(Radio Iowa) – Another proposal for revamping Iowa’s 44-year-old Bottle Bill has won bipartisan approval in a House committee and could be debated by the full House early next week. Just like a version pending in the Iowa Senate, it would no longer require grocers, convenience stores and other retailers that sell beer and pop to accept the empty bottles and cans and pay the nickel deposit fee in 2023. Brad Epperly, a lobbyist for the Iowa Grocery Industry Association, says if that change takes effect, it’s a significant step.  “Progress around this place is sometimes slow,” Epperly says. “Something like this is more of a quest.”

But grocers object to another section of the House proposal that would require them to pay another half-a-cent per container. “For us, payment to opt out of a government mandate is something principally that’s very challenging,” Epperly says, “let alone the amount that we’re talking about here.” He estimates the bill would require grocers and retailers to pay an additional 50 million over five years. R.G. Schwarm, a lobbyist for the Iowa Recycling Association, says it’s a positive step to double the handling fee for redemption centers which are struggling to stay in business. However, Schwarm says the plan, as written, appears to let all retailers opt out of accepting cans — and there aren’t enough redemption centers to deal with the volume of empties containers.

“There are 44 counties that do not have a redemption center…It’s largely in rural Iowa and that’s where our concerns lie,” Schwarm says. “When we remove a significant amount of infrastructure for redemption, that’s where we’re going to make it more difficult for Iowans to redeem.” The House plan also proposes a new tax credit for beer makers that’s connected to the number of empty beer cans that are redeemed for the deposits. Representative Brian Lohse, a Republican from Bondurant, is the leader of a group of House members who’ve been working on a compromise. He says lawmakers hear about the Bottle Bill from Iowans daily.

“It’s something that we know we have to do. I mean this isn’t just a, ‘O.K, it’s not working. We’ll see what we can do.’ This is, from our leadership, ‘Get something done,'” Lohse says. “And we are tired of talking about it. We know we need to have action. Now’s the time to do it.”

Lohse, who owns a grocery store, says the proposal requires all the private businesses involved to participate in changes in the bottle and can redemption system. A House subcommittee reviewed the plan at 8 a.m. this (Tuesday) morning and the House Ways and Means tax-writing committee approved it two hours later.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Tuesday morning, unanimously approved increases the County Board of Health had approved earlier, with regard to septic system, time to transfer and water well, permits. Jotham Arber, with Cass/Guthrie Environmental Health, said the fee schedule has not changed in 10-years, until now.

He says the County wasn’t breaking even, based on what the Sanitarian was billing and what the homeowner was paying for those permits.

The new rates ($225 for Septic systems; $300 for title transfer, & $175 for Water Well permits) will take effect July 1, 2022. The changes were approved by the Cass County Board of Health, and needed approval of the Supervisors before it goes into effect on July 1st.

The Supervisors also heard from Mick Allen, representing the Atlantic Golf and Country Club. He asked the Board to approve a water usage permit for irrigation, that would allow them to pump water out of the Nishnabotna River. A line on a map the Supervisors received shows the proposed pipeline that would be used, to draw water.

Allen says about five-or six-years ago, they spent about $55,000 to put four wells in. Due to the drought, those wells have gone dry.

He says they’re projecting that on a year with little-to-no rain, in extreme conditions, they would have to pull between 100-to 200,000 gallons out of the river, on a daily basis. After some discussion, the Board approved the request, pending approval and receipt of permits from the Iowa DNR.

(Lewis, Iowa) – Two families are offering a $5,000 cash reward for information that leads to the return of a church bell in Cass County. Drue Kirchhoff, with Southwest Iowa Tiling, in Griswold, says the bell was located in front of the United Congregational Methodist Church in Lewis.

The church bell has a long history of being in the area, but Kirchhoff wasn’t sure of its age.

The United Congregational Methodist Church of Lewis’ bell (file photo)

He believes the bell was made of cast iron, which is a hot commodity these days for its salvage value, especially when it’s included with other, heavy metals. He’s asking salvage yards to be on the lookout for the bell.

Kirchhoff, and Rob and Marlo Stamp with Stamp Construction, in Atlantic, are offering the reward for the return of the bell, no questions asked.

If you or someone you know has information that may help the Cass County Sheriff’s Office with their investigation, please call 712-243-2206.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Officials with the Iowa Firefighters Association, Saturday night, presented The Fire Department of the Year Award, to members of the Red Oak Fire Department. The award – which was presented in Ames – is given to a department that significantly supports the Iowa Firefighters Association and the Fire Service in at least one of many areas such as fire prevention, legislation, convention, membership, etc.

The nomination addressed several attributes that the Red Oak Fire Department contributes:

• The ever-growing response area for Fire/EMS coverage of service.
• The extraordinary level of competency and assistance exhibited on Mutual Aid Fire Responses
• The overall contribution to the Fire Service through the continued support of training, logistical assistance to other departments, as well as fire ground competency.
  

  (Photo: L-R-Red Oak Fire Chief John Bruce, Captain Kenny Hamman, and Lt. Brian Hamman)

The Red Oak Fire Department is partnered with the Iowa Fire Service Training Bureau as one of the seven testing locations in the state, which allows firefighter students in the southwest Iowa portion of the state, a location to come to for certification testing to help eliminate the need to travel to Des Moines for testing. The partnership also allows our location to be available for various training events. The Red Oak Fire Department has also been able to assist a few other departments with logistical information. They are developing their department operations to be very similar to how Red Oak is designed (staffing, funding, response guidelines, etc.)

The award directly reflects every member of the Red Oak Fire Department. The amount of time each member dedicates to the department is astonishing. This is a combination of training, shift work, emergency responses, and special events. Each Firefighter possesses a mastery of expertise, and when you bring all those folks together, you have a genuinely outstanding fire department. This is also demonstrated by all the other departments that we get to work with. The Fire Department of the Year award is a direct reflection of each Firefighter and their families for the massive amount of sacrifice and support that they invest in making sure our communities are protected.

This is also a reflection of the support the Fire Department receives from the Red Oak Community, City Administration and Council, the surrounding communities, and the surrounding fire departments. The Red Oak Fire Department extends a heartfelt thank you to all of you for everything you have and do for our department!!!!