(Harlan, Iowa) – The Shelby County Board of Supervisors met in a regular session at 9-a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17th. County Auditor/Board Secretary Mark Maxwell reports in his minutes of the meeting, that Shelby County Recorder Geralyn Greer presented her quarterly report which showed income growth year to year. Greer advised that improvements have been made to the online information portal on the Shelby County website and encouraged others to inspect the site and provide feedback on the visit. Other Recorders projects and current activities were also presented to the Supervisors.

Representatives from the Family Crisis Center were present to follow up with a funding request letter to the Shelby County Board of Supervisors. It was noted that last year, Family Crisis Centers provided approximately $7,143.80 of services to Shelby County residents. There are more people to reach in Shelby County, so they have increased their staffing to provide more focus and attention on your county. The family Crisis Centers goal in the next year is to increase their outreach and serve more people in Shelby County. They are asking for funding from Shelby County in FY25 in the amount of $750.00. The Supervisors approved the award request in full for fiscal year 2025. The monies provided will be from the Opioid Abatement fund.

The Shelby County Weed Commissioner’s annual report was then approved after a presentation by Jay Ring. Ring mentioned that Shelby County does not have the invasive weed problems that some counties have. Past control and keeping on top of problem areas has kept the spread in Shelby County to less than some other counties.

The Supervisors then considered a situation regarding a possible property tax refund/abatement. Myrtue Medical Center purchased a property during the assessment year and received in the purchase agreement partial payment for a portion of the year that property taxes were due. Myrtue was billed for the full amount of taxes due and paid the full amount. The Board passed a motion to abate and refund a portion of taxes paid for the parcel, in the amount of $4,557.52

The Supervisors then reported current activities on the boards and committees that they are members of, representing Shelby County. Charles Parkhurst reported that MAPA has trails grants available in the amount of approximately $800,000.00. Steve Kenkel noted that the Iowa Utilities Board activities regarding the pipeline situation have been put on hold for previously scheduled events where the hearings are held. The proceedings will resume in November.

Todd Valline provides a report from the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The report included that election candidate forums will be taking place in Elk Horn and Harlan for the contested city council seats in each of the communities. Valline also asked for baked goods to be dropped off at his office the 26th and 27th of October to be put on a bake sale to raise money for pool passes for those in need next summer. It was also announced that the Shelby County trails has been awarded a $400,000.00 trails grant for the ballpark to ballpark trail, the estimated total needed for the project is $700,000.00.

The Supervisors then approved two liquor licenses for Lucky Wine Slushies Inc for events to be held at the Rosa Blanda Farm.  And. Brandon Burmeister gave his Secondary Roads report of progress being made on projects throughout Shelby County. He noted that roads that break up this time of year are very hard to repair properly until spring weather returns next year. Some repairs are just patches to get through the winter. Grants available to Secondary Roads and their applicable rewards and benefits to Shelby County were detailed to the Supervisors.

Shelby County Auditor, Mark Maxwell then asked for, and the Board approved, a debt certificate for expenses associated with TIF project spending in fiscal year 2023. The amount being $91,040.  Maxwell also reported that ballots are were due to arrive Oct. 17th for in-person absentee voting at the Courthouse. There are new versions of election software that requires new techniques to be used in preparation and election day processes. Having an IT person will hopefully make the transition easier for election employees.

The bank that handles payroll deposits for Shelby County has installed new payroll software and Melissa Arkfeld, Shelby County Payroll Clerk, has been diligent in getting the process started correctly for payroll payments and deposits. Angel Poore , Taryn Knapp, and Cindy Pash have been doing their parts in election preparation also. Angel Poore with administration of all the voter records and ballots and Taryn Knapp and Cindy Pash preparing new equipment and Precinct Election Official education. Maxwell noted that he has a lot of confidence in all their abilities. Also it was told that new budget amendments are needed and in the process of being completed for Supervisor approval of publication. Also, there has been a letter sent to an ARPA grantee asking for it to be signed, this letter would be an acknowledgment of the grantee that the ARPA funds will not be used.

Having no further business the meeting was adjourned.

(West Des Moines, Iowa)  – As the summer season waned, so too, did the Iowa Housing Market in September with declines in nearly all metrics measured by the Iowa Association of REALTORS®. The dip in metrics follows national trends, a result of higher interest rates, lower inventory and rising prices. While the trajectory might at first appear dismal, there are glimmers of hope. The market continues to create competition for prospective buyers, a welcome sign for sellers, with bidding wars and some homes selling above asking price. IAR President Krista Clark said Friday (Today) “As Iowans fall back into their routines with school starting, many aren’t looking to uproot and the September housing market is a reflection of that. Still, we’re seeing a competitive market for those who are looking for a change. We encourage prospective buyers and sellers to reach out to their trusted REALTOR® to examine their options when jumping into the market.” 

 Single-Family Homes

Following national trends, the Iowa housing market saw a dip in available inventory in September. The 3,418 homes on the market represent a 6.8% decrease from the 3,667 homes on the market one year ago. The change was similar for monthly metrics, with available inventory decreasing 13% from August.  Home sales continued a downward trend in September, showing a 19.2% decline compared to home sales one year ago. Month-over-month sales remained down. The 2,852 homes sold in September was a 13.3% decrease from last month.  The pending sales of 2,408 homes in September represented a 18.8% decrease from one year ago. The decline was a bit smaller for monthly metrics, creating a 15.9% decrease from August’s pending sales. The days on the market increased year-over-year to 35 days compared to the 30 day average of September 2022. Median sales prices increased 7.6% year-over-year to $220,000. 

Townhomes and Condos

The market for townhomes and condos in Iowa resembled the single-family home market in September, showcasing mostly declines in sales and inventory.  With 477 new listings, the townhouse-condo market saw a decrease of 9.1% from the 525 homes on the market in September 2022. The margin was wider for monthly metrics, an 11.9% decrease from the listings posted in August.  Year-over-year sales declined slightly by 14% in September compared to the 493 sales completed in 2022. With 424 properties sold, the metric was 12.4% decrease from homes sold in August. Pending sales were similar for townhomes and condos. The 346 pending sales in September represented an 8% decrease from last year and a 15.4% decrease from the number of pending sales recorded in August. Days on the market increased for townhomes and condos last month, going from 41 days on the market in September 2022 to 55 this year. Median sales price increased, by 6.7% year-over-year to an average of $256,354.

Statewide Market Report for August

View the Detailed PDF Report on Statewide Statistics

Housing Market Reports by Iowa County

View Reports on Single-Family homes

View Reports on Townhouse-Condo homes

The information used to create the IAR August Housing Trends Report was current as of October 17. The information is subject to change due to the dynamic nature of the IAR’s housing statistics system, which is based on data from the local participating MLS (multiple listing service) systems.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, a Republican from Marion, says she isn’t giving up on Jim Jordan for House Speaker, who has failed to get enough votes to take over. “I am going to continue to support Jim today. I really am focused on solutions here. I like him I think he will do a good job,” she says, “but if he doesn’t get to 217 votes we really do need to figure out the next steps.” The 217 votes are what is needed in the House to win the Speaker’s post. Hinson says they had a meeting yesterday to discuss the option of giving the interim House Speaker the power to conduct business.

“The consensus out of that meeting was really you just need to focus on trying to get to 217 first so that we can move our agenda forward,” Hinson says. Hinson says the option for the interim speaker is not on the table today and she hopes they can come together and elect a speaker. Hinson also spoke out against the threats made against fellow Iowa Congresswoman Marinette Miller-Meeks after Miller-Meeks changed her vote and did not support Jim Jordon for speaker. “I don’t care what party you’re in or how you vote, violence and threats are unacceptable and I’m disturbed that our politics have reached this much of a low. This should be disavowed by everyone,” Hinson says. She also slammed the members of the House who showed up at a rally for Hamas.

“Members of the squad attended and encouraged this disgusting display of anti-Semitism and apologized for terrorism. Several members of the squad have been spreading Hamas propaganda and disinformation,” She says. “They’re taking the terrorists at their word rather than focusing on what our closest allies say. It’s disgusting. It’s shameful and it’s unacceptable.”

The Squad is an informal group of eight Democratic Representatives, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.

(Radio Iowa) – A top Republican in the state legislature says the current situation in congress shows the federal government is broken and it’s time to make changes in the U-S Constitution. State Representative John Wills of Spirit Lake — the Speaker Pro Tem in the IOWA House — is a long-time advocate for a Constitutional Convention. “Congress can propose changes to the Constitution. I just don’t think the current congress is going to limit itself or change itself,” Wills says. “The other way is that the states can petition for a Constitutional Convention.”

Thirty-four states must pass resolutions calling for such a meeting. So far, 19 have done so, but Iowa has not. Wills says a balanced budget amendment to the U-S constitution is a priority for him — and a Constitutional Convention could propose one. “We’re $33 trillion in debt and if it continues to rise at the pace we’re going to have $100 trillion of debt over the next 20 years and that’s just unsustainable. We can’t continue that,” Wills says. “I don’t think the congress or the president — I don’t care which party they’re from — has any inkling that they’re going to control it.”

Critics of convening a Constitutional Convention say there are no limits to what delegates could propose and it could lead to major changes in our form of government. The U-S Constitution was written by a Constitutional Convention in 1787. It has 27 amendments, the last of which was passed in 1992.

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – Adair/Casey-Guthrie Center School District Superintendent Josh Rasmussen reports and congratulates Mrs. Diane Flanery, Guthrie Center Elementary Principal, on her being named the Iowa Talented and Gifted (ITAG) Administrator of the year. Mrs. Flanery was born and raised in Bagley, Iowa. She earned her teaching license from Iowa State University in 1983 and began her education career teaching in the Nevada Community School District (1984-1994).

After moving back home to Guthrie County, she began working for Guthrie Center School as a first, and then sixth grade teacher (1996-2013). In 2011, she earned her administrator licensure from Iowa State and in 2013, became principal at Guthrie Center Elementary. Throughout her years as an educator, Mrs. Flanery has been a strong advocate for not just talented and gifted learners, but ALL learners, creating a positive learning environment to help all students grow and achieve their full potential.

Mrs. Diane Flanery

Diane and her husband, Dennis, live in Guthrie Center. They have three adult children and six grand dogs. After 37 years of service in public education, she will retire at the end of the 2023-2024 school year.

(Elk Horn, Iowa) – Members of the Exira-Elk Horn/Kimballton School District’s Board of Education met in a regular session Tuesday evening. According to the meeting minutes provided by Business Manager & Board Secretary/Treasurer Mallory Meyer, the Board approved several action items on their agenda, including:

• A request for allowable growth for LEP allowable costs of $2,540.88.
• An agreement to establish a consortium to jointly administer and instructional program located in space within the boundaries of the Glenwood Community School District.
• A District renovations contract with INVISION Architecture (for possible updates to the Elk Horn building, as well a secured entrance and updates to the Exira building). It essentially provides for cost estimates at this time.
• The Exira-EHK Board also passed the First Reading of a Disciplinary Policy for students who make threats of violence or cause incidents of violence.
• And, they approved the resignation of Associate Stacie Hansen, along with the hiring of Cody Parmley as Play Director and Jacki Piva as an Associate.

Superintendent Trevor Miller noted that there are four seats open on the School Board, and only three candidates running in the November 7th election. The board discussed what the next steps would be, if there is no write-in candidate, and if they will need to go through the steps of appointing someone to the board.

(Radio Iowa) – As part of Veterans Day observances next month, Iowans are being asked to take part in what’s being called Operation Green Light as a show of support for those who’ve served our country in uniform. Katie Peterson, with the Hamilton County Veterans Affairs office in Webster City, says the effort is being organized by the National Association of County Veterans Service Officers and the National Association of Counties.  “They are collaborating together to raise awareness for challenges faced by veterans,” Peterson says, “and resources available at the county, state and federal levels that are there to assist veterans and their families.”

This will be the second annual Operation Green Light and it will be held November 5th through the 12th. Peterson says it’s easy to take part. “All you would have to do to show your support is shine a green light somewhere that’s visible from the street,” Peterson says, “that illuminates the area where you’re driving down the street that you’d be able to see that, just to show the veterans that are driving around that we are there to support them.”

For more information, contact your county V-A office. Veterans Day is November 11th.