(Red Oak, Iowa) – A man from Villisca was arrested on drug charges this (Wednesday) morning, in Red Oak. According to Red Oak Police, 24-year-old Jonah Lee Kirsch was arrested at around 9:50-a.m., for Possession of a Controlled Substance/1st offense, Poss. of Drug Paraphernalia, and Unlawful possession of a prescription drug. Kirsch was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill that would have let state agency budgets be audited by private C-P-A firms rather than the State Auditor’s Office has stalled in the Iowa House. It was the first bill Republicans in the Iowa Senate passed this year, but House State Government Committee chair Jane Bloomingdale of Northwood did not bring it up for a vote today (Wednesday) in her committee’s last meeting of the year. “The auditor bill didn’t have support in this committee and also one of the big concerns was the expense of hiring outside firms,” Bloomingdale says.

A Legislative Services Agency analysis found hourly rates for private C-P-A firms were far higher than the rate for C-P-As in the State Auditor’s Office. Friday of this week is the deadline for policy bills from the Senate like this one to clear a House committee, so the proposal is likely tabled for good. State Auditor Rob Sand, the only Democrat elected to statewide office, says the bill would have let state government insiders pick lapdog C-P-As who’d cover up corruption.

ATLANTIC, Iowa – March 13, 2024 – If you drive on westbound U.S. 275/Iowa 92/Veterans Memorial Highway at Metro Drive in Council Bluffs you need to be aware of lane closures on Wednesday, March 20 that may impact your trip.

The Iowa DOT, in partnership with the City of Council Bluffs, will close U.S. 275/Iowa 92/Veterans Memorial Highway at Metro Drive to replace a traffic signal pole and mast arm. The scheduled lane closures will include occur at the following times.

• From 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. the westbound lanes of the roadway will be closed.

• From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the westbound left lane will open, and the westbound right lane will remain closed.

• From 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. both westbound lanes will close again. Work will then be completed after the roadway opens.

During this work, the traffic signal will be flashing red for all directions and temporary stop signs will be in place. Northbound left turns will be prohibited from the southbound Interstate 29 exit ramp. You will be detoured north on Metro Drive and Denmark Drive, west on 35th Avenue, and south on the South Expressway back to U.S. 275.

(Atlantic, Iowa) –  Atlantic Mayor Grace Garrett, Council Members Elaine Otte, Emily Kennedy, Jim Behrens, and Mike McDermott, along with Atlantic Police Chief Devin Hogue and City Clerk/Treasurer Barb Barrick, attended Local Leaders Day 2024 on March 6th. Barrick says the local contingent joined local leaders from across the State in Des Moines, to connect with legislators, discuss legislative priorities, and share their stories. Speakers representing the cities of Cedar Rapids, Atlantic, Bettendorf, and Seymour joined Monte Wyatt of AddingZEROS and Scott Raecker of the Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake University to converse on how cities can best support Iowans and plan for the future.

Barrick says “We can say that Iowa’s cities delivered. With more than 120 city officials in attendance from every part of the state, local leaders came together to speak about their needs in a difficult time. What we heard were concerns about how Iowa can serve and support its cities, from communities of 500 people to 200,000.” Mayor Garrett said “We, as elected officials on a city level, see our constituents on a daily basis thereby being the closest level of government to them. We will strive to continue to provide the best services for those citizens while remaining good stewards of their property tax dollars.”

The resounding message from city officials, according to Barrick, was the need for the state to: (1) provide fiscal predictability so cities can make longer-term plans to serve their citizens; (2) support efficient governance by allowing space for collaboration and innovation; and (3) protect the freedoms to align local decisions with local democracy.

Iowa League of Cities’ Facebook photo of the March 6th gathering in Des Moines.

The Iowa League of Cities is the oldest, continuously operating municipal league in the country. Founded in 1898, the League is a not-for-profit organization that advocates for issues affecting cities throughout Iowa. The City of Atlantic is a member of the Iowa League of Cities.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – [updated] Cass County Auditor Kathy Somers says property owners across Iowa will soon receive a new statement in the mail regarding potential property taxes and public hearing dates for cities, schools, and the county.

The purpose of the new statement is to make taxpayers aware of the time and place of public hearings where they may voice concerns over the proposed levy rates before the budgets are approved. The city, school and county levies may be lowered after the hearings, but not increased.

Previously, this information was shared with the public by publishing maximum levy notices in the newspaper, but a change to Iowa Code 24.2A now requires county auditors to mail the statements to all property taxpayers. The proposed rates will be for taxes to be paid in September, 2024 and March, 2025.

The statement will include information about the impact of the proposed property tax rates on both a $100,000 residential property and a $100,000 commercial property. The actual impact of the tax rates on an individual’s property could be different than the examples in the statement, which do not include a change in the assessed value, but do include changes to the assessment limitation (rollback), which has reduced from 54.6501% to 46.3428% on residential property commercial property up to $150,000 in value.

The statement is not a property tax bill. Taxpayers owning property in more than one tax district may receive multiple statements.

Questions regarding the statements may be directed to the school district, county or city contact information included on the statement.

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – [Corrects date of the accident to TUESDAY] A woman backing her  SUV out of a parking stall at the Guthrie Center Casey’s Store, Tuesday evening, struck a man standing next to his motorcycle at the fuel pumps. The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office reports 51-year-old Dennis Ludwig, Jr., of Guthrie Center, complained of pain, but was not transported to the hospital, following the accident that happened at around 6:45-p.m., Tuesday. Ludwig had his back to the SUV when he was struck.

The driver of the 2020 GMC Acadia SUV that struck Ludwig, was identified as 40-year-old Tara Lynn Reed, of Guthrie Center. There was no property damage, and no citations were issued.