The Atlantic City Council will hold a public hearing during their meeting this evening at the Senior Center, with regard to the proposed Fiscal Year 2015 City Budget. City Administrator Doug Harris says the proposed budget, which represents the 16 operating funds of the City, is down 4.3-percent from the current fiscal year. That’s slightly less than the 4.9-percent reduction shown in the original proposed budget. Even though the overall budget is down 4.3-percent, the underlying operating budget for next year will be up 1.6-percent, or about $100,000. The proposed budget will require a tax increase of 1.8-percent in the City portion of the tax levy, or a seven-tenths (0.7)-percent increase in the total property tax levy, which means a 32-cent increase per $1,000 of taxable valuation.

Harris says the reason the overall budget is down 4.3-percent, is due to a reduction in the amount to be spent out of the Local Option Sales Tax Recreation Improvement Reserve to cover the cost of overruns on the new Park Maintenance Building. The reduction was possible because the City is able to use some of the contingency bond funds to cover part of the expense.

Harris said the City’s Operating Budget was adjusted upward following the completion of work on the new Wastewater Treatment Plant, and was necessary due to accounting changes in the Debt Service Fund, as well as a communications grant that was hosted by the Atlantic Fire Department. In a related note, the Council will act on setting April 2^nd as the date for a Public Hearing on proposed amendments to the FY 2014 (current year) Budget, the “Lion’s share” of which, according to Harris, is due to the “Multi-year nature of the numerous bond funded capital improvement projects” the City has undertaken in the past few years.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council will act on approving a change order in its contract with Hawkins Construction, for improvements to the new treatment plant. The change order represents a $32,322 decrease in the original contract price to compensate the City for engineering fees related to the repair of defective work on the plant’s blower building. The meeting starts at 5:30-p.m. in the Atlantic Senior Center.

w/ Ric Hanson

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Authorities in Montgomery County report a Missouri man was arrested early this (Wednesday) morning in Stanton, on drug charges. 24-year old Kiley Brian Caron, of St. Joseph, MO., was pulled over for a traffic violation at around 4:20-a.m. at James Street and Broad Avenue, in Stanton. He was subsequently charged with Possession of Methamphetamine and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Caron was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $1,000 bond.

MIDDLEBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) – Authorities say a man from Massachusetts and a woman from Iowa have died in a car crash in southeastern Massachusetts.    Police say their vehicles struck head-on on Route 44 in Middleborough at about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.  The drivers were identified as 64-year-old Dennis Canning of Middleborough and 30-year-old Kimberly Bebare of Ames, Iowa. Both died on impact.

Neither vehicle had any passengers, but a dog in Bebare’s car survived and is in the care of the town’s animal control officer.  Police say the cause remains under investigation.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – The annual Midwest Spelling Bee for students in Nebraska and western Iowa will be held in Omaha on Saturday. The spelling bee competition is part of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, so the winner will compete in Washington, D.C. May 25th through May 31st.      Competitors in the Midwest Spelling Bee range from fifth grade to eighth grade. The Omaha World-Herald sponsors the Midwest Spelling Bee and will provide the winner with an all-expenses-paid trip to the national bee.

The winner will also receive a dictionary, $200 cash, a one-year subscription to Encyclopedia Britannica and a 2014 U.S. proof set. The competition is held at the Omaha school district’s Teachers Administration Center at 3230 Burt Street.

Authorities in Crawford County held a news conference Tuesday evening to discuss the investigation into the deaths of two people found in a burned-out home just outside of Deloit, but there was little new information released. Sioux City television station KTIV says that when firefighters from Deloit, Denison and Vail arrived on the scene early Monday afternoon, they found the main dwelling on the rural property and a pick up truck on fire. They later recovered two bodies from the scene.

The bodies were transported to the Iowa State Medical Examiner. Officials say the autopsies to determine the cause of death are complete, but they can’t release  the cause of death at this time, or the identities of the two who died, as both remain under investigation.

Authorities said they’re not ruling out foul play just yet, and are actively seeking the help of the surrounding community. They say that two white males were seen near the area of the fire in a newer, dark, extended cab pickup truck, and they believe those two males may have witness information regarding the fire that can help them understand what happened on that rural property.

If you have further information about the incident, or the men at the scene, call the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office at (712) 263-2146.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

FAIRFIELD, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in southeast Iowa say they’re investigating why dozens of people at a campus that practices meditation allegedly attacked a county sheriff inside a car. The Jefferson County Attorney’s Office says a group of at least 70 people surrounded Sheriff Gregg Morton while he was in his marked patrol vehicle Tuesday morning at a pandit campus near Fairfield. Morton says the group pushed the car back and forth and threw rocks at it. Morton and responding officers were not injured in the incident.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A bill to place restrictions on the use of unmanned aerial drones in Iowa continues to move through the Legislature after approval of an amendment by a Senate subcommittee. The bill considers use of a drone trespassing if it “intrudes upon the legitimate privacy interests in, on, or around private property that is not normally open to the public” or places where the public is not typically invited.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Lawmakers in the Iowa Senate want to crack down on texting while driving, but some legislators worry the bill doesn’t do enough to address the larger issue of distracted driving. Texting while driving is now prohibited, but it is only enforced if a driver is pulled over for a different violation. Under the bill, officers could pull drivers over specifically for this offense. The measure now goes to the House.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa lawmakers are attempting to change the state’s law dealing with drunken drivers. The Senate approved a measure that would change current law, particularly dealing with devices that require drivers to show they haven’t had alcohol before their vehicle ignition will unlock. Under the bill, offenders could begin driving more quickly than under current law if they install an ignition lock device.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A bill to place restrictions on the use of unmanned aerial drones in Iowa continues to move through the Legislature after approval of an amendment by a Senate subcommittee. The House passed a much more restrictive bill last week. The Senate’s version makes operating a drone in a way that violates one’s privacy a violation of the state’s trespassing law.

The bill considers use of a drone trespassing if it “intrudes upon the legitimate privacy interests in, on, or around private property that is not normally open to the public” or places where the public is not typically invited. The bill is likely to be considered in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday and is expected to pass the Senate and move back to the House for reconsideration.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Council Bluffs officials took a step toward improving the city’s levee system by hiring an engineering firm to oversee the effort. The Daily Nonpareil reports the City Council on Monday night approved the hiring of JEO Consulting Group, of Lincoln, Neb., to oversee improvements. City Engineer Matt Cox estimates it will cost $50 million to make improvements to Council Bluff’s river and creek levees needed to abide by federal standards.

If Council Bluffs doesn’t make improvements, Cox says the Federal Emergency Management Agency could take action indicating the city’s west end is prone to flooding. That would lead to higher flood insurance rates for property owners. The city could pay the $50 million over a period of years, with the money coming from various sources.