County Supervisors Expected To Adopt Budget
(Le Mars) — Plymouth County Board of Supervisors will convene for their weekly meeting at the County Courthouse Board Room on Tuesday morning. The county governing board is scheduled a public hearing on the fiscal year’s budget. They are expected to approve the 2020-2021 fiscal year budget. The county supervisors will hear from Al Fagen and Bruce Manthe as the two will present a request to approve the B and B addition in Liberty Township.
County Engineer, Tom Rohe will appear before the county supervisors to submit a permit from the city of Le Mars for the installation of a water main and sewer line in American Township on Lake Avenue. Rohe will discuss with the board of supervisors a road embargo for Marble Avenue, north of Highway 3. Rohe will also review with the supervisors the county’s driveway
policy.
Property Taxes Are Now Due
(Le Mars) — Plymouth County Treasurer, Shelly Sitzmann, reminds property owners that the second-half real estate and mobile home taxes are now due and can be paid in the office, online, or through the mail. Taxes are delinquent April 1, 2020.
Mail must be postmarked on or before March 31st to avoid delinquent interest.
Send your payment before the last day, as mailing your payment on March 31 does not guarantee a March 31st postmark.
Delinquent interest of 1.5% per month rounded to the nearest dollar attaches to all unpaid taxes on April 1, 2020 and an additional 1.5% penalty on the first of each succeeding month thereafter.
ONLINE PAYMENT is a convenient option available. This can be done by e-check or credit card at www.iowatreasurers.org. Using your credit card online does incur a service fee. However, paying by e-check online costs only 25¢ — which is less than the cost of a postage stamp.
You also have the convenient option online to set up payments monthly, weekly, bi-monthly, even semi-annually.
Online payment of taxes can be done up until midnight on March 31st without penalty. Delinquent interest will begin online at 12:00 am on April 1st.
Anyone who needs information on property taxes should contact the Plymouth County Treasurer’s office at 546-7056.
Jeneary Files Nomination Petition Papers
(Des Moines) — Republican State Representative, Dr. Tom Jeneary of Le Mars has filed his nomination petition papers with Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate. Jeneary is seeking re-election to serve State House District 5 which encompasses most of Plymouth County and the northern tier of Woodbury
County.
Senator Joni Ernst Files Nomination Papers With Iowa Secretary Of State
DES MOINES, IA – Surrounded by energized Team Joni supporters, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), today submitted nearly 24,000 signatures with the Iowa Secretary of State’s office to gain ballot access, more than seven times the
amount required. The Secretary of State, Paul Pate, noted it’s “believed to be a record.” Additionally, Joni submitted signatures from all 99 counties, exceeding the Secretary of State’s required minimum of 10 counties.
Ernst says, “I am honored, thrilled and energized to have this grassroots momentum and enthusiasm across Iowa. Our fight is just getting started from leading efforts to lower the cost of prescription drugs, standing up for our farmers, increasing access to child care, and more. I will continue traveling our state and visiting with folks so I can work relentlessly for Iowans in Washington.”
City Council To Discuss Berm Near Police Station
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars City Council is scheduled to discuss the earthen berm to be located near the Le Mars Police Station to protect from any future flooding from the Floyd River and Willow Creek. Plans have been prepared by Beck Engineering, Incorporated for the police station berm project. The project would involve the installation of storm sewer and a
berm along the west property line. The property has been susceptible to minor flooding from the west in the past. An easement has been obtained by O’Rielley Auto Parts Store to allow the berm to be tied into their property on the south end. A flood plain development permit has been obtained by the
Iowa Department of Natural Resources also. The city council is expected to schedule March 17th as the date for the public hearing on the project, with bid letting on April 10th, with the awarding of the contract on April 21st, and the start of construction scheduled for June of this year. Preliminary
construction cost estimate is at $223,850. The city council will also decide whether to enter an agreement with the Iowa Negotiation and Consulting Services for human resource work. The cost will remain the same at $8,400 per year. The council will also act on the proposed budget for the city using a levy rate of $11.90. The proposed budget shows the total
revenue of $22,375,056 which includes the Floyd Valley Healthcare budget of $49,300,000. The council will schedule March 17th as the date for the public hearing on the fiscal year 2020-2021 budget.
Floyd Valley Auxiliary To Offer Scholarships
(Le Mars) — The Floyd Valley Auxiliary will be awarding two “tuition only” $1,000.00 scholarships to area students this spring. To be eligible, the applicant must be a resident of the Floyd Valley Healthcare service area, accepted at an accredited school and pursuing a health-related career
(including pre-med, nursing, technologist, therapist and medical records professionals).
Interested students may obtain the necessary application form with complete qualifying information from their high school guidance counselor, pick up at gift shop, or print copy off on-line at FloydValley.org under the Auxiliary. Applications and support information must be returned to Ruth Kneip, by April 2, 2020; instructions are on the form.
Auxiliary Scholarship Co-Chair Ruth Kneip says,”The Auxiliary Board has designated these two scholarships to be awarded to residents in the Floyd Valley Healthcare service area.
Applicants may either be a high school graduate or an adult returning to school. We are excited to be able to provide these scholarships to students pursuing healthcare degrees.”
Buena Vista University Students Researching Microplastics Found On Beaches
(Storm Lake) — Researchers say tiny pieces of plastic are polluting the shores of some northwest Iowa beaches. Students at Buena Vista University teamed up with Storm Lake High School students to collect baggies of sand along three of the city’s beaches. They found small chunks of tires, fleece threads and parking lot paint mixed in the sand. B-V-U senior Mel
Graf says their findings really bring home the environmental issue.
B-V-U environmental science professor Ben Maas says this is just the first in a series of planned studies of microplastics pollution.
One big concern about microplastics is that they can harm marine life that ingest them. Researchers hope to look more into how far this pollution goes, by studying more beaches and even the water itself.
Correctionville Man Collects $1 Million Dollars From Powerball
CLIVE, Iowa (AP) – A northwest Iowa man who bought a Powerball ticket that turned out to be worth $1 million claimed his prize Monday. Shane Saxen told Iowa Lottery officials he usually doesn’t buy a ticket until the jackpot’s really high. But this time he decided, “Why not? I’ll get one.” The ticket
he bought at a Brew convenience store matched five of the numbers drawn Saturday but missed the Powerball number. The 31-year-old lives in Correctionville and works as a campus security officer at Briar Cliff University in Sioux City. He says he plans to invest most of his winnings for retirement.
Oklahoma Man Charged With Harboring Female Minor
JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) – An Oklahoma man has been charged in Iowa with harboring a runaway teenager from Mississippi. Court documents say the 15-year-old and 21-year-old Jared Wright were found Sunday in his car at a high school parking lot in Johnston, Iowa. Authorities say she was unharmed. The
court documents don’t list an attorney for Wright. He lives in Lawton, Oklahoma. The documents say police from Tishomingo County, Mississippi, contacted the Iowa department Sunday to say the girl was thought be in Iowa at a store in Grimes. She wasn’t, but she and Wright were found not far away later at the parking lot.
Pork Producers Learn About Dangers Of Methane Foam
(Le Mars) — Pork producers are learning that a build up of foam from methane gas inside their manure pits can be both dangerous and deadly. Iowa State University Extension Swine Specialist Dave Stender recently informed pork producers during a manure application certification meeting held in Le Mars that fires can easily occur when there is a build up of methane gas and very little ventilation. During the past few years, the Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department along with other fire departments within Plymouth County have responded to at least seven different hog barn fires when methane gas had ignited and caused a flash fire. Stender says most of the time it is not a problem for producers.
According to Stender, it is that “goo” that creates problems for pork producers.
The Iowa State University swine specialist says the problem may often occur after a producer has used a power washer to clean his barn.
Stender says research shows producers who use distilled dried grains, a by-product from ethanol, as part of the pig’s diet sometimes can create a build up of foaming pits with the flammable methane gas.
Stender says producers can somewhat modify a hog’s diet, and that will change the conditions with his manure pits, thus reducing the likelihood of flash fires from occurring.
Stender reminds pork producers to sufficiently ventilate their barns particularly after cleaning, so to remove the methane gas from the building.
