Officials with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) said today (Thursday), that since two additional counties were added to the Presidential disaster declaration earlier this week, a total of seven  area counties’ residents affected by flooding, have been granted a filing extension. Taxpayers whose primary residence or business is in Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona, Pottawattamie, Shelby, and Woodbury counties will have until July 31, 2019 to file and pay state individual income taxes and business income taxes due between March 12, 2019 and July 31, 2019. The extension requires no action by residents and businesses in these five counties. The extension includes filing of quarterly withholding tax returns but does not apply to withholding tax payment deposits.

The extension is in addition to an earlier announcement from the Department that provides taxpayers in counties declared disaster areas by the Governor an extension until April 30, 2019, for state taxes due between March 18, 2019, but no later than March 31, 2019. More information about state tax relief due to flooding is available on the Department’s website at tax.iowa.gov/2019-flooding.

Other Assistance Available from the Department
Taxpayers impacted by the floods whose principal residence or business is not located in the counties included in the Governor’s declarations who are unable to meet a tax filing obligation can file a request for penalty waiver with the Department pursuant to Iowa Code section 421.27. To request a waiver taxpayers should use the Department’s Penalty Waiver Request Form.

In Iowa, taxpayers are also allowed a six-month extension to file their Iowa income tax return as long as they have paid 90% of the taxes due for the tax year by the due date. The Department understands many taxpayers outside of the five counties listed may have a hardship with filing their income tax return by the due date; those taxpayers may take advantage of this automatic extension.

A Special Meeting of the Griswold School Board will be held 7-p.m. Monday in the Middle School/High School Library, to discuss the process used to fill a job vacancy. School officials have said the position of head softball coach had been offered and accepted by an individual prior to the Board’s meeting April 15th, but during the Public Comment period, a number of people in attendance voiced their displeasure with the selection.

The meeting this Monday night will include additional discussion, and a possible closed session to evaluate the professional competency of an individual whose appointment, hiring, performance or discharge is being considered (As per Iowa Code 21.5[1]). When they return to an Open Session, the Board will consider and act on approving a Head and/or Assistant High School Softball Coach.

Officials with the Iowa Dept. of Public Health said today (Thursday), that a second case of measles has been confirmed in Iowa, through testing at the State Hygienic Lab. The case is an unvaccinated Northeast Iowa resident, who is a household contact of the recently confirmed measles case (an unvaccinated Northeast Iowa resident with recent travel to Israel, where measles transmission is occurring).

The person was identified as part of the initial case investigation and was under a public health voluntary confinement order in the home to prevent further exposures. Because this second measles case has been isolated at home during the measles incubation period, there is no current threat to the general public. These cases serve as a reminder for all Iowans to ensure their vaccinations are up-to-date. Vaccines prevent diseases and save lives.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office reports 30-year old Eric Wayne Shinn, of Creston, was arrested Wednesday evening at the Union County Law Enforcement Center. Shinn was arrested on a Union County warrant for 2nd offense domestic abuse assault. He was being held in the Union County Jail without bond until seen by a Judge. In other news, a Creston woman reported on April 12th, that sometime between April 11th and 12th, someone entered her house and took a Danby beverage cooler, a 50” LG TV, and tools. The items were valued at $1,000 altogether. And, a woman from Afton, reported during the early morning hours of April 14th, someone had just broken all the windows out of her two vehicles. The damage was estimated at $1,200.

The downtown Atlantic building facade (exterior) improvement project is moving forward, despite some dropouts by business owners. SWIPCO Community Development Team Leader Alexis Fleener said eight building owners are still willing to move forward with efforts to obtain a Community Development Block Grant for as much as 500-thousand dollars. She said the CDBG application would be made on or before May 17th, 2019, with construction taking approximately two-years to complete. The City is applying for $456,050. The grant covers up to 54% of the cost, with the remaining share split between the City and building owners. Fleener says the City’s share amounts to $224,675, which is just under what the goal was.

A Resolution to move forward with the CDBG application passed by a vote of 6-to 1, with Councilman Chris Jimerson the lone No vote. Fleener said some of the building owners participating the project during Phase 1, are in the 400 and 500 blocks of Chestnut Street. The eight building owners have given 10-percent of their building costs as part of the application process. She said the project will be bid as one project. There will be one general contractor and various subcontractors working on the project, with the City holding the contract. Local contractors with the lowest responsible bid will be sought in the bidding process. The facade improvements covered under the program include the building frontage to 24 inches deep, along with the sides for corner buildings, as well as restoration, rehabilitation and replacement as necessary.

The Council also heard from Snyder and Associates’ Jeff Godwin, with regard to erosion on the north bank of Troublesome Creek, about 600-feet east of the Olive Street bridge, where a grade stabilization structure was installed about 40-to 50-years ago. The sheet piling and concrete structure was designed to raise the stream bed to prevent the waters from getting deeper further upstream. It failed about 10-years or so ago, allowing the river water to wash around the end of the structure.

The erosion is encroaching on the trail system and AMU well fields to the north. He says they’re looking at options on how to best fix the problem. The Hungry Canyons Alliance [HCA] (a group of counties in southwest Iowa that was formed in the ’90’s) was successful over the years to obtain federal and state funding to build similar grade stabilization structures that protect bridges and highways. The project cost was estimated at $240,000. The HCA he said, might be willing to kick-in $140,000, and Cass County Engineer Charles Bechtold said he would be willing to sponsor the grant. County bridges as far upstream as Highway 71 stand to benefit from the structure to be located downstream.

In order to be eligible for the HCA funds, a topographic survey of TroubLesome Creek needs to be taken, including a cross-section with depth measurements every 200-feet to just east of Highway 71. Godwin said HCA would pay 80% of the survey costs (estimated at $10,000), if the City wants Snyders to conduct the survey, with City’s share amounting to $2,000. Godwin said it’s possible AMU and the County could partner with the City for the proposed project, which would necessitate the removal of the current damn. He said the problem will get worse if something is not done within the next 5-years.

The Council will need to make a decision on holding the survey decision by their meeting on May 15th.