Voters casting their ballots Tuesday during a Special Election for a Voter Approved Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (VPPEL) have said YES to a request by the Atlantic School District to have an income surtax blended with the property tax the District collects, to fund school infrastructure, equipment, repairs, purchases and improvements over $500 or for capital improvement projects.

Unofficial results from the Cass County Auditor’s Office show there were  351 Yes votes (61.63%) and 221 NO votes (38.64%). A simple majority was needed in order for Public Measure B to pass. The results will be canvassed during a meeting of the Cass County Board of Supervisors next Monday morning.

School officials had said in the months leading up to Tuesday’s vote, that if they would have been able to use an income surtax for the VPPEL in the past, it would’ve reduced the property tax by 60-cents per $1,000 of taxable valuation. Approval means patrons of the district will pay no more than 85-cents per thousand dollars of taxable property valuation each year annually (for up to 10-years), plus up to 20-percent of an Iowa Income Surtax for each individual income taxpayer in the district, with the amount of the surtax to be determined by the School Board each year. The total taxation cannot to exceed $1.34 per $1,000 of assessed property value in any one tax year.

The Income Surtax will begin December 31st for each calendar year, commencing with the 2017 calendar year, and the PPEL itself will begin with the levy of property taxes for collection in the fiscal year that begins July 1st, 2017. School Board Vice President Kristy Pellet said back in July, that the combined PPEL and Income Tax Surtax would essentially make it fairer, because more people would contribute to the PPEL, not just property owners.

A similar Measure placed before the voters last fall, failed.

The Atlantic Community School District’s Board of Education will hold its regular monthly meeting Wednesday evening at the High School. During the 5:30-p.m. session in the Media Center, the Board will hold an election among its members, for Board President and Vice President, and act on appointing the Board Secretary and Treasurer, followed by the administration of Oath of Office for those individuals. They’ll also act on possible changes to the date, time and place of Board meetings for the 2016-17 School Year

In regular business, the Atlantic School Board will hear from Justin Williams during the Public Comment portion of the meeting. They’re also set to hear special presentations from Williams with regard to the Cass County Educational Opportunity Center (CCEOC), and Dan Vargas, with regard to the Costa Rica trip.

The Board is also expected to act on approving various teacher contracts, the appointment of John Becker as volunteer Middle School Football Coach, the resignation of Justin Williams as Archery Club Sponsor, and other, administrative matters.

Prior to concluding their meeting, the Atlantic School Board will discuss progress on the search for a new Superintendent, and Instructional/Athletic Facilities.

CARROLL, Iowa (AP) — The Carroll schools superintendent says administrators are investigating bullying text messages written by students last week about a gay classmate chosen for the homecoming court. Carroll Community Schools Superintendent Rob Cordes told The Carroll Daily Times Herald that administrators were talking with students included in group text messages and would decide how to respond.

Cordes learned of the messages after they were printed out and left on windshields of the school’s football coach’s car and other players’ vehicles. Some of those receiving the texts were football players. Among the texts were comments that the gay student should kill himself.

Cordes says the incident falls within the school’s anti-bullying and anti-harassment policy. He says some students involved are remorseful and wish they’d acted differently, but “you can’t un-ring the bell.”

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office today (Tuesday) issued a report on recent arrests. Officials say last Friday, 30-year old Ivan Antonio Cervantes, of Omaha, was arrested on a District Court warrant for Failure to Appear. Cervantes was taken to the Cass County Jail and was later released on his own recognizance.

On Sunday, 69-year old Arma Re Fouts, of Atlantic, was arrested on a charge of Driving While Barred. Fouts was taken to the Cass County Jail and was released later that day on her own recognizance. Also arrested Sunday, was 21-year old Corey Allen Lee Whitt,  of Walnut, on a charge of Public Intoxication. Whitt was taken to the Cass County Jail where he later pled guilty and was released.

And today (Tuesday), Deputies with the Cass County Sheriff’s Office arrested 20-year old Andrew Jacob Roach, of Missouri Valley, on a warrant for Probation Violation. Roach was taken to the Cass County Jail where he remains held on $2,000 bond.