(Atlantic, Iowa) – The City Council in Atlantic had a light agenda and a short session, Wednesday night. Early on, the Council tabled until their next meeting, an Order to approve an agreement with Snyder and Associates Engineers, for a Nutrient Reduction Strategy Report, based on a request from the Wastewater Treatment Plant Supervisor Tim Snyder.  The Council heard from Atlantic Municipal Utilities General Manager Steve Tjepkes, prior to approving (as a formality) AMU’s Calendar Year 2022 Budget.

His report to the Council stated:  “The 2022 Budget has been reviewed and adopted by the AMU Board of Trustees, after a Public Hearing held this past Monday night.” Here is a breakdown of his report:
Electric Operations:
• No rate increases budgeted for 2022
• Nationally, wholesale electric prices increased in 2021, as the U.S. economy recovered from 2020 COVID slow-down, allowing AMU to generate more electricity from our coal plant in Council Bluffs and sell into wholesale market at higher profit margins.
• 2022 Capital projects include replacing a set of switch gear in our main substation at a cost of S 1.3 million. We already replaced the other set of switch gear this year for
about S 1.2 million.
• With the low interest rates being earned on our reserve funds, we will be paying off $2,525,000 of our remaining electric debt in 2022. After this payment, both the Electric and Water Departments will be debt-free.
• Recent electric rate survey of all 181 electric companies in the state showed only one utility company in state of Iowa (Muscatine) with lower overall average rates than AMU.
Water Operations:
• No rate increases budgeted for 2022
• A year ago, AMU was awarded a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for almost $500,000 to pay a portion of 2 large water capital improvement projects:
1. In 2021 , completed installation of water main underneath Nishnabotna River along 2nd street near wastewater treatment plant to provide loop feed to customers west of the Nishnabotna river
2. In 2022, plan to refurbish 6 large filters in the water treatment plant at a cost of $725,000, with the CDBG covering $390,000 of the cost.
• Tjepkes said “We plan to apply for another CDBG grant to help with the cost of replacing an underground water storage tank with an above ground tank at an estimated cost of $1-million.”

(Left to right) Atlantic Knights of Columbus members Todd Roecker, Gary Richter (Mayor Dave Jones), Dr. Keith Leonard (DVM) and Phil Hascall. (Ric Hanson, photo)

Atlantic Mayor Dave Jones then issued a Proclamation with regard to the Knights of Columbus:

“Whereas, the Knights of Columbus is the world’s largest Roman Catholic fraternal organization having 1.9 Million members in more than 15.000 councils in a total of 1 7 countries across the
globe, including 242 councils and 31.000 members in Iowa, and 152 members in the Monsignor Kane Atlantic Council,

Whereas the Knights of Columbus annual fraternal activities include more that 76 Million hours of volunteer service, and over 176 Million dollars in charitable contributions,

Whereas the Knights of Columbus was founded in 1882 by Blessed Father Michael J. McGivney at St. Mary ‘s parish church in New Haven, CT,

and, Whereas the Monsignor Kane Atlantic Knights of Columbus council was chartered on December 9th, 1906. and has been in continual service to the Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church and local charities in the Atlantic area for the past 115 years…

I hereby proclaim December 9th, 2021 to be knights of Columbus day. and I congratulate the Monsignor Kane Atlantic Knights of Columbus council on achieving 115 years of continual service to the Atlantic area.” Signed David Jones, Mayor City of Atlantic, Iowa.

The Council then proceeded to approve the closure of the following streets this Saturday, Dec. 4th, for the 2021 Lighted Parade that begins at 4:30-p.m.:

• 6th & Chestnut to 6th & Walnut Streets
• 6th & Chestnut in front of Wells Fargo Bank
• 6th & Chestnut to 6th and Poplar Street.

In the Council Committee reports, Councilperson Kathy Somers said the Personnel and Finance Committee met Monday night. She said they talked about a City right-of-way that is under consideration to be vacated, and a possible donation of $5,000 to the Anne W. Wickman Center. Somers said also, there will be a new sound system installed in the Council Chambers at a cost of $9,000. Once the installation is complete, it should make it much easier for people in the audience to hear what’s being said during the meetings.

In other business, Councilman Dick Casady mentioned his wife had suffered a heart attack and had some stents put-in. She is recovering from the surgery. And, a recount was requested following the outcome of Tuesday’s Mayoral run-off race, in Atlantic. As you may recall, Grace Garrett was the unofficial winner by four votes over Tim Teig, 588-to 584. Atlantic City Clerk Barb Barrick said during the Council’s meeting, that County Auditor Dale Sunderman has informed that Teig took out papers to file for a recount.

Grace Garrett and Tim Teig will each appoint an individual to serve on the recount board. And the two together will appoint a third person.

(Iowa Insurance Division, Des Moines) – A recent LendingTree survey found nearly half of the 2,000 consumers surveyed are dreading the holidays due to the financial costs.  There are ways to reduce the financial stress of the holidays and purchase gifts that promote financial wellness.

• Start with creating a budget for all your holiday expenses such as gas, food, decor, holiday cards, and travel.  Include a predetermined monetary amount for each person on your gift-giving list.  Sticking to a budget will prevent you from spending more than you can afford.
• Consider using a cashback credit card or other similar rewards offer, but only if you can use credit responsibly and can pay off the balance in full.
• If using credit cards is a struggle, consider using cash for all purchases and next year begin saving year-round. You may also want to consider a prepaid card to help you stick within your budget.
• Credit cards provide protections that may not be available with debit cards.

• When shopping online protect yourself and your money by keeping your phone or computer updated and having unique usernames and passwords for each site.
• Avoid using free wifi and unsecured connections to make financial transactions.
• Beware of phishing, which is when a scammer sends an email that appears to be from a legit company in an attempt to obtain your personal information.  If you receive an email from a retailer with a special sale offer, go to a new browser and type in the website URL to guarantee you are visiting the correct site.
• Watch for grammatical errors, misspelled or extra words or numbers in a web address which may signal a scam.
• Before doing business with a new company, read customer reviews and search the business name followed by the word “scam”.  Also, be aware if there is a limited amount of contact information on the website.
• Monitor your credit cards and bank statements so you may report any suspicious activity immediately.

If you need gift ideas this year, consider these financial gifts:

• Donate to a loved one’s favorite charity and inquire with your tax advisor to see if the donation is tax-deductible.
• Purchase stock they will recognize and have an interest in.
• Contribute to a 529 plan.
• Contribute to the IRA of an eligible loved one with earned income.
• Give the gift of cash and provide ideas on how to grow the money in a CD or investment account.  Save 4 Later Iowa provides financial education for free.
• Pay for a visit to a licensed financial advisor.
• Give the gift of financial learning with a book about finances.
• Purchase a savings bond for your loved one.

If you purchase or receive gifts such as jewelry, art, or collectibles make sure they are properly insured by contacting your licensed insurance agent to discuss if your new possession should be insured with a rider to your homeowners or renters policy. If you have leftover money in your budget, give yourself a gift by placing it in your IRA, emergency fund, or that holiday spending account for next year.

(Radio Iowa) – Some Iowans started decorating their houses for Christmas back before Halloween this pandemic year, but many others are just getting around to decking the halls. Andrea Vaspis, public education director for the National Fire Protection Association, says those colorful lights can be a beautiful accent to your house, but they can also pose a serious fire hazard. “When you’re going to be decorating outside, make sure the lights that you use are approved by a testing laboratory and that they’re rated for outdoor use,” Vaspis says. “That is really critical.” Putting lights outside that are supposed to be for indoor use only could quickly lead to an electrical short — and a fire.

If you’re trying to obtain a Clark Griswold-level of outdoor decoration perfection, she warns, it can be easy to overdo it. “A general rule of thumb is to not plug in more than three strands at a time, follow the manufacturer’s recommendations on the box,” Vaspis says. “If you’re opening your tub of old lights and trying to pull them out and see what you have and if anything is frayed or old, it’s time to get rid of it.” For many Iowans, it’s simply not the holidays if the fragrence of fresh pine isn’t wafting throughout the house, but if you have a “real” tree, it’s important that your electric lights are safe.

Example of LED Christmas lights

“For the indoor lighting, make sure that what you’re using is not overloaded in a circuit with a number of other items,” Vaspis says. “Make sure that if you’re putting those lights on a Christmas tree, that the Christmas tree is in good shape, that it’s watered so that the lighting doesn’t cause a fire.” An association study finds electrical distribution or lighting equipment was involved in more than two of every five (44%) home Christmas tree fires.

Des Moines, Iowa (KCCI) — The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Iowa continues to climb. The Iowa Department of Public Health today (Wednesday) reported 721 patients hospitalized with the virus, up from 665 at last report on Monday. Of those hospitalized with the virus, 75.7% are unvaccinated, while 77.9% of those listed in intensive care with COVID-19 are unvaccinated.

IDPH also reported 91 additional COVID-19 deaths, bringing the total to 7,445 since the start of the pandemic. The additional deaths were reported between Sept. 17 and Nov. 24. There were 8,221 positive tests reported in the last seven days, up from 7,952 reported on Monday. The state’s 14-day positivity rate climbed from 10.8% to 11.2% since Monday.

The number of long-term care facilities reporting outbreaks dropped from 20 to 19.

(Radio Iowa) – A ten year old Le Mars boy died at the hospital after being hit by a car while riding his bike. The accident happened at about 5:12 Tuesday afternoon on Business Highway 75. The accident report says the ten year old, identified as Elijah Peters, was going westbound crossing the street riding his bicycle when he was struck by a Toyota Corolla going northbound and driven by 21-year-old Diego Gomez also of Le Mars. Grief counselors have been assigned to the Le Mars elementary schools.