(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Supreme Court has ruled the state auditor does not have the authority to investigate an insurance risk pool for 75 counties as well as hundreds of other cities and taxpayer funded local government entities. The Iowa Communities Assurance Pool provides property and casualty insurance coverage. State Auditor Rob Sand had filed a subpoena seeking records about annual meetings the risk pool’s board of directors held at out of state resorts. The state’s highest court has ruled the risk pool was formed under a section of Iowa law that does not fall under the oversight of the state auditor’s office. Sand says the Supreme Court pointed out it might be good to subject local government risk pools that are entirely funded by tax dollars to some oversight and he is asking legislators to take that step.

Three Republican state senators say the ruling may show the auditor has abused his subpoena power and their bill to restrict what Sand can investigate is needed. Senator Mike Klimesh  is a Republican from Spillville. “He has subpoena power,” Klimesh says, “but we want to make sure that he’s not using it an an overarching method to, you know, unfairly reach out to Iowans that aren’t positioned in local government entities that would require them to provide him subpoenaed information.”

Klimesh and two other Republican senators have asked Sand to provide them with the records of all the subpoenas the state auditor’s office has issued since Sand took office in January of 2019.  “To ensure that his office is not going beyond his authority to execute subpoenas on private individuals and, if that if in fact happening, we have a right to know about it,” Klimesh says, “and I think Iowans have a right to know about it.”

Sand, the only Democrat holding statewide office, says the records request is a distraction from the bill Senators passed that outside analysts say would prevent his office from doing complete audits of state agencies and lead to the state government losing billions of dollars in federal funds. Sand has sent the senators a copy of the subpoena he issued to managers of the insurance risk pool for local governments.

(Anita, Iowa) – The CAM School Board, Monday evening, received a recommendation from the District’s Facility Committee, with regard to the closing of a district campus. Superintendent Paul Croghan said Committee Chair Adam Akers made a presentation and recommendation for the Board to take action on during their meeting on May 10th. Their recommendation was to close the North Elementary School.

Mr. Croghan expresses his gratitude to the Committee for their hard work and diligence.

In other business, the CAM School Board, Monday, held a Public Hearing on the proposed 2023-24 School Calendar and 2023-24 Certified Budget (as published). There were no comments. The Board later voted to approve the Calendar, which Croghan says calls for school to begin August 23, 2023, barring any snow days.

The adjusted Calendar was approved also, with the last day of school for students being May 26th, right before Memorial Day. The CAM High School and Iowa Connections list of graduating seniors was approved. Other Board action includes…

The Board approved Senior Trip to Omaha will take place May 16th.

(Creston, Iowa) – Police in Creston report a man was arrested Monday evening at 129 N. Pine (A sports bar & grill). Authorities say 26-year-old Adam Edward Lee Austin, of Creston, was taken into custody for Public Intoxication/1st offense. He was being held in the Union County Jail on a $300 bond.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – A Public Hearing with regard to the Atlantic Community School District’s (ACSD) Certified Budget, will be held 5:30-p.m. Wednesday, April 12th, in the High School Media Center. During the Board’s Special Meeting March 29th, Superintendent Steve Barber and Director of Finance Sarah Sheeder reviewed the proposed certified budget for the 2023-24 school year, with a total property tax rate of 13.00317 per $1,000 taxable valuation. That is a decrease from the 2022-23 property tax rate of 13.25506, or about 26-cents per thousand.

During the Board’s regular meeting to follow the Public Hearing, they will act on resignations, including: Lenzi Robinson, 5th Grade Teacher; Sarah Sheeder, School Business Official/Board Secretary, and Lori Hayes, Paraeducator. They will also act on approving Superintendent Barber’s contract recommendations for: Nathan Block – 6th Grade Science Teacher; Mikayla Stockhaus – HS Vocal Music Teacher; Brett Johnson and Caroline Pellett – MS Softball Coaches.

Action items on the Atlantic School Board Agenda include (but is not limited to) the following:

• Approving the 2023-24 Certified Budget
• Setting May 10th at 5:30-p.m. as the date/time for a Public Hearing on a Certified Budget Amendment (amounting to an increase of $793,569). School officials say the amendment will NOT result in an increase in taxes. A detailed statement of additional receipts, cash balances and proposed disbursements will be available for public viewing at the hearing.
• Approval of a 2023-24 Operational Sharing Agreement with the Griswold School District, w/regard to Transportation Director, and
• Approval of 2023-24 Activities Sharing Agreements for: boys swimming (Audubon, Clarinda, Red Oak & Riverside, w/Atlantic as host); girls and boys soccer (CAM & Exira-EHK, w/Atlantic as host); and girls wrestling (CAM, Nodaway Valley & Griswold). There is no change from last year, with the exception of Atlantic serving as the host for girls wrestling.
• The Board will act on approving 2023-24 Non-Certified Staff Master Contract Agreement (Which includes the following increases: $2.75/hour for Bus Route Drivers & Bus Asst. Mechanic; $0.90/hour for all other Support Staff).
• The School Board is expected to pass a Resolution approving the Plans, Specifications and Form of Contract for the H.S. Storage Shed (estimated cost $190,000), followed by the awarding of a contract for the shed. Bids are due by April 12th….and,
• A Resolution approving the Contracts and Bonds for the Washington Elementary School Playground Project. Last month, the School Board awarded the project to Caliber Concrete, LLC, of Adair. The project cost amounts to $579,422.58.