(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds has vetoed a mortgage-related bill that sailed through the Iowa House and Senate without a single vote against it. During debate in the Iowa House and Senate, the bill was described as leveling the playing field for mortgage brokers like Rocket Mortgage and Quicken Loans. Legislators said a recent state law had reduced duplications in the required paperwork Iowa banks, savings and loans and credit unions present someone to sign for a home mortgage — but digital mortgage brokers were not included. In a veto message, Governor Reynolds said stakeholders and some legislators raised legitimate concerns about the bill after it had passed, so she vetoed it and encouraged legislators to work on the issue next year.

This is the only bill the governor has vetoed in 2021. Reynolds has used her ITEM veto authority sparingly to reject portions of spending bills and vetoing an entire piece of legislation is a rarity. In 2019, Reynolds vetoed a bill that would have made changes in Iowa’s medical marijuana law. The governor vetoed a bill in 2020 that would have established legislative review of state leases worth 50-thousand dollars or more and it would have required a two-thirds vote in the legislature, city councils or county boards of supervisors for any sale of government property that did not go to the highest bidder.

The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday evening passed by a vote of 6-to-1, the first reading of an “Ordinance Amending Chapter 6 of the Code of Ordinances, by changing the method of election to runoff elections.” At Large Councilperson Grace Garrett was the lone Nay vote. During the Public Comment period of a hearing on the matter, there was no one to speak in-person, but Garrett said she had received questions from the her constituents regarding the proposed method of election change. Speaking on behalf of those she spoke with, Garrett said they wanted to know “why the change?, and “Why now?” The current system is a plurality, or, “Winner takes all.” Garrett said an unidentified person who works at the courthouse did some checking into the matter.

The method of election, the person wrote, was either changed in 2014 or the beginning of 2015, to “Winner takes all.”

Councilperson Somers said she never remembered having that conversation. Mayor Dave Jones recounted past elections, and memories were less than clear among the Council, about when the change actually took place. The Mayor said it was likely brought up in the ordinances because there’s the likelihood more than one person will run for Mayor in the next election. He says he firmly believes the winner should have 51% (50.1). While he couldn’t recall when it was changed, Jones said “Hopefully somebody in the courthouse didn’t just decide to change it for us.”

City Administrator John Lund has said “There has been a great deal of interest in the Mayor’s Office. No fewer than five [persons] have expressed an interest in running.” The City’s Personnel and Finance Committee reviewed all the options during their meeting on May 26th, and concluded the election system should be changed to a majority, and recommended the Council vote to consider/approve the change.

On a related note, the Atlantic City Council held a Public Hearing with regard to a change of the term for Park Board members from six-years to four-years. The Parks Board is in favor of the change, which would mean seniors members would be available to help incoming Board members, if needed. They passed the first reading. Like the other election ordinance, there must be three readings before it becomes law.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council passed a Resolution “authorizing and approving a loan agreement and providing for the issuance of a $90,000 General Obligation Solid Waste Management Note,” as part of a 28-E agreement with regard to the organization that operates the Cass County Landfill. And, the Council passed an “Order to enter into an agreement with the Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT) for Maintenance and Repair of Primary Roads in Municipalities,” more specifically with regard to Highways 6, 71 and 83.

Police in Red Oak, Wednesday afternoon, arrested 44-year-old Jason Richard Berendes, of Red Oak, on a valid Montgomery County Domestic Assault  – No Contact Order. Berendes was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $2,000 bond.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office report the arrest Wednesday on an assault charge, of 42-year-old Robert Matthew Lynn Petersen. The Red oak man was arrested on a warrant for Domestic Assault. His bond was set at $300.

(Des Moines, IA) – Test Iowa, the state’s large-scale, free COVID-19 testing program which launched in April of last year, will end operations on July 16, 2021. Staggered closings of its drive-thru test sites and clinic locations statewide will occur over the next five weeks.

The five state-operated drive-thru locations will close when testing concludes at 4 p.m. on the following days:

• Wed., June 23: Pottawattamie County (3236 Nebraska Ave., Council Bluffs)
• Thurs., June 24: Linn County (Windstar Lines, 5755 Willow Creek Dr. SW, Cedar Rapids)
• Fri., June 25: Black Hawk County (4121 Alexandra Drive, Waterloo)
• Fri., July 16: Polk County (4475 NE 3 rd St., Des Moines)
• Fri., July 16: Scott County (North Park Mall, 320 W. Kimberly Rd., Davenport)

Clinic site closures will be determined by provider, but will occur no later than Friday, July 16. Closing dates will be announced publicly and posted online at coronavirus.iowa.gov and testiowa.com. Demand for testing is at its lowest levels in more than a year since vaccine is now widely available and virus activity has significantly decreased. However, ensuring the availability of free COVID-19 tests for Iowans remains a priority.

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) and State Hygienic Lab (SHL) are finalizing plans now to provide at-home test kits free of charge to Iowa residents following the closure of the Test Iowa program. More details will be provided in the coming weeks. Additionally, COVID-19 testing will continue to be provided by health care providers, pharmacies, and other retail testing sites statewide.

Since opening, nearly 644,000 individuals have been tested for COVID-19 at a Test Iowa site, making it Iowa’s top testing option. Testing peaked on Nov. 23, 2020, when more than 6,700 individuals were tested on a single day. Approximately 400 total tests per day are now being conducted across all 17 drive-thru and clinic sites
currently open.

Drive-thru test sites will continue to operate Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., while they remain open. Hours of operation vary by clinic site. For more information about locations, hours or scheduling a test, visit coronavirus.iowa.gov or testiowa.com.

If you have symptoms of COVID-19 or have been exposed to an individual who has tested positive and you have not yet been fully vaccinated, you should be tested and remain at home away from others until you know your results. If you are positive for the virus, follow the isolation instructions from your testing provider or local public
health department.

IDPH encourages Iowans age 12 and up to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Information about vaccine providers and events statewide is available at vaccinateiowa.gov.

(Radio Iowa) – A judge has ordered a Sergeant Bluff man to pay an 80-thousand-dollar civil penalty for burning thousands of railroad ties on his property. State regulators say they warned John Goldsmith not to burn some 30-thousand railroad ties after he called a D-N-R employee in 2018, and said he intended to burn some of them. He said that disposing of the ties would cost significantly more than his property was worth.

The lawsuit against Goldsmith says he barricaded the property to prevent anyone from getting in and then burned the railroad ties over a period of three days. The judge issued the maximum penalty and also issued a permanent injunction against Goldsmith to keep him from violating solid-waste and open-burning laws.

The judge warned Goldsmith that he could face contempt charges and possible jail time if he disobeys the judge’s order.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds has signed a wide-ranging bill into law that cuts personal income taxes, gradually gets rid of the state inheritance tax and erases a property tax levy used to finance mental health services. State money is to be used to finance the mental health system. “Health care professionals and patients who rely on Iowa’s mental health system deserve this sustainability and predictability this funding source will provide,” the governor says.

Reynolds says she’ll recommend MORE personal income tax cuts in 2022. The legislation was a compromise brokered by Governor Reynolds with the Iowa House and Senate to wrap up the 2021 Legislative Session.

SF 619 provides significant tax relief to hardworking Iowans:   

• SF 619 drops tax rate from 8.53% to 6.5%  
  • Reduces the number of tax brackets from 9 to 4  
  • Eliminates Federal Deductibility  
• Phases out the mental health levy over 2 years, saving property taxpayers over $100 million
• Phases out state inheritance tax over 4 years, saving taxpayers nearly $100 million
• Expands eligibility for the Beginning Farmers Tax Credit
• Food Bank sales tax exemption

SF 619 invests in mental health and foundational priorities like child care and housing:  

• Dedicated, sustainable mental health funding from Iowa’s General Fund
  • Includes a growth factor that allocates new money as revenue increases

• Increases eligibility for the Child Care Tax Credits from families making $45k – $90k
• Increases workforce housing tax credits to $40 million for FY22 ($35 million for years following)
• Extends Brownfield/Grayfield and increases funding from $10 million to $15 million
• Develops a Manufacturing 4.0 strategic roadmap for the future of manufacturing in the state of Iowa