A public hearing is set to take place a little after 5:30-p.m. Wednesday (Feb. 17th) at City Hall, during a meeting of the Atlantic City Council. The hearing is with regard to an amendment to the City’s Zoning Ordinance, by changing certain real property from C-1 (Highway Commercial) to L-1 (light industrial), and changing the zoning maps to reflect the change. The change would allow Ray Armstrong to rezone his property at 1007 W. 6th Street, so as to further develop the property and use the built real estate, while remaining in compliance with zoning regulations.

Zoning Commissioner/City Administrator John Lund says the City’s Zoning Commission met on Feb. 9th, and concluded unanimously that the rezoning changes were not in accordance with the Comprehensive Plan, and therefore recommended against changing the District from Highway to Light Industrial. The Commission wants to see development occur at the location mentioned, but does not feel rezoning is the best way to see that happen. Lund says they will reconvene March 9th to fully review the relevant definitions and regulations for both C-1 and L1, to see if changes can be made to the Zoning Ordinance that reasonably accommodates development in the area, while also protecting the rights of abutting property owners.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council will act on setting the date for a Public Hearing on the FY 2022 Maximum Property Tax Dollars for Certain Levies. Juhn Lund says on property tax statements where no changes in assessed or taxable value have occurred, the City will show an increase of 2.59%, not the 2.87% shown on the public notice. He notes that “While 2.59% is the increase in dollars generated, it is not going to be reflective of the impact on the property taxes levied against individual properties. “There is no way to know,” according to Lund, “what the impact will be in year-to-year impact on taxpayers.” He says when other authorities set their levies, a taxpayer can calculate the changes in their property taxes through a certain formula (**Shown below).

The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday, will act on setting the date for a public hearing on a proposal to enter into a General Obligation (G.O.) Refunding Loan Agreement (RFLA) and to borrow money for the same. They will also set the date for a public hearing on a proposal to enter into a G.O. Solid Waste Management Loan Agreement and borrow money for the same, not to exceed $90,000. Their final action item, is to approve a change order in the amount of $11,429 for the Downtown Revitalization Project, as it pertains to 514 Chestnut Street.

And, in his report, City Administrator John Lund will present the FY 2022 Budget, 10-year Capital Improvement Plan, Budget Performance and Future Forecast, reports. The proposed Budget for FY 2022 totals $14,638,261, or a decrease of 11.19% ($1.8 million) for the FY2021 Revised Estimate of $16,482,269. Lund will report: the City’s combined property tax levy will remain at the same level set in the FY 2021 Budget; No increases to existing fees are proposed, and utility rates will remain unchanged. He will summarize by saying “Atlantic is in a stronger position as a municipal entity than most American cities. Altogether, the FY 2022 Budget continues our planning for the next decade of life. It positions our community to tackle its challenges by leveraging its strength, while continuing to be a community that is welcoming to families and businesses.”

**Taxation formula:

(Assessed Value) x (Property Tax Rollback) = (Taxable Value)

(Taxable Value) x (Combined Levy of All Taxing Authorities)/1,000 = (Gross Taxes Due)

(Gross Taxes Due) – (Applicable Tax Credits) = (Net Taxes Due)

Authorities in east central Iowa are looking for a person involved in a deadly shooting overnight in Marshalltown.  Police say the incident happened a little after 3-a.m. Monday, at the Casey’s General Store on N. 3rd Avenue, in Marshalltown. KCCI reports Officers found a man with a gunshot wound at the store. The man died from his injury. His identity was being withheld pending family notification.

Surveillance still frame image of the shooting suspect (2/15/21)

Marshalltown police said the suspect is possibly a Latino man with an accent and is described as being short in stature, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and black sweatpants. Anyone with information is asked call the Marshalltown Police Department at 641-754.5725. Additionally, tips can be submitted by calling 641-753-1234, or via text messaging by texting the word “marshall” followed by the tip to CRIMES (274637), or online at www.marshallcountycs.com. All tips are completely anonymous and could earn a reward of up to $1,000 if the tip results in an arrest.

(Radio Iowa) – If you’ve always wanted to learn another language but haven’t gotten around to it — an I-S-U study shows it could provide an important benefit. An analysis by John Grundy finds a benefit linked to holding off Alzheimer’s disease. “People who are bilingual tend to be able to stave off symptoms of dementia by about four to six years later than comparable monolinguals. And that’s after controlling for things like socioeconomic status, education, and other things,” according to Gundy. John Grundy is an assistant professor of psychology at Iowa State and says learning another language gives your brain different options when it faces a roadblock.

“The idea here is that learning two languages over the course of your lifespan really rewires the brain in a way that is protective as the brain starts to deteriorate in older age,” Gundy says. He says additional language learning gives the brain more knowledge to deal with things in another way. “It’s essentially exercising your brain. It’s not just bilingualism that does this. There are lots of experiences like higher-order education — and really anything that sort of challenges your brain over an extended period of time — really helps with protecting yourself against the symptoms that accrue with the neuropathology of for example Alzheimer’s Disease,” Gundy explains. So how old is too old to start learning another language and benefiting from it?

“I get asked this a lot and the answer which is great for everyone is that it is never really too late,” Gunday says. “So the more you immerse yourself in it and the more you challenge yourself — the better it will be. Of course, if you do it for a long period of time, generally the better the outcome. But it is never too late.” Gundy says whether it is a new language you learn or something else the key is to keep the mind active.

“Challenge your brain. Start learning a new language, start writing with your left hand, start taking different pathways home. It’s anything that if you can really challenge yourself and get a similar outcome with a different path,” he says. Grundy says the study did not substantially show that bilingualism deters Alzheimer’s disease incidence rates — it’s a form of cognitive reserve helping to fight off the initial symptoms of dementia until later in life.