(Des Moines, Iowa) – Auditor of State Rob Sand today (Wednesday) released a report on a special investigation of the City of Hazleton Fire Department (Department) for the period July 1, 2017 through March 31, 2022. The special investigation was requested by City officials as a result of concerns regarding how the Department’s financial transactions were handled. In addition, City officials were concerned with how the Hazleton Fire Department nonprofit corporation (Corporation) was operating as the Corporation had been dissolved on July 1, 1997.

Sand reported because the Corporation had been dissolved the financial records and bank account should have been administered by the City of Hazleton in accordance with Chapter 384.220(2) of the Code of Iowa. Because of the dissolution, the financial transactions of the Association would have to comply with the same standards as all other City disbursements.
Auditor Sand reported, the Corporation disbursed $274,973.82 during the period of the investigation. Of the $274,832.82, $11,868.71 of the disbursements lacked supporting documentation, and $1,600.00 in CRP Burns had been billed to individuals but the payment had not been received or deposited with the Corporation or the City. Had the disbursements been processed by the City, which has a higher threshold to demonstrate disbursements are in the best interest of the public, $1,634.25 of disbursements from the Corporation bank account would have been considered improper disbursements.

In addition, Sand reported it was not possible to determine if any additional improper disbursements or if all collections were properly deposited during the period of the investigation because adequate records were not available.

The report includes recommendations for the new Association established in March 2022, to strengthen internal controls, such as improvements to segregation of duties, improving the determination and documentation of the public purpose of transaction, maintaining supporting documentation for all expenditures, improving controls over amounts billed but not collected.
Copies of the report have been filed with the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office, the Division of Criminal Investigation, the Buchanan County Attorney’s Office, and the Attorney General’s Office. A copy of the report is available for review on the Auditor of State’s website at Special Interest Reports.

(Radio Iowa) – A Democrat from Cedar Falls has launched a campaign in Iowa’s second congressional district for the chance to challenge Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson in 2024.
Sarah Corkery is a small business owner and two-time breast cancer survivor. In a statement provided to the Cedar Rapids Gazette, Corkery said she looks forward to holding Hinson accountable for her partisan voting record. Corkery cited Hinson’s support of abortion restrictions as well as Hinson’s no vote on the first bipartisan infrastructure bill in decades. Hinson’s campaign manager says Corkery would be a rubber stamp for President Biden’s radical agenda.

(Audubon, Iowa) – Shared Audubon and Coon Rapids-Bayard Community School District Superintendent Eric Trager has announced that after nearly four decades in education – most of which was in the Audubon School District, he will be retiring at the end of the current school year. His decision was announced during Monday’s regular meeting of the Audubon School Board.

Eric Trager has been involved in education for 38-year, with 36 of those years serving the Audubon School District.

He says he’s looking forward to “Whatever comes next.”

Eric Trager

In other business the Audubon School Board, Monday, passed the first reading of a Discipline Policy for students who make threats of violence or cause incidents of violence.

He said “At the end of the day, it’s pretty redundant policy [the policy coming down from the legislature]. Everything that’s in there we already had in our policy. We’ve dealt with these situations.”

The Audubon School Board approved the district’s Early Retirement plan during their meeting, Monday night.

And, Superintendent Trager updated the Board on the District’s Certified Enrollment numbers.

He said also, they’re wrapping things-up in terms of the building project. They’re just down to waiting for the arrival of flooring and ceiling materials, and there’s still quite a bit of work to do on the auditorium, but it’s moving along.

Then they’ll start with the project “punch list,” which at last check was 55-pages long. The goal is to have an open house sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so district patrons can come in and see what their tax dollars have paid for.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Atlantic Police Chief Devin Hogue reports seven arrests took place between Oct. 9th and the 17th.

On Oct. 9th, 35-year-old April Medina, of Atlantic, was arrested on a Cass County warrant for Child Endangerment.

On the 11th, 34-year-old Tyler Crawley, of Atlantic, was arrested for Burglary in the 2nd Degree, and Harassment in the 3rd Degree. And, 34-year-old Junior Michael, of Atlantic, was arrested for Disorderly Conduct, Public Intoxication, and Criminal Mischief in the 5th Degree.

On Oct. 14th, Atlantic Police arrested 43-year-old Shaela Caballero, of Atlantic, for OWI/1st offense.

On the 16th, 41-year-old Jennifer Claussen, of Atlantic, was arrested for Driving While Barred.

And, on Oct. 17th, 25-year-old Sanjay Paul, of Atlantic, was arrested for Disorderly Conduct. 28-year-old Taify Amumu, of Atlantic, was arrested for Public Intoxication.

All of those individuals were booked into the Cass County Jail. As of today (Oct. 18th), Tyler Crawley, Sanjay Paul and Taify Amumu remained in custody.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Auditor’s Office reports a public test of Adair County’s voter equipment to be used in the November 7, 2023 Combined City/School Election will commence at 12 (noon) p.m. on Saturday November 4, 2023 in the Adair County Courthouse and will continue until completed. The public is invited to attend. For further information, please contact the county auditor’s office at the telephone or E-mail address listed below.
NOTICE OF CITY/SCHOOL ELECTION
All the qualified Electors of Adair County, Iowa are hereby notified that a Combined City/School Election will be held on Tuesday, November 7, 2023.
ALL POLLS IN ADAIR COUNTY OPEN AT 7:00 A.M. AND WILL CLOSE AT 8:00 P.M.
VOTERS MUST VOTE IN THEIR PRECINCT OF RESIDENCE
Polling places:
Precinct For voters residing in Polling Place
1NW Cities of Adair and Casey; Summit, Walnut, Prussia, Eureka TWP; **Adair Community Center
Section 6 of Lee TWP except the SE SE; Jefferson TWP west 308 Stuart St
of Hwy 25 & sections 4 & 5; Grove TWP west of Hwy 25 Adair, IA
2NE City of Stuart; Lincoln, Harrison, Grand River TWP; Jefferson Stuart Recreational Center
TWP east of Hwy 25 except sections 4 & 5; Grove TWP east 323 SW 2nd St
of Hwy 25 Stuart, IA
3SW Cities of Bridgewater and Fontanelle; Jackson, Summerset, Fontanelle Community Building
Washington, Richland TWP 224 3rd St
Fontanelle, IA
4SE City of Orient; Union, Orient TWP; All of Lee TWP except section Orient United Methodist Church
6 and portions of section 7 and portions of section 18 as described 124 S Maple St
below as precinct 5GF. Orient, IA
5GF Lee TWP Section 6 SE SE; Lee TWP Section 7 except residences Adair County Health & Fitness Center
south of SW Kent St (92) and W of S 1st St and except blocks south 202 N Townline Rd
of SE Kent St (92) and north of SE Mills St and East of SE 5th St; Greenfield, IA
Lee TWP NE¼ Section 18 except residences West of SE 1st St and
North of SW Pine St
** 1NW Polling location has changed to the Adair Community Center from the City Hall.
Secretary of State polling place locator – https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/voterreg/pollingplace/search.aspx
Adair County GIS map – https://beacon.schneidercorp.com/Application.aspx?AppID=1034&LayerID=22042&PageTypeID=1&PageID=9426

Pre-registered voters are required to provide an approved form of identification at the polling place before receiving and casting a regular ballot. Voters who are not pre-registered-such as voters registering to vote on Election Day-and voters changing precincts must also provide proof of residence. A voter who is unable to provide an approved form of identification (or prove residence if required) may have voter’s identity/residence attested to by another registered voter in the precinct, prove identity and residence using Election Day Registration documents, or cast a provisional ballot and provide proof of identity/residence at the County Auditor’s office by November 14, 2023 at Noon. Election Day Registrant attesters must provide an approved form of identification. For additional information about providing proof of identity and/or residence visit: https://sos.iowa.gov/voterID or phone 641-743-2546.

Voter pre-registration deadline is 5:00 P.M. October 23, 2023 at the Adair County Auditor’s office.

Absentee ballots are available in the County Auditor’s office during regular business hours, until the day before the election, November 6th, 2023
Any voter who is physically unable to enter a polling place has the right to vote in the voter’s vehicle. For further information, please contact the County Auditor’s office at the telephone number or e-mail address listed below.

Telephone: 641-743-2546 E-mail address: auditor@adaircountyiowa.org

Adair-Casey Community School District
Public Measure AA
Shall the following Public Measure Be Adopted?
Summary: To adopt a Revenue Purpose Statement specifying the use of revenues the Adair-Casey Community School District will receive from the State of Iowa Secure an Advanced Vision for Education Fund.
In the Adair-Casey Community School District, the following Revenue Purpose Statement which specifies the use of revenues the Adair-Casey Community School District will receive from the State of Iowa Secure an Advanced Vision for Education Fund shall be adopted.
To provide funds to acquire or install information technology infrastructure (including improving buildings or sites for the purpose of accessing broadband digital telecommunications) and school
safety and security infrastructure.
To provide funds to build and furnish a new school building or buildings; to build and furnish addition(s) to school buildings in the District; to remodel, reconstruct, repair, expand, and improve the school buildings in the District; to purchase and improve grounds; for demolition work; to furnish and equip district facilities.
To provide funds for the purchase, lease or lease-purchase of buildings, equipment (including transportation and recreation equipment), or technology and to repair transportation equipment for transporting students as authorized by law, to implement energy conservation measures, sharing or rental of facilities including a joint infrastructure project for the purposes of offering classes under district-to-community college programs as authorized in Iowa Code Section 423F.3(3)(c), procuring or acquisition of libraries, or opening roads to schoolhouses or buildings.
To provide funds to purchase land as part of start-up costs for new student construction program or if the sale of the previous student construction was insufficient to purchase land, and to purchase construction materials and supplies for a student-constructed building or shed intended to be retained by and used by the District.
To provide funds to make payments to a municipality or other entity as required under Iowa Code Section 403.19(2).
To provide funds for demolition, cleanup, and other costs if such costs are necessitated by, and incurred within two years of, a disaster.
To provide funds to establish and maintain public recreation places and playgrounds; provide for supervision and instruction for recreational activities; or for community education purposes.
To provide funds for the payment of principal and interest or retirement of general obligation bonds issued for school infrastructure purposes, energy improvement loans, loan agreements authorized by Iowa Code Section 297.36, sales, service and use tax revenue bonds issued under Iowa Code Section 423E.5 or Iowa Code Section 423F.4.
To provide funds for property tax relief; and
To provide funds for other authorized expenditures and purposes as now or hereafter permitted by law and designated by the Adair-Casey Community School District.
It being understood that if this proposition should fail to be approved by the voters, such failure shall not be construed to terminate or restrict authority previously granted by the voters to expend receipts from the Secure an Advanced Vision for Education Fund.
If approved, this Revenue Purpose Statement shall remain in effect until replaced or amended by the Adair-Casey Community School District.
The Adair-Casey School District requests that this following statement be included:
“If a majority of eligible electors voting on the question fail to approve this Revenue Purpose Statement, then upon expiration of the current Revenue Purpose Statement, revenues received by the School District from the Secure an Advanced Vision for Education fund shall be expended in the following order:
The payment of bonds for which SAVE Revenue has been pledged;
Reduction of bond levies under Iowa Code Sections 298.18 and 298.18A and all other debt levies;
Reduction of the regular and voter-approved physical plant and equipment levy under Iowa Code Section 298.2;
Reduction of the public educational and recreational levy under Iowa Code Section 300.2;
For any authorized infrastructure purpose of the school district as defined in Iowa Code Section 423F.3(6); and For the payment of principal and interest on bonds issued under Iowa Code Sections 423E.5 and 423F.4.”