DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An audit finds the Iowa Department of Education doesn’t use a competitive process for awarding nearly $67 million to schools or head-start programs for at-risk children and does little monitoring of those efforts.  The Des Moines Register reports  the audit released Thursday shows the grants are awarded to the same recipients without evaluations to determine if others have a greater need.

Jeff Berger, deputy director of the Iowa Department of Education, says the audit is fair and changes are underway. However, some education officials told auditors they have concerns about opening some funding to competition because private entities and other head-start programs may not be able to compete with public school districts. They argue that inconsistent money would make it difficult for districts to maintain standards for their programs.

A subcommittee of the Cass County Public Safety Commission is scheduled to explore a building which potentially could serve as a new 9-1-1 Center. The committee will gather 8-a.m. Monday, Oct. 14^th, at the former Rutherford/Knuth Law Offices on east 7^th Street, next to Nishna Valley Cycle.

Possible location of Cass Co. 9-1-1 Center (Ric Hanson/photo)

Cass County E-911 Director Rob Koppert says the building is a decent size, and while the Commission is exploring the option of privatizing Emergency/Public Safety services, there isn’t a lot of time left to act on that particular aspect, because of the current space and equipment needs. He says equipment and requirements for the Next Generation 9-1-1 systems the County needs to upgrade will also mean updating an 18-year old radio console/system, which runs on Windows 2000. The system was designed with a life expectancy of 12-years.

Rear view of the building.

Koppert says the Commission is looking for a building that can be used not only for the new 9-1-1 and radio equipment, but some offices to free up more space at the courthouse, which is already very cramped. He says the building is capable of housing the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), as well as the Emergency Management and E-911 Director’s offices. The Commission he says has been looking at several buildings because the equipment still needs to be ordered and installed before the current equipment fails.

The Knuth Building is a two-story structure.

Cass County Board of Supervisors Chairman Mark Wedemeyer has confirmed he has been in contact with a New Jersey company with regard to the possible privatization of County Emergency & Public Safety Communications. The County has been looking at options for the 9-1-1 Center, currently based in the courthouse. The Center is outgrowing its present facility, and efforts have been made to look into remodeling sections of the courthouse to expand the space, as well as other, possible locations for the center. Wedemeyer said he contacted Cranbury, NJ-based iXP (http://www.ixpcorp.com) before meeting with the Public Safety & Communications Commission on Sept. 23^rd, and presented some information about their services. 

Wedemeyer said they’ve been trying to negotiate a deal on another property for the 9-1-1 center, and some people has suggested other municipalities had opted for privatization. He did some research and brought it up to the Commission, which told him to move forward with exploring the option.

Cass County 9-1-1 Director Rob Koppert told KJAN News Thursday night he wasn’t aware the subject would be brought up at next week’s meeting, and as far as he knew, neither was anyone on the Commission. Wedemeyer, who is the Supervisors’ representative on the Commission, said the County is only exploring the option at this time. 

He said “We wouldn’t do it if it weren’t financially better for the County. Mostly, where these companies are coming in is where there are unionized people with big retirement” packages. The private companies take over and are able to save money in those cases. He said he wants residents of the county to be aware the option is being considered at this time.

Ron Koppert said during the September meeting, that he wasn’t aware of any firms in Iowa or around the region that would handle 9-1-1 calls in the private sector, but Wedemeyer says there are very instances across the country, where emergency dispatch services have been turned over from County-run operations to a private provider. The topic has been broached at past ISAC (Iowa State Association of Counties) meetings, and Wedemeyer said the County should look into it before “We spend a lot of money.”

One such case where local governments have opted for privatization, is Lawrence Township, in Mercer County, NJ., which in January, 2013, agreed to hired iXP Corporation to handle its 9-1-1 dispatches.  iXP was awarded a two-year, $719,400 contract to run police dispatch for the community, whose population as of the 2010 Census was nearly 33,500. It was estimated the move would save the county $1.1-million over a period of 5-years. Another case is Sandy Springs, GA, an incorporated suburb of Atlanta with 94,000 residents, which has its 9-1-1 dispatch center also operated by iXP.

Wedemeyer says officials with iXP seem to think the County might not need its services, but additional information is needed. They told him “It looks like we’re doing a pretty good job the way we’re doing it,” but they want to conduct an assessment, which is not free.

The theory behind privatizing the service is to save a County money, but there are many questions that remain, including: How much money would be saved? Would the calls be routed to iXP’s facilities in New Jersey, or would there be a local office? Would the current dispatchers, with knowledge of the county be utilized? And, will the service be as efficient as the current system. We hope to learn the answers to those questions and others, during  Wednesday’s Board of Supervisor’s meeting, which begins at 9-a.m.

w/ Ric Hanson

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Fall has arrived and nothing tastes better than a big bowl of chili. This weekend, you can find all the chili you can eat in Pottawattamie County, when Arrowhead Park outside of Neola plays host to the Pott. County Conservation Board’s annual Chili Fest. The event includes children’s games and activities, pumpkin painting, hayrack rides and plenty of chili. All ages are welcome to attend and meet at the Breezy Lodge.

The Arrowhead Park chili fest will be held from 4 to 8pm Saturday with admission $5 14 and older and $2 for ages 6 to 13. Children 5 and under are free. Arrowhead Park is located off Interstate 80 exit #23 with signs posted.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

w/ Ric Hanson

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Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers reports two arrests this past week. On Thursday (Oct. 10th), 39-year old Brian John Wolhoy, of Dubuque, was arrested for OWI. And, last Sunday (Oct. 6th), 35-year old Jeremy Lynn Martin, of Clarinda, was arrested for Aggravated Assault in a domestic relationship.

Clarinda Police investigated a report on Oct. 4th, of obscene material being disseminated to a minor, by means of electronic communication device. No other details were provided.

Officers also investigated incidents of vehicle vandalism on Oct. 7th and 8th, the theft of a vehicle and arson on Oct. 7th, when an SUV was destroyed by fire in the 300 block of E. Clark Street, an incident of damage to a storage unit on Oct. 6th, and a residential burglary and theft, on Oct. 8th.

At least four students were sickened with salmonella earlier this week, at a school in Hamburg. One of the students ended-up at a hospital in Omaha, but was later allowed to go home. KETV in Omaha reports parents of students at the Marnie Simons Elementary received a letter Tuesday alerting them to the medical issue. The first salmonella case appeared Oct. 1st, with additional cases being reported on Oct. 7.

So far, no one knows where the salmonella came from. Most parents said they knew about the sick children before the district sent its letter Tuesday. The news came from their kids.

Superintendent Jay Lutt said the district’s food supplier hasn’t found any evidence of salmonella or any cases related to its food products. Because the source remains a mystery, parents want faculty to be extra careful, while at home, those same parents are making sure their kids focus on personal hygiene, especially thorough hand-washing.

Atlantic High School Guidance Counselor Craig Fredin says the counseling staff at AHS will host a College Planning meeting for juniors and seniors and their parents, 7-p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17th, in the high school auditorium. During the meeting, a representative of the College Planning Center in Des Moines will present a program which addresses a variety of topics, including: Admission requirements; School selection; dual high school-college level classes; career and college computer searches and financial aid information.

Counselors from the high school will also be on-hand to answer questions and explain other career and financial aid materials available at the high school.

A teenager attempting to impress his friends ended-up wrecking 2 cars Thursday night, in Red Oak. According to Red Oak Police 17-year old Dean Anthony Brooms, of Red Oak, was traveling west in the Plaza Parking lot in the 1600 block of North Broadway at around 8-p.m., and attempting to show-off for a group of nearby teens.

The 2007 Ford Mustang GT owned by Steven Doyle Johnson, of Red Oak, was traveling at a high rate of speed when it went out of control and slammed into a legally parked 1992 Ford Escort station wagon, owned by Marlene Dukes, of Red Oak.

Both vehicles were totaled in the crash, with the loss estimated at $14,300. Brooms was charged with Reckless Driving, Failure to have a valid driver’s license, and interference with officials acts. He was released to the custody of his grandmother.