BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors today moved to expand the Hinton Drainage District. The Board, acting as the County Drainage Board, first opened bids on a culvert project within the drainage district. Four bids were received, the lowest from Richards Construction of Sac City for 425-thousand dollars. that was 56-thousand dollars under the project estimate. The Drainage Board then discussed whether to assess the costs to the 480 parcels directly affected by the project, or to assess costs to all 714 parcels in the district. That expansion includes mainly a rural area west of Hinton. The Board voted to expand the drainage district affected by the improvements. The board must now approve a resolution of necessity to expand the district, and eventually hold a public hearing on their final plans.
The Board of Supervisors this morning reached agreement with the Secondary Road Bargaining Unit. The agreement approved today provided a 7 percent increase in the salary schedule for 2023-24. Effective July 1, individual salaries for the bargaining unit will range from $24.13 to $36.01 per hour. Four members of the department, who are not members of the bargaining unit, will receive the same salary increase. One of the four, County Engineer Tom Rohe, will receive a 6.5% salary increase, plus and additional 40 cents per hour.
The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors meets this morning at the county board room. Under new business, the board will take action on a contract with the county road workers’ collective bargaining unit for the new fiscal year. Later in the morning session, the Supervisors will discuss the fiscal year 2023-24 budget, and set a public hearing date concerning tax revenues under the plan. Later, the board, operating as the District Drainage Board, will take action on construction of a culvert in Hinton, and will discuss amending the Drainage District in Hinton.
LE MARS COMMUNITY SCHOOL BOARD
The Le Mars Community School Board of Education Monday agreed to make plans for a district facilities study. The board last month toured the three elementary schools in the district, Clark, Franklin, and Kluckhohn, and shared their impressions of the facilities at last night’s meeting. Some of the impressions were that two of the buildings, Clark and Franklin, were built in 1939, before specialized education programs like Title I, Special Education, music, and intervention programs came into being. These programs need their own space. While the buildings are in good structural shape, they’ve reached the limit of their usefulness. Despite all this, board chair Angela Catton said she does not think that students are getting a substandard education, and that teachers and students have gotten as much as they can with the facilities they have By concensus, the board directed Superintendant Dr. Steven Webner to explore potential firms to conduct a facilities study, to take place during the next school year.
The Le Mars Community School Board of Education approved a list of resignations and new contracts for personnel in the district. Among the resignations were several long-serving teachers, including high school English teacher Erin Ohrlund, middle school special education teacher Tammy UitDeFlesch, middle school industrial arts teacher Leroy Wichers, and Danielle Hydeen, who taught high school agricultural science. She also organized the district’s FFA program. Among the new hires were Jerad Wulf as principal at Kluckhohn Elementary; Kennedy Candor, a third grade teacher at Kluckhohn, and Machaela Ingalls, high school agriculture/science teacher. Tracy Wingert, who held a technology leadership position in the Le Mars School District, was hired as assistant Director of Technology.
The Le Mars Community School Board will hold a special meeting Thursday afternoon. The Le Mars Education Association will present their initial bargaining proposal for their contract in the new fiscal year. The Board of Education will follow with their initial contract proposal. The meeting is at 5-30 pm Thursday.
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION
Key Republican lawmakers are questioning Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs at Iowa’s three state universities.
Republican Representative Skyler Wheeler of Hull, chairman of the House Education Committee, says he wants to know why diversity, equity and inclusion programs have become such a phenomenon on college campuses. The presidents of the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa say businesses are asking the schools to help students from diverse backgrounds complete college and to be able to think about diversity in terms of clients, products and marketplaces once they’re employed.
Republican Representative Taylor Collins of Mediapolis, is a member of the House panel that oversees the budgets for the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa. Collins says the top diversity and social justice officers at the three schools are paid six figure salaries and Collins says he doesn’t know anyone in his district who makes more than 250-thousand dollars a year.
MISSOURI FLOOD OUTLOOK
Experts expect a reduced flood risk across the Missouri River basin this spring, as much of the region is in drought. The U-S Army Corps of Engineers predicts runoff to be below average for a third straight year. John Remus (RE-mus), chief of the Corps’ Missouri River Basin Water Management Division, says they plan to continue water conservation measures this year, including releasing the minimum amount of water from upriver reservoirs. Remus says the Corps continues to monitor weather forecasts and river conditions and will make adjustments to releases, if needed. Some springtime flooding is expected for the lower basin because of thunderstorms.
REORGANIZATION OPPONENTS
Blind and deaf Iowans are urging lawmakers to reject some of the changes proposed in the governor’s state government reorganization plan. A spokesperson for Governor Reynolds say there are no plans to close the Iowa School for the Deaf in Council Bluffs, but some parents and staff point to a part of the governor’s bill that would repeal the Iowa law that says the legislature has to approve a move to close the school. The government reorganization bill also calls for Governor Kim Reynolds to start appointing the director of the Iowa Department for the Blind. For nearly 100 years, the Iowa Commission for the Blind has selected the agency’s director. Cindy Ray of Urbandale — an officer with the National Federation of the Blind of Iowa — says blind people running the agency understand and know blind people. Molly Severn, an aide to Governor Reynolds, says Iowans have the perception that state government officials are accountable to the governor, so governors should be appointing the agency’s director.
MMCRU EXPANSION
Construction on the MMCRU schools project in Marcus is proceeding as expected. Superintendant Dan Barkle says last fall, there were delays in delivery of structural steel, but the contractor has caught up during the winter months.
There have been no disruptions at the elementary school in Marcus, because a completely new school is under construction next door.
Another crucial element to this project is construction of a community day care. Barkle says the building will be ready, in time, but he can’t say when it will open.
The 23 mil project includes an extensive remodeling of the high school in Marcus. Barkle says the entire project will be completed by October.
LE MARS EDUCATORS CONTRACT TALKS
The Le Mars Community School Board will hold a special meeting Thursday afternoon. The Le Mars Education Association will present their initial bargaining proposal for their contract in the new fiscal year. The Board of Education will follow with their initial contract proposal. The meeting is at 5-30 pm Thursday.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors meets this morning at the county board room. Under new business, the board will take action on a contract with the county roadworkers’ collective bargaining unit for the new fiscal year. Later in the morning session, the Supervisors will disuss the fiscal year 2023-24 budget, and set a public hearing date concerning tax revenues under the plan. Later, the board, operating as the District Drainage Board, will take action on construction of a culvert in Hinton, and will discuss amending the Drainage District in Hinton.
FLOYD VALLEY HEALTH CARE
The Floyd Valley Health Care Board of Trustees meets this afternoon. Prior to the meeting, the board will tour the hospital construction project. Medical staff reports and financial reports are among the highlights on their agenda today. The meeting begins at 5:45 pm.
PLYMOUTH COUNTY ARREST
A Sioux City woman was arrested by law enforcement after a vehicle stop in western Plymouth County. Last week, the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop near the intersection of 325th Street and K22 on a vehicle that had been reported stolen from Le Mars, Iowa. As a result of the investigation, Sarah Tiffany Leach, age 36 of Sioux City, Iowa, was arrested and charged with possession of stolen property; and three other driving and substance abuse charges. Leach was booked into the Plymouth County Jail and held on bond. The Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Hinton Police Department, Plymouth County Conservation, the Le Mars Police Department and the Sioux City Police Department.
INJURY ACCIDENT
An Ireton woman was injured Sunday night in a single vehicle accident south of Orange City. The Sioux County Sheriffs Office says 27 year old Jade Vlotho was driving north on K64, when she lost control of the vehicle, entered a ditch, rolled, and crossed over the northbound lane of Iowa Highway 60, coming to rest on the highway. Vlotho was transported to Orange City Area Health. She was later flown to Sanford Hospital in Sioux Falls.
PIPELINE OPPOSITION
The leader of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association says the biofuels industry is frustrated by opposition to carbon pipelines and a little bit angry about delayed federal rules that would let E-15 be sold year-round in every state this summer. The association held its annual meeting last week. Mike Jerke with Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy in Council Bluffs says once pipelines carry carbon out of Iowa ethanol plants, ethanol made here would have the advantage of being considered a low carbon or carbon free fuel.
Jerke made his comments to the House Environmental Protection Committee. A few hours earlier, Monte Shaw, the executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, said it’s frustrating to have other groups and elected officials criticize carbon pipelines. Environmentalists and advocates for property rights who oppose the pipelines are regularly at the Iowa Capitol. They’re urging lawmakers to block state regulators from granting pipeline developers the power to seize land from property owners who don’t want the pipelines on their property.
