No injuries were reported following a two-vehicle accident Monday afternoon at 13^th and Plum Streets, in Atlantic. According to Atlantic Police, vehicles driven by Seth Nelson and Emily Hemphill, both of Atlantic, collided at around 3:35-p.m., when Hemphill’s vehicle began to slow, and was hit from behind by the Nelson vehicle. Nelson was cited for Failure to Maintain Control/reduce speed. Damage from the mishap amounted to $3,300.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors will act on three separate matters during their meeting Wednesday morning, in Atlantic. In addition to their regular business, the Board will act on approving the hiring of a full-time legal administrative assistant, and vote to allow or disallow family farm and agricultural land credits, in accordance with the Iowa Code.

And, the Board will hold the second of two public hearings on an amended zoning ordinance, which would change the County Zoning District permitted principal uses. Last week, the board discussed the addition of a single word in one line of a section of the amendment, as proposed, with regard to areas zoned for Light Industry. They instructed Cass County Attorney Dan Feistner to review the ordinance and see if the wording was necessary, redundant, and/or would put the County at-risk for seeing Heavy Industry slip into a Light Industrial Zone.

The final vote may impact an agreement the County has with Ron Fagen, who has purchased the former Amaizing Energy site just northwest of Atlantic, and has plans to bring in a renewable energy production facility of some sort. Originally, he had proposed building a next generation cellulosic ethanol plant to the area, but those plans appear to have changed, and it is not clear what will end-up at the site.

Prior to adjournment, the Cass County Supervisors will review and discuss proposed Fiscal Year 2014 budgets. Their meeting begins at 9-a.m. in the Cass County Courthouse.

The Adair County Board of Supervisors will field more requests for funding when they meet Wednesday morning, in Greenfield. The Board, like those in counties around the State, is gathering information on the needs of various county departments, as they prepare to discuss and finalize their Fiscal Year 2014 budget.

During their session Wednesday, the Supervisors in Adair County will hear budget requests from: Auditor Mindy Schaefer, with regard to the Clerk of Court and Social Services’ budgets: County Conservation Director Kevin Blazek, and Sheriff Brad Newton.

In addition, County Assistant Engineer Tom McGovern will present to the Board, a resolution for a 2013 Right of Way Purchase, 2013 Compensation for Fence, and Plans for a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Project, for the resurfacing of County Road G-30/White Pole Road.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports two Glenwood residents were arrested Monday night on warrants for Failure to Appear on a charge of OWI/1st offense. Taken into custody, was 49-year old Brenda Lee Russell, and 24-year old Seth Ryan Peters. Both were being held in the Mills County Jail on $2,500 bond, each.

Members of the Atlantic School  Board held a discussion Monday night on the district’s Fiscal Year 2014 budget. Superintendent Dr. Michael Amstein said there is still a lot of uncertainty as to how much the district will receive in allowable growth, which is one of the factors they use to prepare the budget. Amstein said the scenarios include legislators passing a zero-percent allowable growth, to as much as six-percent, which is a pie in the sky, best case situation. In reality, he’s hoping for three-percent allowable growth. The weighted Certified Enrollment for the past year was 1,429. Amstein says with zero-percent allowable growth, the budget guarantee means the district would still get 85,625 new dollars for the upcoming year.

If the legislature were to pass allowable growth of three-percent, Amstein says the district would realize 275,000 new dollars. He says that would be helpful to the district in providing services and instruction to students. The per student funding would increase from the current $6,065 to $6,185, at three-percent. He says there’s been some talk about eliminating allowable growth altogether, but it’s too early to know if that will come to fruition and another formula will replace it to repurpose those funds.

Amstein said also, he expects Taxable Valuation to remain the same at two-percent. Other areas the district is waiting for more information on, include: what will become of the Management Levy, for which there is one-year left to pay for the early retirement incentive. He says that levy needs to be maintained at the current level. Other unknown factors include property and casualty insurance premiums, and, how to pay for a full-time School Resource Officer. He says there are no funds, other than those from the General Fund, to pay or share the costs for, an SRO. One option would be to increase the Cash Reserve Levy.

And, there’s the matter of Debt Service, which impacts Capital Improvement Projects, as well expenses for the Hospital School.

(9-a.m. News)