Month: September 2020

The Fairfield Area Chamber of Commerce, Fairfield Arts & Convention Center, and Fairfield Economic Development Association, with the support of presenting sponsor Freeman Kevenides Law Firm have partnered to present the 2020 Fairfield Area Candidate Forum series on Tuesday, October 6th, and 7th, 2020.
On Tuesday, October 6th, Bart Richmond and Tracy Vance, the candidates for Jefferson County Sheriff will weigh in on a variety of questions, with doors opening at 5:45PM and the moderator, Lindsay Bauer, Executive Director for the Civic Center introducing candidates at 6:15PM. The sheriff’s forum will end at 7PM and Dee Sandquist, Susie Drish, Nick Adam, and Keith Vlademar, the four candidates vying for Jefferson County Supervisor, will be introduced at 7:05PM. The event will end at 8:30PM.
On Wednesday, October 7th, Rich Taylor and Jeff Reichman, the candidates for the Iowa Senate District 42, Joe Mitchell and Jeff Fager, candidates for House of Reps District 84, and Phil Miller and Jeff Shipley, candidates for House of Reps District 82 will be introduced at 6:15PM. The event will end at 8:30PM.
The events will be held at the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center with doors opening at 5:45PM each night. Seating will begin at 5:50PM. Due to current CDC guidelines, the in-person capacity of the Civic Center will be limited to sixty people.
This event is free and open to the public but due to limited seating, there is a lottery for open attendee seats. Interested persons should sign up for the seat lottery by one of three ways. You may call the Chamber at 641-472-2111, or email ceo@fairfieldiowa.com. You may also apply online at www.growfairfield.com/2020forum. Seats will be drawn on Friday 10/1/20 and seat recipient names will be posted on the above websites. At 6:05PM both nights, any unclaimed seats will be released to people who are in line for the event but not registered in the lottery.
Livestreaming of both these events will be available on the Fairfield Media Centers YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/FFMediaCenter or their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/FairfieldMediaCenter/ . Both nights will also be available for later viewing at those websites. 1570 KMCD radio will also host a radio broadcast of the events in cooperation with the Media Center.
Questions for the candidates may be submitted by calling or emailing the Chamber, or online at the FEDA website, as shown above.
Per Civic Center policy, all attendees must wear a mask as the enter, leave, or move about the Civic Center. Once individuals are seated, masks may be removed as long as the individual stays seated.
Due to the uncertainty of the pandemic environment, last minute changes that move the events to only online will be posted at the Chamber and FEDA websites, as well as the Civic Center website, www.fairfieldacc.com.

Access Energy Cooperative’s commitment goes far beyond ensuring safe, reliable, efficient, and environmentally responsible energy. They actively create strategic partnerships and provide technical and financial assistance to support business growth and community vitality. Annually, the Iowa Area Development Group (IADG) presents Impact Awards to utility partners who have been involved in significant economic development initiatives. During the September Access Energy Cooperative Board Meeting, the Cooperative was recognized for its economic development accomplishments and commitment to the communities it serves.

Access Energy Cooperative was presented with an IADG Impact Award for community development. Recent examples of project support include securing funds through the USDA Rural Economic Development Loan & Grant program to support upgrades to the Henry County Health Center in Mount Pleasant. These funds assisted with the purchase of a new ambulance and the installation of new X-ray equipment to be used extensively by the Emergency Department. The loan will be paid back into Access Energy’s Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) and will be available to support future projects, such as Hinterland Dairy. Access Energy supported the construction of Hinterland’s new cheese processing and retail business near Donnellson with a loan from their RLF.

“We commend Access Energy Cooperative for being an active supporter of business and community development in the territory they serve,” said IADG President, Rand Fisher. “They provide essential financial and technical assistance that many times is a critical component in successfully securing projects that create jobs and support community vitality.”

 About Access Energy Cooperative and IADG

Access Energy Cooperative is a distribution electric cooperative, owned and operated by the 8000 members they serve in 10 counties in southeast Iowa. The Iowa Area Development Group is the marketing and business development office for Iowa’s member-owned rural electric cooperatives like Access Energy Cooeprative, select municipal electric utilities, and independent telecommunication companies.  IADG has assisted with over 2,100 successful business expansions and start-up projects.  This growth represents capital investment of more than $12 billion and 53,000 jobs for Iowa.  The Iowa Area Development Group was established in 1985 to promote and strengthen rural Iowa development opportunities. Stay connected with IADG news at www.facebook.com/IADG.IA and www.twitter.com/IADGIOWA.

 

The Mount Pleasant City Council will meet in Regular Session Wednesday, September 23, 2020 at City Hall, 307 E. Monroe Street, second floor meeting room at 5:30 pm.

 

 

A G E N D A

 

 

1. Roll Call.

 

 

1. Consent Agenda: To the Public – All items with an asterisk (*) are routine

by the City Council and will be enacted by one motion and a roll call of the Council-

members.  There will be no separate discussion of items unless the Mayor, a Councilmember

or citizen so request, in which event the item will be removed from the Consent Agenda and

will be considered in its normal sequence on the Agenda.

 

1. Receive & file communications –

 

1. Approve agenda.

 

*5.  Approve minutes of previous meeting.

 

*6.  Approve payment of bills.

 

*7.  Receive reports of Officers – Including Transfer Resolution for September

 

8. Old Business –

 

1. 2nd reading of ordinance amending ordinance entitled “Motor Vehicles” regulating the use of golf carts and off-road vehicles on city streets.

 

1. 2nd reading of ordinance amending ordinance entitled “Fireworks” limiting days allowed to explode fireworks.

 

1. Approve bid to demolish 107 North White Street.

 

1. Approve Change order #2 for Monroe/Adams Street project.

 

1. Resolution accepting Monroe Adams Street Project.

 

1. Mayoral appointments to Community Development Committee.

 

*       g)  Renewal application for a Class C Beer Permit, Sunday Sales for Hy-Vee Gas, 1702 E. Washington Street.

9. New Business

 

1. Resolution approving 2020 Street Finance Report.

 

1. Approve Engineering Services Agreement for W. Monroe Street – Jefferson Street to White Street.

 

1. Resolution approving appointment of Fire Fighter Reserve.

 

 

10. Public Forum.

 

11. Adjourn.

 

TDT CPAs and Advisors, P.C. released an audit report on the Mount Pleasant Municipal Utilities. The Utilities had total revenues of $11,194,246 for the year ended June 30, 2020, a 0.2% increase from the prior year.  The revenues included $11,092,747 of charges for services and $101,499 of non-operating revenues.

Expenses totaled $10,100,402 for the year ended June 30, 2020, a 3.5% increase for the prior year and included $6,209,477 for the power, pumping and treatment plant, $2,110,987 for transmission and distribution, $1,778,211 for general and administration and $1,727 for interest expense.  the increase in expenses is primarily due to an increase in purchased and produced power for the year ended June 30,2020 compared to the year ended June 30, 2019.

This report contains recommendations to the Commission.

A copy of the audit report is available for review in the Mount Pleasant City Clerk’s office, the Mount Pleasant Utilities office, the office of the Auditor of State and on the Auditor of State’s website at auditor.iowa.gov/reports

The Henry County Health Center Foundation experienced such a success with last year’s Make A Difference (M.A.D.) for HCHC Banquet that Foundation Director Mark Hempen says they’re bringing the idea back.

 

“Only this time, we’re inviting you to stay home,” Hempen said.  “We’ve had to cancel all of our fundraising events this year because of the COVID pandemic, so the Foundation came up with a way for our area residents to satisfy their desire to help other people, and do so from the comfort of their own home.”

 

The idea is simple.  Instead of spending a couple of hours at a typical fundraising event – simply send in the money you would have spent on tickets and stay home.  Instead of buying a new dress or suit – send the money to the HCHC Foundation.  Instead of hiring a sitter and ordering pizza for the kids – send the money to the Foundation, stay home and follow social distancing guidelines.  The hope is that people will fulfill their need to give back to their community and feel relieved that they won’t face possible exposure.

 

Banquet Chair and Foundation Board member Sally Olson says it is important for people to understand the importance of HCHC in our community and how donor gifts make a difference.  “While this idea is a little more fun-spirited than others in the past, we hope people will realize how important their gift to the Foundation is, especially this year.  Each gift makes a huge difference, and helps us move forward with our mission to support and fund important health related projects for HCHC,” Olson said.

 

“Funds raised at the M.A.D. Non-Event Event will be used to purchase essential new equipment for use at the Health Center,” Hempen said.  “More specifically they will be used to purchase ten new telemetry units for use in various departments.  Our goal is to raise close to $30,000 for this project.”

 

Gifts can be sent directly to the HCHC Foundation, 407 S. White Street, Mount Pleasant, Iowa, 52641.  For more details call Mark Hempen at 319-385-6541.

 

WASHINGTON — Senator Chuck Grassley, a senior member and former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today made the following statement about the current Supreme Court vacancy after the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.   “In 2016, with an open seat on the U.S. Supreme Court and a window into the type of justice he’d nominate, the American people elected Donald Trump president of the United States. The vacancy was among the key issues on voters’ minds at the polls.   “In 2018, having witnessed President Trump appoint two justices to the Court, as well as the ugly tactics deployed by Senate Democrats during the confirmation process, the American people reaffirmed their support for the President by expanding the Republican majority in the Senate, the body tasked with evaluating the President’s nominees to the court.   “Over the years, and as recently as July, I’ve consistently said that taking up and evaluating a nominee in 2020 would be a decision for the current chairman of the Judiciary Committee and the Senate Majority Leader. Both have confirmed their intentions to move forward, so that’s what will happen. Once the hearings are underway, it’s my responsibility to evaluate the nominee on the merits, just as I always have. The Constitution gives the Senate that authority, and the American people’s voices in the most recent election couldn’t be clearer. While there was ambiguity about the American people’s will for the direction of the Supreme Court in 2016 under a divided government, there is no such ambiguity in 2020.   “Our colleagues on the other side made clear long ago their intentions to upend norm after norm to hijack the judiciary. From Bork to Estrada to Kavanaugh; from torching the filibuster to threatening justices who rule against their wishes, Senate Democrats have a long, sordid history of politicizing the courts and the confirmation process. Even before the current vacancy, Democrats discussed plans to pack the Supreme Court and eliminate the legislative filibuster, just because they can’t get the results they want at the polls. In this case the people have spoken, putting power to appoint and confirm a nominee to the Supreme Court in one party.   “So, make no mistake: if the shoe were on the other foot, Senate Democrats wouldn’t hesitate to use their Constitutional authority and anything else at their disposal to fill this seat.”       In 2016, citing a divided government, then-Judiciary Committee Chairman Grassley and his committee colleagues exercised their constitutional authority to withhold consent on any nominee prior to the completion of the election. In a 2016 letter to Leader McConnell, the senators wrote:   “Not since 1932 has the Senate confirmed in a presidential election year a Supreme Court nominee to a vacancy arising in that year. And it is necessary to go even further back — to 1888 — in order to find an election year nominee who was nominated and confirmed under divided government, as we have now.   “Accordingly, given the particular circumstances under which this vacancy arises, we wish to inform you of our intention to exercise our constitutional authority to withhold consent on any nominee to the Supreme Court submitted by this President to fill Justice Scalia’s vacancy.”   The circumstances are different in 2020, where the American people elected a Republican President and Senate in 2016 and expanded the Republican Senate majority in 2018.   -30-