The Henry Supervisors passed the first reading for an amendment to the County’s Voting Precinct Ordinance. When the amendment is fully approved after two more readings there will be some big changes to voter polling sites.  Henry County Auditor Shelly Barber emphasized at the supervisor meeting Tuesday morning that neither the Supervisors, the Auditor nor the Secretary of State had any part in making the changes in Henry County Polling Places and Voting Precincts. These changes are made every 10 years after the census.  After the 2020 census the need to redistrict is due to the change in population for the State House and Senate Legislative Districts which is done by the State Legislators.  Henry County was previously all in the same Legislative Districts and now the map approved by legislation has Salem Township, Tippecanoe Township and Center Township including the cities within them in State House District 87 and Senate District 44.  Jackson Township, Baltimore Township, New London Township Trenton township, Marion Township, Canaan Township, Scott Township, Wayne Township, Jefferson Township including the cities within them are in State House District 95 and Senate District 48.   This is effective for June 7, 2022, Primary Election moving forward.

Due to these changes many of Henry County residents Polling Places are going to change which can not be helped because the County is required to follow the Code of Iowa. Barber said she is truly sorry for this inconvenience.  Below are the new Precincts with their Polling Places listed below.

Precinct 1  – Polling Place Wayland City Hall, 218 W Main St, Wayland –  Trenton Township, Marion Township, Jefferson Township to include the incorporated cities of Wayland, Olds and the portion of Coppock within Henry County; that part of Wayne Township residents living west of James Avenue to 140^th Street, east to Highway 218, south to the township line.

Precinct 2  – Polling Place Winfield City Hall, 115 N Locust St, Winfield –  Canaan and Scott Townships to include the incorporated city of Winfield; that part of Wayne Township residents living east of James Avenue to 140^th Street, east to Highway 218, south to the township line.

Precinct 3  – Polling Place Emergency Management Building, 900 W Washington St, Mt Pleasant –  Tippecanoe Township, Salem Township to include the incorporated cities of Salem and Hillsboro, Center Townships (excluding the portions of Center Township within Mt. Pleasant’s corporate boundaries) to include the cities of Rome and Westwood

Precinct 4  – Polling Place Veterans Hall 1, 300 W Monroe St, Mt Pleasant –  Mount Pleasant Ward 1 as defined by city ordinance and census block 190879704002039 in Center Township.

Precinct 5  – Polling Place Veterans Hall 2, 300 W Monroe St, Mt Pleasant –  Mount Pleasant Ward 2 as defined by city ordinance and census blocks 190879703002013, 190879703002067, 190879703001024 in Center Township.

Precinct 6  – Polling Place Veterans Hall 3, 300 W Monroe St, Mt Pleasant –  Mount Pleasant Ward 3 as defined by city ordinance.

Precinct 7  – Polling Place Veterans Hall 4, 300 W Monroe St, Mt Pleasant –  Mount Pleasant Ward 4 as defined by city ordinance and census block 190879704005005 in Center Township.

Precinct 8  – Polling Place Salem Community Center, 201 S Main St, Salem –  Jackson and Baltimore Townships.

Precinct 9  – Polling Place New London Community Center, 103 W Washington St, New London –  New London Townships to include the incorporated city of New London.

If you do not want to drive to your new polling place location your other options are as follows….

*Fill out Absentee Ballot Request Form located on the County Website, the SOS Website, or in the Auditor’s Office and return to Auditor’s Office.

*Vote in person early at the Henry County Courthouse Absentee Voting Place on the 2^nd Floor, from parking lot upstairs or off elevator turn to right in the southeast corner Conference room 8 – 4:30

Starting sometime in the next week look for a new Facebook page for the Henry County Auditor’s office where voters can continue to find the information needed to make sure they vote at the correct location.

The Mount Pleasant School Board met in regular session Monday night.  Following review of the proposed fiscal year 23 budget, the board set April 11 at 6:15 pm as the date and time for a public hearing.  The proposed new tax asking will decrease slightly from $13. 98 to $13.94 per $1000 of taxable valuation.

A traffic study is underway at the Mt. Pleasant High School location on Grand Avenue. Supt. Henriksen told the school board the firm conducting the study is pulling accident data and doing traffic counts.  The information will be used as part of the district’s facility master planning.  There is a meeting March 29. The Supt hopes results of the study will be available at that meeting.

At the end of the current school year the district is faced with hiring three key positions…..that of midde school principal, Director of Technology and Director of Curriculum and instruction.  So far there are 30 applications for the middle school job currently held by Nathan Lange.

The resignations of longtime teachers Tim and Jill Taylor were accepted by the board last night along with the resignation of Middle School family and consumer science teacher Dawn Bodenham.  Several para resignations were also accepted.

In the interest of keeping Henry County residents informed, the Henry County Sheriff’s office has requested KILJ post the daily jail count. During the jail referendum campaign it was publicized that the jail would be able to house additional inmates from surrounding counties and this would generate revenue for Henry County.

Henry County Jail

Date:   ____03-15-2022_____

JAIL COUNT

  25_    Henry County Inmates

  54_     Out of County Contract Inmates              

  79 _    TOTAL