(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa legislature has voted to create a program  that would offer state tax credits and sales tax rebates for businesses that are making a more than one BILLION dollar capital investment in Iowa. Senator Dan Dawson of Council Bluffs says it’s called the “Major Economic Growth Attractions” or “MEGA” program.  “These projects are rare,” Dawson said. “They don’t come around very often,” Dawson says.

Dawson says the local community has to approve the development. “It must be on over 250 acres,” Dawson says. “It must be primarily engaged in the advanced manufacturing, biosciences and research businesses only.” Senator William Dotzler  of Waterloo says these kind of incentives are necessary.  “We’re in competition with other states,” Dotzler said. “…Other states are putting in to these project even greater than what we are.”

The bill also provides some state funding to help 88 Iowa counties that are outside of urban areas improve tracts of land so it’s immediately ready for business development. Representative Brian Lohse of Bondurant says the upgrades required for certified sites can be out of reach for smaller communities.  “It is a very extensive and very expensive thing to do,” Lohse says, “and it’s incredibly productive.”

The far larger MEGA program won approval in the Iowa Senate a year ago, but stalled in the House over concerns about a foreign company owning farmland. The bill’s final version says a foreign business that gets incentives from this MEGA program cannot be located in the six countries considered to be adversaries of the United States.

(Thayer, Iowa) – One person was injured during a rollover accident Monday afternoon, in Union County. According to the Union County Sheriff’s Office, 43-year-old Daniel Gary Goodemote, of Thayer, was driving a 2006 Ford Explorer SUV eastbound on 197th Street, when he lost control of the vehicle, which rolled into the ditch and came to rest on the driver’s side. The accident happened at around4:30-p.m.

Authorities say an investigation revealed several open and unopened alcoholic beverage containers were in the vehicle, along with a black package labeled “marijuana gummies.” Goodmote – who was wearing his seat belt – suffered suspected minor/non-incapacitating injuries, and was transported by EMS ambulance to the hospital in Creston, where an OWI investigation took place with law enforcement.

Goodemote consented to Standard Field Sobriety Tests and a Preliminary Breath Test, that registered over .08%.  A urine sample was also obtained, which will be analyzed at the DCI Crime Lab. As of the latest report, no charges had been filed.

The SUV was a total loss, with damage estimated at $7,000.

(Radio Iowa) – Since Iowa leaders decided to turn down federal aid for summer food assistance programs for low-income households, communities like Le Mars are working to fill the gaps. Le Mars Community School District Superintendent Steven Webner says the northwest Iowa city is creating its own program that will be available to any students.

“The Summer Food Program is one in which all students are able to get food from distribution sites that the district has yet to finalize, during the month of June,” Webner says. “The school district is reimbursed the cost of the meals and the labor to make the meals.”

Late last year, Governor Kim Reynolds announced Iowa would not participate in the federal program because of administrative costs to the state, and because she said it “did nothing to promote nutrition at a time when childhood obesity has become an epidemic.” Other Republican governors in about a dozen states made similar announcements.

Webner describes how the community program will work in Le Mars. “What we’re looking at doing is providing, a couple of times a week potentially, a bag of meals that the students can take home that will last a few days,” Webner says. “We’re looking at breakfast and lunch-type meals and any student can take part in this, if they like.”

The district will initially offer the program just during June, and if there’s a good response, it may be extended into July and August. While it’s aimed at latch-key kids, Webner says all Le Mars district students are eligible for the program.

“The intent is just for students whose parents may be working all day, or parents who qualify for free and reduced lunches, those types of things,” he says. “We’re just trying to help the community out.”

Webner says the director of food services and other employees will prepare and package the meals, and bring them to delivery sites in the district. They are also recruiting students to help distribute the meals.

(Radio Iowa) – A few of the legislators who aren’t seeking reelection say it’s time to raise the pay for those who’ll be serving in the Iowa General Assembly next year.

Republican Representative Phil Thompson of Boone got his colleagues to laugh when he brought up the subject earlier this month. “Today I get to deliver my retirement speech at the age of 33,” Thompson said. “Unfortunately for me, I have to make up for all the money I lost these last six years and probably won’t get to do one of these ever again.”

The current salary for an Iowa legislator was set 18 years ago. “You all know how hard we have to work just to get here — all the doors, the events, the fundraisers, the parades. It’s a grind. My wife and I really did enjoy it most of the time. It was a fun run, but honestly we just can’t afford to do another round of it with our first kiddo on the way. I owe it to her to put my head down, earn and be a super dad,” Thompson said. “As rewarding as this work is, it really isn’t cut out for working age families. You guys should really fix that if you want a representative government.”

Sixty-four-year-old Representative Brian Best, a Republican from Glidden, is not seeking reelection after serving 10 years in the Iowa House. “I’m leaving, so it’s easy for me to say this,” Best said during his retirement speech. “What we pay you, me and those who will be elected — maybe we should think about paying a little bit more because it does really leave it to a really small portion of our population that can run for the Iowa House because of the wages that we pay.”

Iowa Capital Building

The six lawmakers who have leadership roles in the House and Senate are paid a salary of $37,500 a year. The other 144 legislators are being paid $25,000 a year. Most legislators get over $17,000 in expense payments each year as well to cover things like mileage and renting hotel rooms or apartments in Des Moines during the legislative session. Polk County lawmakers get less since they have homes near the Capitol. Polk County Representative John Forbes, a Democrat from Urbandale who’s not seeking reelection, said serving in the legislature has become a full-time job and he wouldn’t have been able to make it work financially when he was younger. “I would hope that the legislature looks at a salary increase at some point in time,” Forbes said, “to make sure that people who really want to run have that opportunity and not making salary a barrier for running for public office.”

The governor’s annual salary of $130,000 was set in 2005. More than a thousand state employees are paid more than Governor Reynolds. The salary for Iowa’s attorney general is about $123,000. The salaries for the four other statewide elected officials is just over $103,000.

(Radio Iowa) – The maker of a well-known brand of sour cream and cottage cheese is planning to open a production facility in Boone

The Boone City Council has voted to submit an application for Daisy Brand to the Iowa Economic Development Authority. The application is for tax incentives from the state’s High Quality Jobs program. Boone Mayor Eli Stine says a state board is expected to approve the application Friday.

The City of Boone has agreed to a number of infrastructure improvements to attract Daisy’s investment and over 250 jobs. Stine says Daisy is “an incredibly well run company” and its $708 million project is by far the largest capital investment the community has seen.

The headquarters of Daisy Brands is in Dallas, Texas, and the company currently operates plants in Arizona, Ohio and Texas.