Frederiksen held-off a challenge from Christena Hemmingsen, winning by a vote of 2,189 to 759.

In Guthrie County, voters chose Sheriff’s Deputy Matt Harmann, a Republican, to replace long-time incumbent Democrat Sheriff Marty Arganbright. Harmann won by more than 1,500 votes. There were five candidates for four seats on the County Ag. Extension Council in Guthrie County. The voters chose Carol Wendt, Kayla Willms, Ruth Blomquist and Dwayne Seeck for those positions.

Pottawattamie County voters elected Republican incumbent Auditor Mary Ann Hanusa over her challenger Bryan Jack Holder, an Independent candidate. In Shelby County, there were six people running for four seats on the County Ag Extension Council. The winners were Connie Petersen, Michele Monson, Kathy Fara and Larry J. Wendt, Jr.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Two men were arrested on separate charges in Red Oak. Tuesday night, 35-year-old Bryceton Lee Flathers, of Red Oak, was arrested in the 900 block of N. 4th Street, for Domestic Abuse Assault/1st offense. Flathers was being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail.

And, at around 1:50-a.m. Wednesday (Today, Nov. 6th), Red Oak Police arrested 38-year-old Dustin Keith Edie, of Red Oak. He was arrested in the 800 block of Eastern Avenue, for Interference with Official Acts. Edie was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.