Scam Alert
The Le Mars Police Department has issued a scam alert. The Facebook post says the department has received several calls referencing a text message that many residents received. The bogus text indicates the recipient has an outstanding traffic ticket. The Police Department advises that this is a scam and is not from the Iowa Department of Vehicles, and those that receive this text should not follow the link to pay. If you have questions, contact the Le Mars Police Department or your local law enforcement agency.
Kids Days Tickets
Remsen Annual Kids Days will be held next week, Friday and Saturday, June 13th and 14th; but reduced-priced tickets go on sale tomorrow and Friday of this week. Purchase your tickets for $4 per sheet at Iowa State Bank and American Bank in Remsen. After the banks close Friday, they will no longer be available for $4 per sheet.
Remsen Kids Days is sponsored by the Remsen Chamber of Commerce and includes Carnival rides, Bingo, and food from many local establishments, along with Christ Lutheran Church serving taverns, brats, and more at the VFW Hall.
Photo Deadline
Do you have a vintage tractor, implement, or piece of farm equipment with a story to tell? If you submit a photo, it may be displayed in the Round Barn during the Plymouth County Fair. The deadline to submit your photos to the Chamber Ag Committee is this Friday. Call the Le Mars Chamber of Commerce office for more information.
Betterment Request To the County
The Le Mars Area Betterment Foundation is requesting funding from Plymouth County in order to strengthen grant applications for their next round of projects. Le Mars Mayor Rob Bixenman and Dustin Wright, Floyd Valley Healthcare CEO met with the Plymouth County Board of Supervisors Tuesday morning on behalf of the Foundation.
Mayor Bixenman says this is phase three of the Community Betterment projects involving Parks and Recreation.
Wright says a splashpad and playground are planned for O’Toole Park.
Along with the expansion of the banquet hall at the Municipal Park, an outdoor fitness area and new tennis and pickleball courts are in the plan.
The Supervisors tabled the $50,000 request for one week in order to talk to constituents and consider their amount of participation, indicating it may be less than the requested amount.
The Betterment Foundation is entering into its third round of projects, with phase three estimated to total 11-million dollars, Of this total amount, the City of Le Mars has committed 5 ½ million dollars to be funded by local option sales tax.
Grab N Go Meals
“Grab N Go” summer meals for all children and teens ages 18 and younger are being offered from Le Mars Community Schools, 921 3rd Avenue SW. These free meals will be distributed each Monday in June outside the school’s high school gymnasium from 11 a.m. till 1 p.m. and from 5 p.m. till 7 p.m. The distribution includes one gallon of milk per child, along with breakfast and lunch meals for the entire week. Recipients should plan on how to transport these items home safely.
May Building Permits
Plymouth County Building permits issued in May will result in over one-point-six million dollars in construction. This includes $895,000 in farm construction permits and nine non-farm permits totaling $736,000.
Sioux Center Water Rate Changes
Sioux Center water rates will be increasing. Sioux Center Municipal Utilities will be adjusting the rates to provide for the community’s increased water use, to add a needed water tower, and to continue updating an aging infrastructure.
The planned rate changes come after evaluating the community’s anticipated growth, planned capital projects, replacement of aging pipes, as well as inflation. The study indicated a significant shortfall if rates were not increased.
For an average home using 5,000 gallons of water per month, the proposed increase would be roughly $10 starting in August of this year and about a $6 per month increase in the summer of 2026. This represents a 20 percent proposed water rate increase for 2025 and a 10 percent increase for 2026.
The Sioux Center City Council has approved the first reading of the proposed rate change. The proposal will be considered at two more council meetings on June 23rd and July 14th, before it would go into effect.
