The Mt. Pleasant Community School Board will host a special election on September 12^th, 2023. After speaking with the Henry County Auditor’s office, we do know that they do not currently have the ballots needed. However, early voting is still an option for those that need to utilize this.

If you need to vote early, the office will let you fill out a paper ballot on Wednesday and Thursday and the absentee workers will set these ballots aside. Once the electronic ballot is running, those workers will open that separate stack and fill out an electronic ballot based on those votes. If you can wait until Friday or next week to fill out a ballot, that would be easiest for both parties involved.

Voters will have the chance to decide on the Revenue Purpose Statement (RPS) which governs how the school district can spend the statewide penny sales tax for school infrastructure. This money is typically used for building renovations, school bus purchases, and more.

Currently, the school district has broad flexibility on how they spend this money, and they would prefer to keep it that way. The district benefits from about 2 million dollars a year from this penny tax.

The Iowa Credit Union Industry is continuing to warn Iowans of online scams and text message “smishing” attempts aimed at stealing personal and financial information. Facebook Marketplace has seen scams increase on their platform.

Thousands of fraudulent domains tied to MMS/SMS/text scams have been reported in the past year, and in recent months these smishing attempts have increased exponentially, according to recent reports from the Internal Revenue Service.

There are many red flags on Facebook Marketplace, that may seem harmless, but turn out to be a scam. Here we have listed just a few of the popular scams:

• An overpayment. If you receive an overpayment, decline the charge or check and ask the buyer to send you the correct amount.
• Moving the dialogue off Facebook to your phone. Often in these instances, the other party will ask for your phone number and say that they want to text you a code to “prove you are real.”
• The Zelle “Business Account” scam. This is a scam the Better Business Bureau (BBB) has warned consumers about in the past. If you are asked to upgrade your Zelle account or another digital wallet app to accept money from a buyer, it’s likely a scam.
• Shipping mishaps. Always track the item to ensure it arrives at its destination. Some buyers will demand refunds claiming they never received their item. Keep the proof that your package arrived at its destination.
• Fake vacation homes or apartment listings.  Google the address to make sure the location exists and if it looks representative to what is being shown online. Verify the validity of the rental by contacting the property listing manager directly.

“Phishing attempts and online scams are continuing to put Iowans’ financial data at risk,” said Jaimie Miller, Vice President of the Iowa Credit Union League. “Consumers need to remain vigilant when interacting online and receiving suspicious text messages. If you are uncertain about who is contacting you or been scammed, get in touch with your credit union or bank immediately.”

Financial institutions will never ask for personal information, including social security numbers and full account numbers.

“The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has a helpful guide on how to spot text message scams here.”

“Report any Facebook scams online.”

You might be sending your kid off to their first day of preschool, kindergarten, or entering into senior year. Whatever it may be, there are so many factors that affect student performance during the school year, and certainly you would want your child to bring home report cards that boast of A’s and B’s. The Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management provides a five-step plan for “back to school” that is sure to help you and your child do well.

Make a weekly schedule that includes healthy meals and early bedtimes. Ample sleep is so crucial to the student, as it allows them to refresh after the day and gets their mind focused. Healthy meals provide energy to keep them going.

Schedule ample time for homework. Establish a rule that the TV and other electronic distractions stay off during homework time. If your parents or grandparents were able to work hard without electronic distractions, so can you. Turn your phone off and put it away so that you can focus on homework.

Set out clothes the night before and make sure your child turns off electronic devices well before bedtime. Stick to a bedtime routine. For your younger children, plan their outfit out the night before to help limit any possible hiccups in the morning. Scrolling on social media is not a good idea before bed. Shut off your phone and let your eyes rest.

Pack your backpack and charge your school electronics the night before. Many schools now provide some sort of electronic for students to take home. Whether it be an i-pad, a computer, or kindle, ensure that it is charged the night before so that you can stick it in the bag and not worry about it the next morning.

Slow down and stop for school buses, children crossing the street, and pedestrians. It makes sense that there are more children out and about during the school year, so keep an eye out for them. You may have fallen out of habit of stopping at certain intersections, but temporary school stop signs are placed out for the school year so focus on the road.

Fort Madison Community School District has delayed their start of school until Monday, August 28^th. With heat index reaching over 100 coupled with the fact that the two elementary buildings are without air conditioning, school will not start until the temperatures lower and it is safer for students and staff.

Orientation for kindergarten will be mixed in with the regular activities on Monday, and will not be held on Friday, August 25^th. 4^th grade and freshman orientation will still take place on Friday from 8:30am-11:30am.

A revised calendar will be discussed moving forward and communicated with all families after the 2023-2024 school year is officially underway.

The Mount Pleasant City Council will meet in Regular Session Wednesday,

August 23, 2023, at City Hall, 307 E. Monroe Street, second-floor meeting room at 5:30 p.m.

AGENDA

1. Roll Call.
2. 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 Councilmembers. 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.
3. Receive & file communications.
4. Approve agenda.

*5. Approve minutes of previous meetings.

*6. Approve payment of bills.

*7. Receive report of Officers.

8. Old Business-
   1. 5:30 p.m. Public Hearing to sell west portion of 1300 W. Courtland.
   2. Resolution selling west portion of 1300 W. Courtland.
   3. 2nd reading of proposed ordinance on City murals.
   4. 3 ^rd reading/adopt proposed ordinance to prohibit parking on the west side of the 100 block of S. Marion Street.
   5. Resolution setting Public Hearing to vacate alley at College Addition Block 13.
9. New Business-
   1. Authorize Mayor to sign Engineering Service Agreement with Warner Engineering for McCoy and Monroe Street reconstruction.
   2. Authorize Mayor to sign Engineering Service Agreement with Warner Engineering for Henry and Main Street (The “H”) repaving and drainage infrastructure.
   3. Resolution amending the Personnel Policy Manual.

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10. Public Forum.
11. Adjourn to meet in regular session on Wednesday, September 13, 2023, at 5:30 p.m.

The National Weather Service has issued an Excessive Heat Warning that is now in effect through Friday at 8pm. This has been prolonged due to there being no respite from the scorching heat. Mt. Pleasant residents can expect the heat index to reach around 87 by 6am on Wednesday morning, and continue to rise throughout the day, reaching its apex at 12 o’clock noon, with the value sitting around 113. It does seem as if we might be in for a very hot week, and temperatures reaching this high are considered dangerous.

Ensure that you are staying inside an air-conditioned area as much as possible. Whether it be your home, vehicle, the library, or burning the midnight oil at work, it is imperative to stay inside. Avoid unnecessary hard work or activities if you are outside or in a building without air conditioning. Being caught outside in this heat for even a short amount of time can be harmful. Loose fitting that is light weight and light colored is key to keeping your body temperature down.

Heat cramps and heat exhaustion are both probable with heat index values of 113. I say it often, but drinking plenty of water, even when you are not thirsty, is a must as it helps regulate body temperature.

No matter where you come from, this heat is dangerous and can harm anybody. Make sure to take preventive measures to ensure that you do not become a casualty to this heat.