January 27, 2012

You are here: Home / 2011 / Archives for June 2011

Sandbagging volunteers needed in Council Bluffs

June 30, 2011 By

More volunteers are needed to fill sandbags in Council Bluffs as the community fights to hold back the high water of the flooding Missouri River.

Kris Ranney, with the Council Bluffs Volunteer Center, says they also need muscle power to set the sandbags in position over the many miles of levees.

Ranney says, “I think mostly it’s going to include placing sandbags along the levee.” She says volunteers are helping to take a load off the shoulders of city workers who have been working non-stop to keep Council Bluffs safe from the swirling floodwater.

Volunteers will “just trying to help support the city crews as they’re trying to maintain and keep the levees as stable as possible,” she says.

They’re looking for strong men and women to help pack the sandbags and get them ready for city crews, but it won’t be light work.

“It will mostly be a matter of picking up and lugging 30- 40-pound sandbags for placement,” she says. There are two shifts planned with hopes of having between 50 and 100 volunteers per shift.

For times and locations, volunteers are asked to contact the Bluffs City Clerk or the Center at (712) 328-2606.

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters

Legislators expect to make looming deadline

June 30, 2011 By

Lawmakers spent most of Wednesday grinding away on just a couple of issues, delaying the final adjournment of the 2011 legislative session until sometime today.

They’re close to the deadline for approving a state budget plan, as the new state budget year begins Friday. The six-month-long effort to strike a deal between the two parties on property tax reform was abandoned Wednesday and legislators focused solely on the final details of the state budget.

Senator Bob Dvorsky, a Democrat from Coralville, is chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “We have a good group of senators and house members who really worked at it,” Dvorsky says. “And once people of good faith sat down, we were able to move some things forward.” 

Representative Scott Raecker, a Republican from Urbandale, is the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. ”It has taken a long time this year,” Raecker says. “But I believe the end result will be something that people will walk out of the capitol knowing that they did an exceptional job and Iowans will be very proud of the budget that’s been delivered.”

A huge budget bill cleared both the Senate and House last night before lawmakers adjourned for the evening. But property tax reform has fallen off their to-do list. Republicans like  Senate GOP Leader Paul McKinley of Chariton blame Democrats for failing to pass the property tax cut Republican Governor Terry Branstad has been pushing.

“I know we’re at a tremendously competitive disadvantage because of our high commercial property tax rates and residential rates,” McKinley says. “All classes are too high.” 

And Democrats like Senator Joe Bolkcom of Iowa City fault Republicans for failing to embrace the significantly different property tax relief plan Democrats devised.  “I just don’t understand at this point why those facts just didn’t get through to the governor and House Republcians,” Bolkcom says. “I’m disappointed.” 

The two parties did strike an agreement on education spending, approving a status quo spending plan for K-12 schools for the next academic year and a two percent increase in the following year. Senator Rob Hogg, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids, suggested the last eight weeks of wrangling between the parties over education spending had been worth it for Democrats.

“We didn’t decimate our educational system the way we would have decimated it if this had been all Republican control,” Hogg says. “Colleagues, we should be proud of the fact that we’ve been fighting here for education.”

Republicans, meanwhile, insisted on a state budget plan that spends a little less than $6 billion and Democrats finally agreed.  “We came in. We did what we said we were going to do,” says Representative Nick Wagner, a Republican from Marion. “We were fiscally responsible and we put the taxpayers first.”

The crux of Wednesday’s delay was the issue of abortion, however. The Family Leader, a group representing conservative activists, emailed its members Wednesday morning, urging them to call House Republicans and urge them to stand firm. Danny Carroll, a lobbyist for The Family, says there’s some frustration among conservatives that there’s been no action on the issues like gay marriage and abortion that they’d hoped to see lawmakers address.

“Republicans took control of the governor’s office and they have a 60-seat majority in the House and they have been unable to put a strong, pro-life bill on the governor’s desk,” Carroll says. “But it’s still a split General Assembly, too, and you have to recognize that.” 

While Republicans hold a 60-to-40 seat margin in the House, Democrats hold a 26-to-24 seat margin in the Senate and therefore control the debate agenda in the Senate.

The House and Senate are scheduled to return to the statehouse this morning to take action on two final bills, including the legislation that has been at the center of this latest abortion fight.

Lawmakers faced a looming deadline for final approval of the budget, as the new state fiscal year begins Friday, July 1. One of the two bills scheduled to approval todaywould ensure the governor has the authority to keep state government operating before he gives his formal approval to each of the budget bills. The governor will have 30 days to review the bills, and he could use his item veto authority on some individual spending items.

Filed Under: Business, Education, Politics & Government Tagged With: , , ,

Legislators find “middle ground” on education spending

June 29, 2011 By

Senator Bob Dvorsky (D-Coralville)

After a protracted stand-off over state spending on schools, the two political parties have agreed to a status quo level of state aid to K-12 public schools for the school year that begins this fall. However, the agreement calls for two percent more in per-pupil state aid in the following year.

Representative Cecil Dolecheck, a Republican from Mount Ayr, helped craft the final deal. “It’s a compromise that’s pretty close to middle ground,” Dolecheck says.

Republicans had proposed ending state-funded preschool programs, but Democrats objected. This year, the state spent about $3600 on each four-year-old enrolled in public preschool programs. The compromise calls for reducing that state spending by about $700 per student. Senator Bob Dvorsky, a Democrat from Coralville, is chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and he sees that as a victory.

“There’s a lot of support for preschool out there,” Dvorsky says. Dvorsky says school districts needed that extra $700 per preschooler the past few years as programs were started, but Dvorsky says preschools should be able to easily operate on with about three-thousand dollars per student in the coming year.

The Iowa House has just endorsed the education budget bill, which includes spending for the state-supported universities and community colleges, too. The Senate is expected to take up the plan soon.

The next state budgeting year begins Friday, July 1 and legislators are racing to strike final deals and pass bills that outline the final details of a nearly $6 billion state budget. There is a budget-related dispute over abortion policy which remains unresolved.  The effort to enact a major property tax reform package has been abandoned today, but Governor Branstad is hinting he’ll press the issue, perhaps in a special session later this year.

Filed Under: Education, Politics & Government Tagged With: , , , , ,

Group releases undercover video of livestock abuse in Iowa

June 29, 2011 By

An animal rights group today released undercover video depicting livestock abuse at an operation owned by the state’s largest pork producer. Nathan Runkle, executive director of Mercy for Animals, says the footage was collected over three months at an Iowa Select Farms hog operation in Kamrar.

The video clips show piglets being thrown, their tails being cut off without anesthesia and pigs being kept in small restrictive cages. “While much of this cruelty would shock and horrify the average American, many of these conditions are considered standard and acceptable by the pork industry and currently deemed legal in the state of Iowa,” Runkle said.

He’s calling on the pork industry to change it’s accepted procedures. “At Iowa Select, we see that these animals are treated as little more than meat producing machines. But in reality, farm animals are every bit as sensitive and intelligent as the dogs and cats so many of us know and love. These animals have the ability and capacity to suffer pain, fear and loneliness,” Runkle said. Pork from Iowa Select is distributed to several grocery stores including Safeway, Costco and Hy-Vee.

Dr. Howard Hill is a senior veterinarian with Iowa Select Farms, which is based in Iowa Falls. He says everything shown on the video depicts “the exact opposite” of the company’s animal handling and welfare policies. “We’re always disappointed when something like this happens because it reflects poorly on the industry and it’s damaging to other pork producers and the whole pork industry,” Hill told Radio Iowa. “(Iowa Select Farms) has a zero tolerance policy…if it’s proven anyone has abused animals, they would be terminated immediately.”

Iowa Select Farms has launched an “independent investigation” into the alleged abuse. Dr. Anna Johnson, an animal behavior researcher at Iowa State University, has been retained by the company for that review. “She’s just in the preliminary process of evaluating the tape,” Hill said. “She’ll be spending a considerable amount of time on the farm interviewing the employees. She will prepare a report that we will then act on.”

Mercy for Animal’s undercover investigation would be illegal under a proposed bill that was approved by the Iowa House this session. If it became law, it would be considered a felony to take undercover video or pictures of livestock operations in Iowa.

(photo from Mercy for Animals)

Filed Under: Agriculture

Property tax reform “off the table”

June 29, 2011 By

Senator Paul McKinley (R-Chariton) interviewed on senate floor

It appears six months of negotiations over property tax reform have failed and the 2011 legislative session will conclude within the next 48 hours without action on the issue.

Senate Republican Leader Paul McKinley says it’s an “unfortunate” turn of events. “I think Iowans want property tax relief because our property taxes are too high on all classes of property,” McKinley says.

Senator Joe Bolkcom, a Democrat from Iowa City, is chairman of the Senate committee that drafts tax policy. “To have this fall off the table is quite a disappointment,” Bolkcom says.

But the two parties were far apart in approaches.  Democrats proposed a state tax credit for commercial property owners, while Republicans proposed a reduction in commercial and industrial property tax rates of up to 40 percent, along with changes that would impact people who own homes and farmland, too.

“Everyone came into the 2011 legislative session talking about job creation. Everyone identified the number one hurdle for job creation was commercial and industrial property taxes and yet, at the end of the day, we’ve got nothing to move forward on and help job creators create jobs,” says John Gilliland of the Iowa Association of Business & Industry. “So that’s very disappointing.”

But Senate Democratic Leader Mike Gronstal is hinting there’s a possibility a deal on property tax reform could still be struck yet this year.  “Nothing is ever dead,” Gronstal says.

Governor Branstad has the authority to call legislators back into special session.  Branstad has repeatedly said he wants to reduce commercial property tax rates by 40 percent, plus he’s already indicated he may call legislators back in special session later this summer to address education issues.

Branstad spokesman Tim Albrecht issued a written statement this afternoon. “Iowa’s commercial property taxes are the highest in the nation, making our state wildly uncompetitive with other states and nations in attracting good jobs. Iowa’s property taxes are slated to increase by $1.3 billion over the next five years, and Gov. Branstad continues to believe inaction is unacceptable,” Albrecht said. “Should the Legislature fail to advance the governor’s plan, and allow property taxes to rise at this unsustainable level, we will in the future continue to pursue Gov. Branstad’s common-sense solution that he crafted on behalf of Iowa’s taxpayers.”

(This story was updated at 2:50 p.m.)

Filed Under: Business, Politics & Government, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , ,

Feds warn flooded Iowans to be on lookout for scams

June 29, 2011 By

Now that a federal disaster declaration is in place for a half-dozen flooded western Iowa counties, federal officials fear scammers will turn up among the water-logged homes.

Dave Lentell, spokesman for the U.S. Small Business Administration, says Iowans need to be on guard for con artists who are posing as federal workers.

Lentell says, “We’ve seen, in some of the tornado-damaged areas this year, individuals asking for non-refundable fees up to $450 to help disaster victims fill out their loan application or $1000 to verify losses and file loan applications.”

Iowa homeowners and business owners with flood damage need to be alert for this kind of rip-off, as Lentell says those scammers are bilking people for a service that can be provided at no charge.

“We want Iowans to be on the lookout for these types of things because there are assistance agencies and organizations that can help them do these types of things for free,” Lentell says. “Anybody that’s offering to do these for you for a fee is very likely trying to scam you.”

He says federal agencies involved in disaster recovery will never ask for a fee to file an application for financial assistance or to inspect damaged property. Lentell says it’s wise to be wary of anyone who knocks on the door.

“If you’re concerned whether or not that individual is an SBA or federal employee, ask to see a federal ID,” Lentell says. “They are required to carry one when they go door-to-door to prove who they are. If you suspect someone is posing as a federal agent or even a local agent, or encounter what you think is a fraudulent situation, we urge Iowans to contact their local law enforcement officials.”

There’s also a 24-7, toll-free National Disaster Fraud Hotline: 866-720-5721. Lentell says crooks who are found taking advantage of disaster victims will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

To register for federal help following the disaster declaration, visit: www.DisasterAssistance.gov or call FEMA at 800-621-3362.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Fires/Accidents/Disasters, Weather

State parks filling up for the Fourth

June 29, 2011 By

Nearly all of the campsites with electricity at Iowa state parks are now occupied or reserved for the busiest weekend of the summer. Kevin Szcodronski, state parks bureau chief with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says lodges and campgrounds should be in good condition. But, he warns other areas of state parks may be in a bit of disrepair because of state budget cuts.

“We’re doing the best we can with the time and resources available, but we know we’re going to disappoint some park visitors on the condition of the park they’re visiting. We’re disappointed, but I’ll assure everybody that we’re doing our best to have them ready for the Fourth of July,” Szcodronski said.

The number of seasonal workers at state parks has been cut by around two-thirds. “We typically have put on, over the years, as many as 300 to 350 summer workers. Those are the ones that keep the facilities clean and mow the grass. Because of budget challenges, we’ve had to cut that back and we now only have around 80 out there,” Szcodronski said. The Iowa DNR has also trimmed the number of park rangers in the state from 80 to 59.

Szcodronski told legislators earlier this month that “deferred maintenance” at state parks is “nonexistent.” So, park staff are focused primarily on emergency repairs like fixing leaky pipes – rather than painting, caulking or re-shingling buildings.

Several state park campsites are closed right now because of the flooding Missouri River. Szcodronski says the popular Lewis and Clark State Park in Onawa is closed even though floodwaters have yet to reach the park. He says the forecast calls for the park to buried under four to five feet of water. “That hasn’t happened yet, but we have the park postured and it would be kind of tough to open it up…we really don’t want to do that, to get it all back opened up to find out a week or so later it’s going to be covered and destroy everything that we did,” Szcodronski said.

The Lake Manawa and Wilson Island State Park campgrounds are also closed in western Iowa. A couple of state parks are closed for construction: Lake Darling in southeast Iowa’s Washington County and Union Grove State Park near Marshalltown.

Filed Under: Environment & Conservation, Recreation & Entertainment
« Older Posts
Newer Posts »