(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors will meet 9-a.m. Monday, Jan. 2nd, in-person and via telephone conference call. On their agenda is the election of a Board Chair and Vice-Chair person, along with approving Deputy/Assistant Clerk appointments from Recorder, Treasurer and Attorney. There will also be a Public Hearing at 9:15-a.m., with regard to a FY23 Budget Amendment, followed by action on a Resolution to approve the amendment, and action on an Appropriations Resolution.

Here is their full agenda:

9:00 a.m.

• Oath of Office
• Elect Chairman and Vice Chairman
• Organizational Resolution
• Approve Deputy/Assistant/Clerk Appointments from Recorder, Treasurer, and Attorney
• Approve resolution authorizing chairperson to sign documents
• Travel Policy Resolution
• Set holiday closing dates for county offices
• Master Matrix Resolution
• FY23 Audit Services
• Designate official newspapers
• Claims
• Taxable Mileage
• Appointments of Supervisors to area boards/commissions and alternates:

Adair County Safety Committee; Adair County Tourism; Adair County Wellness; Alcohol and Drug Abuse (Zion); Broadband Study, Greater Des Moines Partnership; ATURA (Regional ISTEA); ATURA (Regional ISTEA) alternate; Crossroads Mental Health; DHS Advisory Board-Des Moines Service Area (2 members); De-Cat Governing Board for Creston Cluster; DNR Contact Person; E911 Adair County Board; E911 Seven County Board/Alternate; Emergency Management, Local Comm; Empowerment; Enterprise Zone Commission; Fifth Judicial District Corrections; Fifth Judicial District, Alternate; Hungry Canyons Alliance; Innovative Industries; Integrated Roadside Management; Jensen-Butler Foundation; JTPA-LEO/Workforce Investment Act; Landfill Board & Alternates; Loess Hills Development & Conservation; MATURA; Midwest Partnership; Middle River/North River Watershed; RC and D Committee; REAP; SICOG; Southern Hills CPC 28E Board; Southern Hills CPC 28E Board Alternate; Southern Iowa Trolley Board

• Appoint ADA Coordinator
• Approve Condemnation Board
• Appoint Conservation Board Member
• Appoint Board of Health Member
• Appoint Medical Examiner and Deputy Medical Examiners
• Appoint Civil Service Members
• Appoint RC&D Committee Member
• Appointment of Weed Commissioner

9:15 a.m. Public Hearing – FY23 Budget Amendment

Resolution to Approve Budget Amendment

Appropriations Resolution

Nick Kauffman, County Engineer

• Empowerment of County Engineer
• Designation of County Engineer to Authorize Utility, Telecommunication Permits
• Compensation for Fence
• Title VI Non-Discrimination Policy
• Authorizing Personnel to Issue Permits
• Report Maintenance and Activities

The conference phone will still be used for those who cannot attend in person and can be accessed by using the following dial in information:

Dial in Number: (605) 313-6157           Access Code: 526272#

(Cumberland, Iowa) – Officials with the P.R.I.D.E (Progressive Rural Iowa Development Enterprise) economic & community development organization, have invited area government officials and the public, to a “Pre-session Legislative Forum,” featuring Senator Tom Shipley and Representative Tom Moore. The event takes place Tuesday, January 3rd, from 6:30-until 8-p.m., at the Cumberland Fire Station.

You can listen to what our area Legislators have to say in advance of the January 9th session, and present your topic(s) for discussion.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Lottery plans to move to some more modern methods of payment for prizes in the new year. Lottery spokesperson, Mary Neubauer, says paper checks had been the standard. “It just became obvious pretty quickly that a check, which is the primary form of payment that you will receive, especially if you come to an Iowa Lottery office today, a check just isn’t used as much today, as it once was, ” Neubauer says. She says a working group in the organization studied the options and what Lottery customers want.

“People are looking for options that have, first of all, greater speed, and second of all, more convenience,” she says. Neubauer says cash payments won’t go away, but they do plan to start using prepaid debit cards that allow retailers or Lottery offices to load the prize money onto the card. “So if you go into a store, certainly cash would continue to be an option. But for example, if it’s a store, and it’s late at night, and the store doesn’t have a lot of cash on hand, a lot of times right now that store isn’t able to pay your prize,” Neubauer says. Neubauer says retailers could pay prizes from 20 up to 600 dollars on the cards — while lottery offices could use the prepaid debit cards for prizes from 20 up to five-thousand dollars. They hope to start a pilot project with the debit cards in six months.

The other change would allow prizes that have to be redeemed at Iowa Lottery offices to be made through what’s called an A-C-H payment that goes directly into a person’s bank account. “So the person wouldn’t get a hardcopy check, they wouldn’t have to cash it, they wouldn’t have to, you know, drive somewhere, or do that electronically, the payment would just be made directly into their account,” Neubauer says. “It’s going to take a little bit more time to put that in place, we’re looking at that probably somewhere in the second half of calendar year 2023, or at the end of fiscal year 2023.”

The A-C-H prize payments could go up to five million dollars. Neubauer says they are only making a couple of changes because they have to be very careful about the security surrounding the prize money. “There are so many forms of payment available in the marketplace today, especially when it comes to you know, consumers just paying each other money or sending money to each other. But we have to make sure that the security procedures in place and that whatever payment option we would be looking at that it has staying power,” she says. Neubauer says the large jackpots from lotto games would still be paid out by wire transfer, as that is the safest method.

(Elliott, Iowa) – A traffic stop at around 2:08-a.m. today (Saturday), in Montgomery County, resulted in the arrest of a woman on a warrant. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the traffic stop was conducted at 5th and Elm Streets, in Elliott. Upon further investigation, Deputies arrested 24-year-old Ashley Nicole Fitzwater, on a Page County Class-D Felony warrant for Possession of Contraband in a Correctional Facility.

(Cass County, Iowa) – Griswold Rescue and Cass EMS crews were paged at around 4:46-p.m. to the scene of a rollover accident. The crash was located near 60100 Yankton Road. A Cass County Sheriff’s Deputy was on-scene with the victim, who complained of pain, but the extent of their injuries was unknown. The driver was out of the vehicle with the deputy at last report.

No other details are currently available.

(Radio Iowa) – An Iowa woman and her husband from the small town of Swan south of Des Moines will be in New York for a special one million dollar Powerball drawing. Chris Manuel of Swan is among 29 nationwide finalists for the Powerball First Millionaire of the Year drawing on New Year’s Eve. The winner will be announced just after during A-B-C’s broadcast of “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” from Times Square. The 60-year-old Manuel is a locksmith who has undergone cancer surgery and radiation treatments — and says says the money would be a big boost.

“I see retiring early you know, I still got another year and a half but if I would win the money and I could retire a year early and enjoy this time with my husband,” she says. This is the fourth consecutive year for the Powerball First Millionaire of the Year promotion, and the first time since the inaugural edition in 2019 that finalists get to travel to New York City for the event. Manuel said she’s heard from nearly everyone in her Marion County community of 76 about her win, and she expect them to be watching. “My next door neighbor who I know she has told everybody and anybody about it so yeah there’s gonna be a lot of people watching,” she says. Manuel’s husband Randy says he thought it was going to be something bad when she told him she had something to tell him.

Chris & Randy Manuel

“She told me that her name was drawn. You sure? That’s what they said. She wasn’t sure either….I mean she’s pretty lucky so hopefully her luck keeps going,” he says. Each of this year’s finalists receives an exclusive trip for two to New York valued at more than 28-thousand dollars that includes round-trip airfare; a three-night hotel stay in Times Square; two tickets to a theater performance and other iconic excursions; all meals while in New York, one-thousand dollars spending cash. Just after the ball drops to usher in the New Year, Powerball’s First Millionaire of the Year will be announced live on the national broadcast at 11 p-m Iowa time.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports three, recent arrests. Authorities say 21-year-old Nicholas Turnbull, of Red Oak, was arrested Thursday morning at the Sheriff’s Office, for Driving Under Suspension ($300 bond). And, there were two arrests this (Friday) morning, in Mills County: 38-year-old Lamberto Campuzano, of Columbus, OH, was arrested at around 12:34-a.m. in the area of Highway 34 & Hilman Road. He was charged with OWI/1st offense (Bond $1,000); 35-year-old Clayton Shane Geick, of Council Bluffs, was arrested at around 9:30-a.m.  He was taken into custody at the Mills County Jail for Violation of a No Contact Order, and was being held in the jail without bond.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors held their final meeting of the year, this (Friday) morning, in Atlantic. The Board moved to appoint Mark Knudsen, of Atlantic, as Maintenance Superintendent in the Cass County Engineer’s Department. Engineer Trent Wolken….

With the appointment, Knudsen’s current position will be posted internally at first for five business days, and if there are no County employees interested, with then be posted externally.The Board then received a presentation from Cara Morgan, Executive Director of the non-profit Golden Hills RC & D organization, based in Oakland. Board of Supervisors Chair Steve Baier is on the Golden Hills Board, also. Morgan spoke with regard to tourism, trails and information with regard to the feasibility of having a full- or part-time Cass County Tourism Director.

She said by using Golden Hills, Cass County would have the intellectual and resources and practical experience of their entire team, in writing grants and other sources of funding.

She said as far as what it takes to bring tourism to the County, Morgan said they can’t come in and tell us what we need, as far as promoting the sites and towns in our county.

Board Chair Steve Baier…

You may recall we mentioned that after serving 15 years as a volunteer promoting Cass County Tourism, Kenner Baxter, of Marne, announced last Spring, her plans to retire. During last week’s Board of Supervisor’s meeting, CADCO Executive Director Jennifer McEntaffer, and Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Bailey Smith, told the Board they have no desire to take on a Tourism Director’s position, due to their current, busy schedule and duties. The Supervisors took no action on the matter at this time. It will be considered during the budgeting process. Morgan said if the Board decides to move forward with the commitment, she would prepare a Letter of Engagement.

In other business the Cass County Supervisors passed the adoption of a County Employee Wellness Policy, and a Resolution allocating a portion of the County’s ARPA (Covid relief) funds, for $25,700 in roof repairs to the Hitchcock House. They also tabled approval of a five-year lease extension for the Cambridge Law Firm for use of the upper floor of the County’s building at 707 Poplar Street, in Atlantic. The Board wanted time to review the contract and current market prices. They will act on the matter during their meeting on January 3^rd.

The Board accepted the resignation of Karen Thomsen, from the County Zoning Board of Adjustment.

(Radio Iowa) – Some Iowa families have a tradition of taking down the Christmas tree tomorrow (Saturday), on the last day of the year, in order to start the new year out fresh on Sunday. Horticulturist and extension educator John Fech says don’t just toss the tree to the curb, but find a way to repurpose it. “Recycling it, reusing it, thinking of it again as a resource or an asset,” Fech says. If you’re crafty, trim the branches to make a fragrant sachet, wreath, or garland to enjoy in the weeks ahead. You could also cut up pieces of the evergreen to toss in a nearby lake or pond to provide a habitat for fish. Fech says mulching is another option.

“Do that yourself with a hatchet or you could have it run through a chipper,” Fech says. “Many of the cities do that for their parks and then they use that for trail cover around city parks and hospitals and places like that.” Another idea is to return the tree to the great outdoors for wildlife to use as shelter. He likes to call it tree-cycling. “Also, it could just be songbird habitat,” Fech says. “Set it near the bird feeder so birds have a place to get out of the wind and have a little bit of refuge from predator birds.”

If mulching the entire tree is too much work, just using the needles can be an effective mulch on perennial plants, in your garden, and to keep weeds in check.