A senior analyst in the legislative branch of state government is advising against over-reacting, but overall state tax revenues took a nose dive in September. Jeff Robinson, a financial analyst who works in the Legislative Services Agency, says “It’s too early to start looking at things as poor, but the next couple of months will tell us whether this is a new trend or if this was just one month of numerous bad things happening.”

Net state tax receipts in September were almost five percent below the revenue collected in September of last year. “September on the surface was a pretty poor month with declines in all of our major tax revenue sources,” Robinson says.
Consumer spending at the national level is going up, but Iowa sales and use tax collections were down nearly six percent in September.  “The expectation for the entire fiscal year is that it will be up five percent, so that’s a major cause of concern,” Robinson says. Personal income tax payments to the state were down almost three percent.

“One month doesn’t necessarily make a trend and a bad September really pulled down the growth for the year,” Robinson says. The current state fiscal year started July 1st. Cash receipts for the state increased a little less than one percent in the first quarter. That’s far below expectations. “Personal income tax at four percent growth…through the first three months is below the 6.8 percent growth that we’re expecting,” Robinson says. “The receipts in September were particularly poor.”

Robinson is keeping an eye on the relationship between state income tax payments and state sales and use tax receipts. The key question? Why is growth in what Iowans are earning — seen in the growth of income tax payments to the state — NOT translating into more spending, which can be tracked by monitoring the taxes Iowans pay when buying goods and services.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

The office of Senator Chuck Grassley has announced the State’s senior Senator will hold town meetings in Adair County on Friday, October 9th, and in Monona County on Monday, October 12th, as part of his annual 99-county tour. Grassley has held a meeting in each of Iowa’s 99 counties at least once every year since he was first elected to the U.S. Senate.

These town meetings are open to the public. Grassley’s town meeting schedule for Friday, Oct. 9, and Monday, Oct. 12, 2015, is as follows:
Friday, Oct. 9, 2015: 8:30-9:30 a.m….Adair County Town Meeting at The Corner
(284 Public Square) in Greenfield;

Monday, Oct. 12th: 1:15-2:15 p.m….Monona County Town Meeting at the Mapleton Public Library (609 Courtright St.) in Mapleton.

New leaders were appointed today (Friday) for three of the state’s correctional facilities. The Iowa Board of Corrections today (on Friday) approved the appointment of Sheryl Dahm as Warden of the Clarinda Correctional Facility. She has spent more than two decades counseling prison inmates with substance abuse and mental health issues. The Clarinda facility houses around 800 offenders.

Iowa DOC Director Jerry Bartruff said “Many of those offenders are what we would classify as offenders with special needs…primarily defined as persons with some significant mental health issues or intellectual disabilities.” Dahm fills the vacancy created in Clarinda when Kris Weitzell) was appointed Warden of the Fort Dodge Correctional Facility.

Bartruff recommended William Sperfslage take over as Warden of the Anamosa State Penitentiary, where he got his start 36 years ago. The Anamosa State Pen houses up to 1,000 of the state’s “high risk” offenders, many of whom committed violent crimes. Sperfslage has served as acting warden of the facility for 6 months following the retirement of John Fayram.

Another longtime employee of the Iowa Department of Corrections is now the Warden of the Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility. Jay Nelson was appointed to that position today (Friday).Nelson has worked in the office of Offender Services since 2013. Nelson is filling the vacancy created by the retirement of former Mount Pleasant Warden Ron Mullen.

(Radio Iowa)

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton will be in Iowa next week campaigning at events across the State, and holding community forums about her plans to make health care more affordable, and answer questions on her proposals to create an economy where all Iowans can get ahead and stay ahead. The forums will take place in Davenport, Mount Vernon, and Council Bluffs.

Mrs. Clinton will speak and answer questions at the Westfair Fairgrounds (located at 22984 Highway 6) in Council Bluffs, on Wed., Oct. 7th, beginning at 2:30-p.m. Doors to the event open at 1:30-p.m.

All of her events are open to the public. You may reserve your place at the following website….  https://www.hillaryclinton.com/events/view/?id=606381.

The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa reports a Cumberland woman was sentenced Thursday to 18 months in prison for failing to report funds to the IRS that she embezzled from her employer. 67-year old Kathy Joan Cullen was ordered to serve one year of supervised release following her term of incarceration and was ordered to pay restitution in the amounts of  more than 1.38-million dollars ($1,384,374.24 to be exact), to 21st Century Cooperative. Cullen is also required to pay $422,411 to the Internal Revenue Service, and $131,040 to the State of Iowa.

Cullen had previously pleaded guilty to the charge. According to the plea agreement, Cullen embezzled money from her employer, 21st Century Cooperative. Cullen wrote over $1.3 million in checks to herself over a period of six years and deposited the proceeds into a personal bank account. Cullen admitted that she failed to account for the embezzled funds in her 2009 tax return.

The case was investigated by the Cass County, Iowa Sheriff’s Office and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers reports today (Friday) two students are absent without leave from the Clarinda Academy. The teens, one black male and one  white male, left the facility at around 11-a.m.  One is wearing a black hoodie,the other is wearing a red hoodie. The pair was last seen heading west into Page County from the Clarinda Academy Campus.

If you see two teens matching that description, call your local law enforcement agency.

BLAIR, Neb. (AP) – A bomb squad has determined that a package found in a vehicle at the Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant poses no danger. The Omaha Public Power District says in a release that security workers noticed the package around 8:44 a.m. Friday. The vehicle was just outside what the district called the protected area of the plant. About 30 workers at a nearby warehouse were evacuated as a precaution, but the plant continued to operate.

The district says the Washington County Sheriff’s Office was notified, and a bomb squad from Omaha eventually was called in. The squad determined that the package didn’t contain any explosives. It’s not clear yet what the package did contain, if anything.

The Healthiest State Initiative and the State Fire Marshal Division are combining efforts to keep Iowans safe and a bit healthier. Organizers are encouraging Iowans to “Walk at the Whistle” next Wednesday, October 7th, as part of the fifth annual Healthiest State Walk.

Jeff Russell, president and CEO of Delta Dental of Iowa and co-chair of the 2015 Healthiest State Walk, says “The annual Healthiest State Walk is a great opportunity for Iowans to show their support for Iowa to become the healthiest state in the nations. For this year’s Walk, we’re encouraging Iowans to walk in conjunction with the traditional noon whistle used in many communities across our state or with fire drills that will be planned for that date.”

National Fire Prevention Week is October 4th to October 10th this year, and the Healthiest State Initiative is partnering with the State Fire Marshal Division to coordinate fire drills with walks for schools and businesses on October 7th.

Delta Dental of Iowa is presenting sponsor of the 2015 Healthiest State Walk. The Healthiest State Initiative is a privately led, public effort that engages Iowans and their communities throughout the state. It involves individuals, families, businesses, faith-based organizations, not-for-profits and the public sector in a broad-based, community-focused effort. For more information, visit www.iowahealthieststate.com.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture is providing $35 million in federal grants to support farmers markets and other local farm programs.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Friday the distribution of funds allocated in last year’s farm bill to hundreds of local food marketing programs. Iowa farmers market promotion grants include $97,000 for Fort Dodge, $61,000 for Belmond and $35,000 for Creston.

The North Iowa Fresh food hub in Belmond gets nearly $100,000 to expand. The Nebraska Food Cooperative in Belgrade receives nearly $100,000 to develop and promote a local food supply network. The USDA says purchases of locally-produced food have reached nearly $12 billion as farmers increase direct sales to local grocers, institutions and restaurants. The number of farmers markets has surged to more than 8,500 from 5,200 in 2009.