(Radio Iowa) – Libraries in Kossuth County are facing nearly $200,000 in budget cuts. Kossuth County Library Association president Lany Mitchell said that cut in county funding means each of the county’s 12 libraries will get about $7000 in county support during the next fiscal year. “A $7000 per year funding is literally a death knell for at least four of the libraries here,” Mitchell said. The Kossuth County Board of Supervisors met with area residents for nearly two hours Monday afternoon to hear their concerns. Library officials learned just last week that the county would be reducing their funding. Mitchell is director of the public library in the small community of Wesley.

“I believe (the library director in) Fenton said that even if she worked for free, that $7000 wouldn’t make the library operational for Fenton,” Mitchell said. “Seven grand doesn’t even keep the lights on and the internet paid for. I can’t stress enough how that’s going to be ugly for a lot of libraries.”

In the current fiscal year, Kossuth County provided over $270,000 for libraries in 12 communities. For several facilities, that county funding is the vast majority of the library’s budget. Cutting library hours is not an option for many, as state funding gets cut if a library isn’t open for at least 20 hours a week. The Kossuth County Supervisors made the decision to cut library funding at a budget workshop two months ago, but didn’t inform the county libraries. Supervisor Carter Nath said that decision was a mistake. “I will take as a portion of that responsibility making that decision on February 22 in a budget workshop that you were never notified,” Nath said, “and that was wrong.”

Photo courtesy of Public Library in Wesley, population 383.

Board Chairman Kyle Stecker said budget cuts would have to be made to restore funding for the county’s libraries. “I would personally support restoring library funding to the levels in the current budget in the form of a budget amendment after the fiscal year starts if we as a board can come up with an agreement in reductions to the secondary road budget to the tune of $200,000 plus for Fiscal Year ’25,” he said.

Kossuth County library leaders say that leaves them in limbo, not knowing whether the budget cut will be rescinded and they’ll be able to stay open.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports five arrests. Three people were arrested on separate charges last Friday:

• 45-year-old Arron Lee Kroner, of Kansas City, MO, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance (Bond $1,000).
• 19-year-old Jonathan Michael Young, of Glenwood, was arrested for Public Intoxication (Bond $300).
• Matthew Dakota Kerbo, of Malvern, was arrested April 19th at the Pott. County Sheriff’s Office, on a Mills County warrant for Failure To Appear. (Bond $5,000)

On April 21st, 35-year-old Deaneglo Octobobius Riley, of Red Oak, was arrested April 19th, for OWI/1st offense; Driving While Revoked/Denied; Assault on a Law Officer w/out injury; and Reckless Driving. (Bond $3,300).

And, on April 17th, 34-year-old Sandra Marie Martin, of Malvern, was arrested for Violation of a No Contact Order and Harassment in the 3rd Degree. She was being held without bond in the Mills County Jail.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors have passed resolutions pertaining to a FY23-24 Budget Amendment and FY24-25 County Budget. (A link to the Budget Presentation can be found HERE.

Montgomery County Engineer Karen Albert presented to the Board a 10-year, 28-E Agreement with Mills County, for the sharing of Portable Temporary Traffic Signals, which Mills County will pay for through a $60,000 Iowa Department of Transportation TSIP (Transportation Safety Improvement Program) grant.

Engineer Albert also updated the Board on current projects, including the L Avenue and 250^th Street Bridge projects.

She spoke also about the Highway 34 project that is currently underway. Construction crews, she said, have closed the southern half of the intersection of 34 and 4th Street, to prepare for the widening of Highway 34.

In other business, the Montgomery County Supervisors approved a merit increase of 63-cents per hour for Maintenance Director Dan Wright, and they set May 7^th at 8:45-a.m., as the date and time for a Public Hearing on vacating an unimproved alley in the unincorporated town of Stennett, between East Depot and Wayne Streets.

They also passed a resolution regarding elected officials compensation, with a 15% decrease in the Compensation Board recommendations as follows, effective July 1, 2024. Vice Chair Charla Schmid…

The Board’s next regular meeting is April 30^th at 8:30-a.m.

(Griswold, Iowa) – [UPDATED] Five people were overcome by the effects of natural gas this morning, in Griswold. A construction crew hit a gas line near the Griswold Care Center at around 8:45-a.m., prompting a call to MidAmerican Energy to shut the line off.  Cass County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon told KJAN News, the patients affected were treated at the scene for light-headedness and nausea. None of the patients required transport to the hospital.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors, by a vote of 4-to 1, passed a Resolution setting the Compensation Schedule for Elected Officials, as recommended by the Cass County Compensation Board. Supervisor Richter was the lone No vote. Their action followed a Public Hearing (during which there were no comments) on the proposed Fiscal year 2024-2025 Cass County Budget.

Board Chair Steve Baier read the resolution as passed:

The final salary adjustments for elected officials approved by the Supervisors, therefore, is as follows:

The Board then passed a Resolution Adopting the FY2025 County Budget and Certification of Taxes, and, following a Public Hearing, passed – by a vote of 4-to 1, a Resolution vacating a portion of Chicago Road west of 770^th Street, south of I-80 & north of Anita. Supervisor Mark O’Brien was the lone No vote.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports four people were arrested on separate charges, Monday. Late Monday morning, 48-year-old Timothy Linn Williams, of Creston, was arrested at his residence on a Union County Warrant for Maintaining a Drug House/and-or-Vehicle, Failure to affix Drug Tax Stamp, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Intent to Deliver Marijuana, and Possession of a Controlled Substance-Marijuana 1st Offense. Williams was taken to the Union County Jail and later released on $13,300 cash or surety bond.

Monday afternoon, 27-year-old Starla Murray, of Creston, was arrested on a charge of Theft in the 5th Degree. Murray was cited and released on Promise to Appear. And, 44-year-old Brenda Ellen Williams, of Creston, was arrested at her residence on a Union County Warrant for Keeping a premises or Vehicle for Controlled Substance, Failure to affix Drug Tax Stamp, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and 2 counts Possession of a Controlled Substance-Marijuana/2nd Offense. Williams was taken to the Union County Jail and later released on $14,300 cash or surety bond.

Monday evening, 45-year-old Brady Gale Richert, of Creston, was arrested on a Union County Warrant for Violation of No Contact/Protective Order-Contempt. Richert was taken to the Union County Jail and held without bond.