The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday, spent a good deal of time discussing the proposed Fiscal Year 2017 Budget. City Administrator John Lund said only minor changes will be made to the nearly $14.35-million Budget. Some of the changes were in wording, while others took the form of unexpected changes in revenue and/or expenditures, and how those monies are categorized.

Among the changes, was that there will be no increase in the amount of money the City provides to the Cass-Atlantic Development Corporation and Atlantic Chamber of Commerce. The initial budget had proposed a $2,500 increase for each entity in the next Fiscal Year, but Mayor Dave Jones thought the increase was not necessary. He said “I feel they get enough money as it is right now.”

Jones said “CADCO and the Chamber, they’re both very healthy. I think $35,000 a year is plenty for both of them. Plus they get money out of the CPC (Community Promotion Commission). John Lund said the last time adjustments were made to the amount of funds CADCO and the Chamber receive, was in 2009.

Jones said the Chamber gets money from the Local Option Sales tax to cover its employees’ wages, so “They should not have any more employees down there than we have at City Hall.”  He said “I just think we do enough for those organizations, and they’ve got other options to go with. And they have [their] membership [dues]. The taxpayer does enough as it is to take care of them. I think we could use [the funds] someplace else.” He referred to the Ann Wickman Daycare Center, which Jones says is likely to come before the City asking for operational funds to makeup for a shortfall. Jones said the Daycare Center is “A very valuable asset to the City of Atlantic.”

John Lund summed-up the City’s Budget by saying the only reason he would be concerned is if in the foreseeable future, there wasn’t enough revenue coming in or expenditures dramatically increased, or if the solution to those problems was to raise taxes. Lund says because a State-mandated 10-percent increase in commercial property valuation has played a role in reducing the residential property tax.

The City’s tax asking for residential properties will decline by six-cents per thousand dollars valuation to $16.79. Any changes people see to their property taxes will be due to the changes of value to their property or the levies set by the County and School District. Commercial property taxes will increase, but again that’s because of the State mandate.

Overall, the FY 2017 Budget is down 3.77-percent from the total estimated expenditures for the current year, FY 2016.

Authorities in Council Bluffs have cited a resident for having dangerous animals in his house. According to the Daily NonPareil, the Council Bluffs Police Department police area representative (PAR) unit was called to the home of 36-year old Jeremy Maschmeier, after receiving complaints that Maschmeier had an unlicensed pit bull.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A bill that would create a system for manufacturing, dispensing and possessing medical marijuana in Iowa has advanced in the Legislature. The Republican-majority House Commerce Committee voted 17-6 to pass the measure on Wednesday.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A big year from Iowa’s football and basketball teams means a big raise for athletic director Gary Barta. Documents obtained by The Associated Press show that Iowa President Bruce Harreld and Barta reached a five-year contract extension last month. Barta’s biggest hire, basketball coach Fran McCaffery, has turned a once-moribund program into the nation’s fourth-ranked team.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The University of Iowa has seen a 36.4 percent increase in faculty resignations during the 2014 to 20015 academic year, compared with the year before. The Iowa Board of Regents’ most recent faculty report says the number of resignations at the university increased from 66 to 90 between fiscal years 2014 and 2015. The Press-Citizen reports the Iowa Board of Regents is scheduled to discuss the reports when they meet February 24th and 25th in Ames.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Polk County inmate has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and sex abuse after being held in jail for over three years. The Des Moines Register reports that 45-year-old Lavelle McKinley admitted Monday as part of a plea deal to sexually assaulting and strangling Cynthia Rouse. He has been held on a murder charge since January 16th, 2013, two days after Rouse died.