(Radio Iowa) – Officials say some Iowa counties could fall short of having enough money to fund roads unless state lawmakers take action.

Woodbury County Engineer Mark Nahra says changes to Iowa’s new property tax system mean a loss of millions for his county alone. Nahra says counties that do not meet the minimum tax levy will lose road tax fund money and matching farm-to-market road funds.

“The limitations that were put on property tax growth under House File 718 affect the county road department’s ability to raise revenue out of property taxes,” he says.

Over a ten-year period, he estimates the cost for Woodbury County will be more than $26-million .

“If we don’t have that funding available to us,” he says, “it’ll result in some deterioration of our primary paved routes in the county.”

Nahra says if state lawmakers decide -not- to change the current law, counties with low tax levy rates may lose road funding.

“They need to make it quickly,” he says. “This year, we’ve got enough levy from last year that we can make our minimum local effort. We start falling short in fiscal year 2026, and then that shortfall accelerates.”

Nahra says about a dozen Iowa counties will be impacted in the next two or three years if lawmakers don’t modify the state law this session.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Susan Larson Christensen is asking lawmakers to raise the pay for Iowa judges. “They are paid less than judges in every state that touches Iowa,” Christensen says. “…Iowa judges make $16,000 less per year than South Dakota judges and they make $38,000 less per year than Nebraska It’s no wonder the average number of applicants for per district court judge vacancy has decreased 62% in the past 20 years.”

Christensen delivered the annual “Condition of the State” address in the Iowa Capitol this (Wednesday) morning. “In the last 15 years, judges have received a pay raise five times,” Christensen says. “…Being appointed by our governor should be the pinnacle of an attorney’s career, not a deep financial sacrifice.” Christensen is also asking lawmakers to stabilize the contributions judges make to their pension system. “For those of you who have listened to my prior speeches, I have never broached the topic of either pay or pensions for our judges. This year is different,” Christensen said. “I feel compelled to publicly speak from this platform…as the voice for all judges in our state.”

West side of Iowa Capitol Building (RI file photo)

Christensen also asked lawmakers to raise the pay for contract attorneys who represent indigent clients in state courts. Christensen, as the chief of state government’s judicial branch, is asking lawmakers to approve a four-point-three percent increase in state spending on the state court system. Christensen’s speech comes after Governor Reynolds and other Republicans criticized the Iowa Supreme Court for failing last June to allow the six week abortion ban adopted in 2018 to take effect. The legislature passed an nearly identical law in July — and the state supreme court has yet to rule on a legal challenge of it.

“If your constituents come up to you and say: ‘Hey, Judge so and so really messed up this opinion,’ or if you maybe even tell your constituent the same thing that is your right to hold such a belief,” Christensen said. “I may even agree with you, but what I am asking you to do is to take that opportunity to explain that even when you think a judge is dead wrong, they are public servants just like you and they are committed to the rule of law, just as you would want them to be.”

The Iowa Supreme Court’s ruling on the so-called fetal heartbeat law is expected by the end of June.

(Pottawattamie County, Iowa) –  Officials with the City of Macedonia’s Maintenance Department, today (Wednesday) issued a Water Boil Order. The order is in effect until further notice, and was issued due to low water pressure that was caused by a prolonged power outage.

All residents are encouraged to boil or use bottled water for consumption. Call City Hall with questions at 712-486-2323

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports two men were arrested on separate warrants, Tuesday. 39-year-old Cory Ross Smith, of Elliott, was arrested on a warrant for Violation of Probation. His bond was set at $5,000. And, 64-year-old David Gene Carroll, of Villisca, was arrested in rural Villisca, on a warrant for Failure to Appear on a Driving While Revoked/OWI charge. His bond was set at $2,000.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors, today (Wednesday) received funding requests from the Veterans Affairs Commission, County Recorder and Engineer. Each of the requests were taken under consideration for action during the budgeting process. Veteran’s Affairs Commissioner John Schildberg, III, asked the Board to approve an additional part-time employee to fill-in for an employee who is off-work, recovering from knee surgery. Wendy Lane has been filling-in, answering the phone, taking notes and making appointments, but none of the federal paperwork.

The Board approved the request. Lane will be paid $14 per hour, as Schildberg had requested. He said also, his budget request for the VA Commission is less than what it had been.

The Board then held a Public Hearing on an amendment to the FY 24 Adair County Budget. Having heard any spoken, nor received any written comments, the Supervisors closed the hearing and passed a Resolution approving the amendment, followed by passage of an Appropriations Resolution. Following the hearing, the Adair County Supervisors received an FY 25 funding request from County Recorder Janelle Schneider. Later on in their meeting, they passed a Right-of-way & temporary Easement Purchase Resolution, and received a FY 25 Budget request from County Engineer Nick Kauffman. Kaufman said with regard to the Easement Purchase Resolution, the rate the County pays has gone down.

He also discussed some issues they had this past weekend with three trucks breaking-down, and an additional truck mechanical issue popped-up Tuesday, but most of those issues have been repaired.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors, today (Wednesday), received a report from County Engineer Karen Albert, who, as expected, said Secondary Roads Department crews have been very busy, both before and after the snowstorms.

She said one of their motor-graders has an engine problem and was headed for the shop.

They’ll get a loaner motor-grader as soon as possible. Karen Albert had some good news from FEMA and Homeland Security, with regard to a low water crossing project and alternate project funds.

The funds will be used to cover the cost of a new motor-grader. The Board heard from Montgomery County resident Jan Norris, who asked the Board to continue their consideration of a pipeline ordinance, especially with regard to a proposed carbon capture pipeline from ethanol plants.

And, the Board received an annual report and funding request from Wendy Mueller with West Central Community Action (WCCA), who said the organization provides Montgomery County with $1.2-million dollars in services. She said they are requesting the same amount of funding from the County as last year: $3,500.

The Board said Mueller runs a “tight ship,” and the benefits WCCA provides are a great return on the County’s investment. The budget requests were taken under consideration for action when the Board makes a decision during the budgeting process.

Wendy Mueller

(Radio Iowa) – State Auditor Rob Sand — the only Democrat in statewide office — is questioning the governor’s plan to overhaul special education programs and create a new division in the Iowa Department of Education to oversee Area Education Agencies.  “The idea that they’re going to move it to the Department of Education to improve oversight after this legislature and this governor gutted the auditor’s office, made a list of documents that we can’t look at in audits, does anyone really think they’re making that kind of a move to improve oversight?” Sand asks. “I doubt it.” Sand says he’s also concerned about what the governor’s plan means for the 34-hundred people who work in A-E-As.

“There’s a lot of loving, wonderful people around the state of Iowa who work at the AEAs. My mom was one of them. That was her career up in northeast Iowa, driving around as a physical therapies, doing what I would say is the Lord’s work, literally putting her hands on kids, helping them learn to walk, and she would come home levitating sometimes because her kid learned to walk today,” Sand says, “and she loved them just as much as she loved my sister and I.”

The governor says it’s time for a reboot because A-E-A spending has been on autopilot and the test scores of students with disabilities are far below the national average. The governor’s plan calls for A-E-As to focus solely on special education programming rather than the teacher training and other services they’re providing schools. The governor proposes that school districts get to choose whether to stick with their local A-E-A for special education services, switch to a different A-E-A, hire their own staff or work with a private firm to provide the services.