Today is the first day of school! Why is attendance in school important? Attending classes regularly creates good habits, makes it easier to form friendships, time is not lost reteaching which benefits all children, our schools offer many supports such as nurses, counselors, and meals, and attendance is a predictor of reading scores.

• 64% of kids with good attendance in Kindergarten and 1^st grade who miss 9 days or fewer both years read on level after third grade, while only 17% of children who missed 18 or more days both years are able to read on level after third grade.

To fight against absences you can:

• Make appointments outside of school hours or on non-school days.
• Have a back-up plan for getting to school such as a neighbor able to help.
• Don’t hesitate to ask the school if you need help.

The Henry County Board of Supervisors held their regular board meeting on Thursday, August 22 at the Henry County Courthouse. The first item on the agenda was discussion on the TIF rebate and incentives for the developers of the Hershey Apartment Project located on the former Iowa Wesleyan Campus. The plans for the project include reconstructing Hershey Hall into a 22-unit apartment complex. Mike Norris from the Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission (SEIRPC) explained the process and next steps in coordinating the TIF rebate, which include establishing the area as an Urban Renewal Area (URA). While there is ongoing litigation between the Henry County Assessor Board of Review and the developer on the valuation of the property, the Henry County Supervisors have asked SEIRPC to draw up a contract to complete the URA work on their behalf. The contract will be presented to the Supervisors at their regular board meeting on September 19, 2024.

Supervisor Marc Lindeen gave his subcommittee report on the most recent meeting of the Great River Regional Waste Authority. He noted the county is allowed to dump up to 50 tons at no cost to the county. He suggested if there were no major construction projects that needed to haul waste, the county should allocate those tons to Jake Hotchkiss, Henry County Engineer for cleanup on county roads.

Supervisor Greg Moeller led the discussion on a check request the county has received. The check in question was issued from the county to the Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility on May 5, 2022, in the amount of $17, 822.50 for April 2022 meals for the Henry County Sheriff’s Department. The Superviors canceled the check on July 6, 2023, because it was not deposited by the Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility. And, according to the Iowa Code, unclaimed checks may be canceled after a year has passed. While the time to request a reissued check has passed and the supervisors are not legally required to remit the payment, the discussion centered around whether they should pay the $17,822.50. There is a strong working relationship between the Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility and the Henry County Sheriff’s Department which the Supervisors are considering. On the other hand, the money is not in the budget for this fiscal year and would cause headaches to adjust funds in an already tight budget. Supervisor Greg Moeller motioned they table this discussion until the next board meeting when Supervisor Chad White would be back and able to give input on it.

Henry County Sheriff Rich McNamee presented a contract between the Henry County Sheriff’s Department and the New London Community School District for a School Resource Officer (SRO). The two parties had an agreement last year, however this year the school district requested a change in deputies and for the SRO to go to full time status versus part time. With the help of the Henry County Attorney’s Office, the Sheriff presented a contract to the Board of Supervisors for review. The contract has not been presented to the school district yet; that comes next. The Supervisors motioned to approve the Henry County Sheriff to present this contract to the New London School District and begin negotiations to place a full time Henry County Sheriff Deputy as a SRO in their buildings.

The meeting ended after the public comment portion, which included comments from citizens about the Hershey Apartment Project TIF rebate, overtime for deputies contracting out as SROs, and operational inefficiencies that can be found in the different offices of the Henry County Courthouse.

The Henry County Historic Preservation Commission met Wednesday August 21 at the Henry County Heritage Trust Museum.  Commissioners attending were Pat White, Caroline Lehman, Mary Savage, Judy Rawson, Larry D. Roth and Joel Garretson.  The agenda,  July minutes, and treasurer’s report  were approved. Liz Garrels representing the Harlan-Lincoln House led a discussion of enhancement and  promotion of tourism for our county’s small museums.   The Commission agrees that more effort could and should be placed on local tourism and increased attendance of the six museums that are not situated on the Old Threshers grounds.   These museums include the Harlan-Lincoln House, Dover Museum, Henry County Heritage Center, Winfield Museum, Lewelling Quaker Museum, and the Swedish American Museum.  The Wayland Museum is currently under reorganization.  Commissioners will be looking at successful tourism programs in other Iowa counties.  The next meeting will be September 18, 2024 at the Henry County Heritage Trust Center at 1:00 PM.

Shoulder work with flaggers will be Thursday, August 22nd and Friday, August 23rd between Fremont Avenue and 260th Street. Please use caution.

Road closure continues with the staged road closure being south of 260th Street and north of 275th Street.

The posted detour route continues with access for local traffic only

The Fellowship Cup in Mount Pleasant is a vital community resource. Every Wednesday a community meal is offered for a low cost and served by a local community group. Yesterday’s community meal was served by the First Baptist Church here in Mount Pleasant as well as a special guest. Senator Joni Ernst was invited to serve lunch at the Fellowship Cup, which serves the largest population in Southeast Iowa, by the Food Bank of Iowa.