Author: Theresa Rose

On March 23^rd, 2021, at approximately 11:45 a.m., the Henry County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a possibly stolen semi-tractor.  The owner of the semi-tractor was monitoring it’s location via GPS and stated it was traveling through Henry County.  The Henry County Sheriff’s Office along with the Mount Pleasant Police Department stopped the semi-tractor on the Highway 218 exit 42 off ramp.  Deputies and Officers contacted the driver.  The driver was identified as Sebastian Rios-Sierra, 30 of Toyah Texas.  During the investigation, Sebastian attempted to get back into the semi-tractor and leave the scene.  Sebastian was arrested and transported to the Henry County Jail.

The investigation determined Sebastian had driven several hundred miles from his destination, abandoned a semi-trailer and its’ contents, and was trying to go to Texas.

Sebastian was charged with Interference with Official Acts, a simple misdemeanor and Operating a Motor Vehicle Without Owner’s Consent, an aggravated misdemeanor.  Sebastian is being held in the Henry County Jail on a $2500 bond.

The Mt. Pleasant Municipal Utilities will have a water shut-off to tie-in the new water main at the 500 block of N. Lincoln Street.  The water will be shut-off at 12:00 a.m. (Midnight) to approximately 5:00 a.m. on Friday, March 26, 2021.

The following locations will be without water during this time:

• From the railroad tracks on N. Lincoln St. to 2^nd
• Cedar Lane from N. Lincoln St. to N. Cherry St.
• Mapleleaf Dr. from N. Lincoln St. to N. Cherry St.
• Cherry St. from Oak St. to Mapleleaf Dr.
• Carol Ave. from Cedar Lane to Mapleleaf Dr.
• Lombardy Rd. from Cedar Lane to Mapleleaf Dr.
• Palm Ave. from Cedar Lane to Mapleleaf Dr.
• Hamlin St. from Oak St. to Cedar Lane
• Lee St. from Oak St. to Cedar Lane
• Linn St. from Oak St. to Cedar Lane
• Jones St. from N. Sycamore St. to N. Cherry St.
• Sycamore St. from Jones St. to Oak St.
• Burky Lane

The Utilities regrets any inconvenience.  For questions or additional details, please call 319-385-2121 (24 hrs.).

The City of Mount Pleasant’s taxable valuation was up one and a half percent…not as much as it has increased in the last two years but Wednesday night Mayor Steve Brimhall was still happy to about a new fiscal year budget reflecting a levy decrease from $11.94 to $11.56 per one thousand dollars of taxable valuation. The total levy breaks out into the general levy of $8.10, $2.68 debt service and the employee benefit levy of 78 cents. The full council passed the new budget that still allows for two and half million dollars in capital improvements, the purchase of a new water truck and a police car, a new trail head at Saunders Park, and staff pay increase while still holding the line on expenses and reducing taxes by 38 cents.

In other business from the Wednesday night Mount Pleasant City Council meeting….the council approved hiring Genus Landscape Architects to provide design and construction oversite of the proposed trailhead in Saunders Park.  The consulting fee is $7,475. The Mayor’s recommendation to appoint Lauren Giarmo to the Construction Board of Appeals for a three year term was approved.  Giarmo is an engineer with the Department of Transportation. The first reading to amend the Sanitary Sewer flow fee ordinance was approved . The fee will go from $5.90 to $6.00 per one thousand gallons of water. This fee increase is necessary to help pay for the decommission of the northeast lagoon and the pumping of that water down to the main water plant.  The council also approved the first reading of the ordinance to increase solid waste fees from $3.95 to $4.05. This is a pass thru administrative and recycling fee charged by Des Moines County Regional Solid Waste Commission.

Wednesday morning a 21 one year old man entered the Central Lee High School and tried to sit in on a first hour class.  Evidently, he was from Wheaton, Illinois and claimed to be a transfer student.  School administration quickly determined this was not the case and called the Lee County Sheriff’s office.  The individual was taken into custody and sent to the Fort Madison Community Hospital for a full psychiatric evaluation.  He was not armed and was not violent.  No students or staff were harmed.

DAVENPORT, Iowa — On Friday, March 19, 2021, United States District Court Chief
Judge John A. Jarvey sentenced Jason Earl Davis, age 43, of New London, to 240 months in prison for Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances announced Acting United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal. Following his prison term, Davis was ordered to serve five years of supervised release, as well as pay $100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund. The investigation on Jason Earl Davis began in 2018 when law enforcement identified Davis as a supplier of methamphetamine in the southeast Iowa area. As part of his drug trafficking activities, Davis maintained a premise for the purpose of manufacturing and distributing controlled substances. Davis has a prior federal conviction related to drug trafficking. This matter was investigated by the Henry County Sheriff’s Office and the case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

AGENDA

March 25, 2021

Approve Agenda

Approve Minutes

Approve Resolution approving County Budget FY22

9:00 Sarah Berndt, CDS Monthly Update

9:15 2^nd  Reading to Amend

HENRY COUNTY ZONING ORDINANCE

2^nd Reading to Adopt ORDINANCE

TO ABATE THE NUISANCE OF DILAPIDATED BUILDINGS

AND TALL GRASS FOR THE UNINCORPORATED

AREA OF HENRY COUNTY

9:30 Sign Proclamation for April to be

Child Protection Awareness Month

Other County Business as time allows

Supervisors Sub-Committee Updates

In today’s challenging farm economy, it is essential to understand farm finances. How well the farm finances are managed significantly impacts both the profitability of the farm business and the well-being of the farm family. More than half (53.2 percent) of Iowa farms have one or more women producers. Across Iowa, these women and their partners manage 45,786 farms with more than 14 million acres of land. They annually market nearly $13 billion in livestock and crops which cost more than $10 billion to produce, according to the 2017 USDA Census of Agriculture.

Women Managing Farm Finances incorporates interactive learning while allowing time for discussion. Sessions covered will address financial documentation, cash flow requirements and accounting needs. Class participants will learn how to assess the financial performance of their farm business. At the end of four weeks they will know more about farm financial statements, cash flow projections, financial performance and farm accounting.

The course is being offered at the Henry County Extension Office in Mt. Pleasant from 6:00-9:00pm on April 1, 8, 15 and 22. A meal will be provided prior to each class starting at 5:30pm. Online registration is required by March 25. To learn more or to register, visit the website, http://www.aep.iastate.edu/womeninag/2021/mtpleasant. For additional questions contact Charles Brown, ISU Extension and Outreach Farm Management Specialist, at crbrown@iastate.edu or 641-673-5841, or the Henry County Extension Office at 319-385-8126.