PLYMOUTH COUNTY BUDGET
The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors adopted their fiscal 2024-25 budget this morning. The new spending estimate includes 11.9 million dollars in property taxes. 7.1 million will be collected countywide, and 4.8 million from rural levies. The proposed tax rate for rural areas will be 7 dollars, 26 cents per thousand valuation. For urban areas, the tax rate will be 3 dollars, 43 cents per thousand.
The Supervisors also passed a resolution setting salaries for elected officials in the next fiscal year. Increases of 3.75% were approved for all county elected officials, except for a 2.75% increase for members of the county’s Board of Supervisors. There are also longevity payments for these officials except for the Supervisors. The Auditor will receive an additional 42-hundred dollars payment for administering the budget in Plymouth County.
The county’s Compensation Board in December had approved 4% increases for each elected officials, and 3% for each Supervisor.
The salaries approved by the resolution range from 38-thousand dollars for each Supervisor to 164-thousand for the county attorney.
BOND HEARING FOR REMSEN NURSING HOME
A public hearing will take place net month on a proposal to help a Remsen nursing home finance and expansion project.
The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution setting a public hearing for May 28. At that time the Board will consider a proposal to issue up to 5.6 million dollars in Nursing Facility Revenue Bonds. The sale of the bonds will raise funds for the first major expansion of the Happy Siesta nursing facility since they built a memory care unit nearly 25 years ago.
Under this proposal, the county would isue the bonds on behalf of Happy Siesta. There is no obligation to county taxpayers under this action.
MORE SEVERE WEATHER POSSIBLE IN WESTERN IOWA
Forecasters say there’s an elevated risk of severe weather late this afternoon and tonight for much of the state, especially western and central Iowa. Meteorologist Cory Martin, at the National Weather Service, says that includes the potential for large hail, high winds and tornadoes.
Last Friday’s storm system spun off at least 19 tornadoes in Iowa, including several large E-F-3s, but Martin does -not- anticipate a repeat today.
Much of the state remains in drought and Martin says the much-needed rain will likely continue through the rest of the week.
The governor has signed disaster proclamations for nine counties following the weekend’s severe storms.
IOWAN RECOGNIZED FOR WORK WITH NUCLEAR WEAPONS
An Iowan is now the holder of the “Order of the Gray Dragon”, recognizing the person with the earliest entry date into the U-S Nuclear Weapons Program. Navy veteran Robert Mowry was given the award by the Navy Nuclear Weapons Association after the previous Dragon died. He told K-C-R-G T-V he didn’t know what he was getting into.
Mowry’s job was to inspect the atomic bombs, and he did it for five days a week for two-and-a-half years. He was never able to tell anyone about his service until 1996 with the repeal of the Nuclear Radiation and Secrecy Agreements Act. The president of the Navy Nuclear Weapons Association, Kris Hobbs, says that those who worked on nuclear weapons are a dying breed.
Mowry watched 17 atomic bombs explode in the Marshall Islands.
Mowry is still here, grateful that so many friends and family came to celebrate his service.
Mowry was presented the award this past weekend in Williamsburg, Iowa.
STREET CLOSURE
The DOT will be closing south bound traffic at the intersection of 5th Ave. N.E. and Plymouth St. starting this morning, April 30th , and will have it back open by Friday May 3rd , weather permitting. They will have detour signs posted . The contractor needs to put in a sidewalk approach for the crosswalk at this intersection and tear out and replace the median .
TRAFFIC STOP LEADS TO ARREST
An Akron man was arrested following a traffic stop last week. The Plymouth County Sheriffs Office says a vehicle was stopped on K18 near Westfield. The vehicle was driven by 32 year old Michael Evan Kots of Akron. He had an active probation violation warrant. He also was driving while barred for being an habitual offender. Kots was arrested and charged with the two offenses.
ACCIDENT LEADS TO ARREST
Saturday morning, the Sioux County Sheriffs Office responded to an accident on Eagle Avenue, three miles north of Ireton. 59 year old Karla Bohle of Hudson, S.D. was driving an SUV. The vehicle went out of control entered a ditch and rolled. Bohle was transported to Hawarden Regional Healthcare for treatment. The deputy suspected Bohle was under the influence of alcohol. After discharge from medical treatment, Bohle was taken to the Sioux County Jail and was charged with second offense OWI and failure to maintain control of a motor vehicle.
EIGHT MORE COUNTIES ADDED TO DISASTER LIST FOLLOWING FRIDAY STORMS
Governor Kim Reynolds has added disaster proclamations for eight additional counties following the severe weather and tornadoes that his Friday. The governor’s proclamation allows state resources to be utilized to respond to and recover from the effects of this severe weather and activates the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program and Disaster Case Advocacy Program for Clarke, Crawford, Harrison, Mills, Polk, Ringgold, Shelby, and Union counties. The governor had already issued a disaster proclamation for Pottawattamie County.
MINDEN STILL UNDER CURFEW
A curfew is still in place in the Pottawattamie County town of Minden after a tornado destroyed several homes there. Four people were injured in the county and one of them died from the injuries. Pottawattamie County Public Relations Manager Craig Carlsen says the conditions inside Minden are still very unsafe. There are homes that are in the middle of roads, and lots of debris to clean up, so access is limited to residents. Carlsen says the best way to help out now is to donate money to the Southwest Iowa Emergency Relief Fund at givewesterniowa.org
RED CROSS RESPONDERS ARE DEPLOYED ACROSS IOWA’S TORNADO-TORN AREAS
Emergency responders are stretched thin after Friday’s severe storms spun off at least 17 tornadoes in Iowa, damaging dozens of homes and claiming a life in Minden. Josh Murray, communications director for the American Red Cross – Nebraska-Iowa Region, says volunteers are helping distribute relief supplies, clean-up kits and hot meals. The agency’s emergency response vehicles are deployed across the region. Many Red Cross emergency shelters that were opened in Nebraska and Iowa over the weekend have already closed. Murray says that’s a good thing as they’re designed to provide immediate relief for those who’ve lost their homes, and help them transition to something more permanent.
PLANTING JUMPS AHEAD IN LAST WEEK
Farmers made a lot of progress planting corn and beans last week. The U-S-D-A report says the amount of corn planted reached 39 percent complete — up from 13 percent the week before. That is four days ahead of last year and three days ahead of the five-year average. Two percent of the expected corn crop has emerged. Twenty-five percent of the expected soybean crop has been planted — up from just eight percent last week. The bean planting is now four days ahead of last year and five days ahead of the average.
