The City of Atlantic’s Personnel and Finance Committee will meet this evening in the Council’s Chambers, at City Hall. During the session, which begins at 5:15, the Committee will discuss the City’s interest in the former Sitel building at 1206 Southwest 7th Street, for a possible use as City Hall and/or the Police Department.

In the Fall of 2011, Cass County began in the process of looking for a new facility to house an expanded 9-1-1/ Communications Center, and had explored the possibility of combining such a facility with the Iowa State Patrol, but that concept soon fell by the way side.

Officials say finding more space in the courthouse or on the grounds of the facility has become a necessity, as the current 9-1-1/Communications Center has outgrown its current location, and, because new technology will take up more space and require the use of additional personnel to operate it. Combining the City of Atlantic and Cass County County Emergency Communications operations is one of the options being considered.

The Personnel and Finance Committee is also expected to discuss making changes to the building permit fee charged by the City of Atlantic.

The Atlantic City Council Wednesday evening decided to hold-off on approving a request by the Cass County Fair Board, for the abatement of a building permit fee pertaining to the construction of a new Cattle Barn on the Cass County Fairgrounds. Mayor Dave Jones said the matter would come before the City’s Personnel and Finance Committee this (Thursday) evening at City Hall (beginning at 5:15), because there are some “loopholes” in the current City Ordinances that create an unfair pricing system for building permit fees that need to be addressed prior to the Council acting on abating a fee for the Cattle Barn. The current ordinance would require the non-profit Fair Board to pay a nearly $3,100 fee for a permit to construct the barn.

Mayor Jones says when the Ordinances were updated they passed a simple 30-cents per square foot building permit. The theory was that for a 10-thousand square foot building, the permit fee would be $3,000. The same principal applies to the construction of a building metal carport, which Zoning Administrator John Lund, the Mayor, and others, considers to be “exorbitant.”

Councilman Steve Livengood said he was on the Committee that established the prices for a building permit fee. Livengood said the decision to base the fee on square footage was not an easy one to make, but they wanted to ensure poorly constructed structures were being erected. He said it’s inequitable and they are currently looking for better ideas. Livengood said also he’s “Still a huge advocate of ‘If you pay the government some money, you should get something for it.'” Livengood said — referring to Atlantic’s Building Permit fee — “Quite honestly, you really don’t get much for a building permit, so you shouldn’t have to pay a lot for it, either.”

In other business, the Council set August 21st at 5:30-p.m. as the date and time for a public hearing the proposed Code of Ordinances. City Administrator Doug Harris said the Code was re-codified over the past 18-months, and is the first time that’s been done in 10-years. The new Code incorporates State and Legislative changes, changes made as part of the Model Code recommended by the Iowa Municipal League, and those made by the City itself.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

A western Iowa woman who serves as the auditor for Monona County, has plead not guilty to drug charges. 27-year old Brooke Ann Kuhlmann entered her plea in front of the judge on Tuesday. And while her case is on-hold pending the outcome of a District Court case, according to the Omaha World-Herald, the Monona County attorney has recommended a review of the County’s financial records.
Officials with the Iowa Department of Public Safety said in a statement last week, that Kuhlmann scheduled a methamphetamine buy and pickup from an undercover Iowa State Patrol officer on Monday who had seized a dealer’s cell phone the day before.
After the drug purchase, Onawa police initiated a traffic stop and took Kuhlmann into custody for questioning. She was arrested and charged with possessing methamphetamine, a serious misdemeanor, and possessing drug paraphernalia, a simple misdemeanor. She was subsequently released from custody, and remains free on a $1,000 signature bond. Kuhlmann, a Democrat, is serving her second term as auditor.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — At least three people in two states have beaten astronomical odds to become the nation’s latest Powerball millionaires. Sue Dooley, senior drawing manager production coordinator for the Multi-State Lottery Association, said late Wednesday night that three tickets matched the winning numbers and will split the lottery’s latest massive jackpot: $448 million. The winning numbers drawn Wednesday night were: 05, 25, 30, 58, 59 and Powerball 32.

The (Newark, N.J.) Star-Ledger reported early Thursday that a spokeswoman for the New Jersey Lottery said that one of the multimillion-dollar tickets was purchased at a supermarket in South Brunswick, N.J., and the other ticket was sold in Little Egg Harbor, N.J. Information on the Minnesota ticket was not available early Thursday.

A man from Maryland was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Omaha following a single vehicle accident this (Wednesday) afternoon on Interstate 80, in Cass County. According to the Iowa State Patrol, 28-year old Matthew Shilman, of Westminster, MD, was traveling west on I-80 near the 57-mile marker (Olive St. Exit), when his 2005 Subaru Impreza left the road and entered the north ditch. The car went through a fence and into a field before colliding with a ditch embankment.

Accident scene. Photo by Mike Kennon, Cass County Emergency Mgmt.

Officials say Shilman, who was wearing his seat belt, was flown by LifeNet to Creighton Medical Center. The accident, which happened at around 2:08-p.m., remains under investigation. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Atlantic Fire and Rescue, and Medivac Ambulance assisted the State Patrol at the scene.