A public hearing was held in Audubon Monday night with regard to the proposed Fiscal Year 2015 City Budget, which was eventually approved, but not without some reservations. During the hearing, Barb Jacobs asked several questions. She pointed out, and City Clerk Lora Hansen confirmed, that in the worst case scenario, the City would be operating at a nearly $500-thousand dollar loss. The re-estimated FY 2014 budget shows an estimated loss of revenue amounting to approximately $388,517.

The budget summary provided by Hansen, and read by Jacobs, also says the City will be operating in the red for FY 2016, if it stays on its current course. Those figures also raised the eyebrows of  Councilman Tom Nielsen. The beginning balance at the start of the new fiscal year on July 1st will be $976,704. The City will have an operating loss of $497, 400, which leaves a beginning the following year of $479,400. Nielsen said if they “Don’t do some radical changes,” the City “Probably cannot get through Fiscal Year 2016.”

Nielsen said the City has some “Serious financial problems.” He said the only reason he voted for it was so that it could be submitted to the State by the March 17th deadline. After that, the budget can be amended downward, but in the mean while, he suggested the City seek help in getting it’s financial house in order. Nielsen said he doesn’t know how the City could possibly find the half-million dollars it needs before the budget deadline. He suggested the City meet its auditing firm in a work session and get the “Very scary” situation corrected. Nielsen said “It sucks” to be $500-thousand dollars in the hole.

He said he’s also bothered by the fact the City’s obligation bonds are 5-percent of taxable assessed valuations, and they’re current outstanding to the tune of 3.434-percent, so they’ve used up most of the available funds from the bonds. To top it off, he says the town needs to get serious about fixing its crumbling infrastructure in terms of streets, sewer lines and water lines.

Cass County Democratic Party Chair Sherry Toelle says a “Spring Fling” event will be held in Atlantic on March 27th, sponsored by the local Democratic party. The event will feature eleven candidates who will be appearing on the June primary ballot, and includes games, a silent auction, and a pie/cake auction in addition to a “picnic” dinner.

The candidates who will be attending the event include Congressional candidates Staci Appel and Gabriel De La Cerda and gubernatorial candidates Jack Hatch, Paul Dahl and Jonathan Narcisse. Other candidates who plan to attend are Brad Anderson (Secretary of State), Jon Neiderbach (State Auditor), Sherrie Taha (Secretary of Agriculture), and Tim Ennis (Iowa House District #21). Attorney General Tom Miller and State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald, both incumbents, will also speak.

The event will held at the Saints Peter and Paul Parish Center, beginning at 6-p.m. March 27th. The cost per adult is $20 if paid before March 26th. Tickets are available at the door for $25, with children under 14 admitted for $10 each. RSVP’s are requested by March 21st. Tickets can be purchased from Dale Whittaker, 1409 E. 17th St., Atlantic, IA 50022.

For more information about the evening’s activities, contact Sherry Toelle at 712-243-4861.

The Audubon City Council Monday evening tabled action on the discussion and consideration of applications for their City Clerk or Interim City Clerk’s position, because they weren’t ready to do so, according to Mayor Sam Kauffman. In addition, the Council directed the Mayor to correct an error on the published notice calling for applications and resubmit the ad, because it left out important legal terminology, according to former city councilperson Linda Weston, who researched the process through the Iowa League of Cities.

Weston said the advertisement left out a statement with regard to EEO – Equal Employment Opportunity – which is required by law. The EEO statement typically says that a company or governmental body “Provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws.”

Mayor Kauffman admitted he made an error when drafting the advertisement for publication, and made then a comment that drew laughs of disbelief from the audience and caused numerous eyes to roll.  He suggested City Clerk Lora Hansen – who he admitted is much more knowledgeable about such things – be the person to write the ad. The comment was ironic, because it would have meant Hansen would have been writing an ad seeking her own replacement for a position she did not wish to leave.

She currently serves as the “Hold over” clerk after a series of mis-steps taken by the Council that drew the threat of legal action and several requests for e-mails under the Open Records and Open Meetings law. Hansen has served as City Clerk in Audubon for more than 30-years.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa lawmakers are continuing their efforts to fund an anti-bullying measure that would create an office to coordinate efforts and establish a grant program for schools across the state.  A three-member Senate appropriations subcommittee voted 2-1 on Monday in favor of the legislation, which goes to the full Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday.

The bill calls for a $1 million appropriation to establish an office within the Department of Education, charged with coordinating and implementing bullying prevention and response efforts. The bill also would develop a grant program to help schools carry out new anti-bullying policies.

Adam Gregg, legislative liaison for Gov. Terry Branstad, says such a large appropriation is unnecessary. Sen. Robert Hogg, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids, says he’s sure an agreement on funding can be reached.