Latest news with #Ottumwa
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Supervisors to revisit EMS advisory council topic
OTTUMWA — The Wapello County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will once again discuss the EMS advisory council, the second part of an ordinance that had been put on hold after disagreements over who should be represented. Changes were made to the updated list of members, and approval of the list will begin the advisory council's work to determine the EMS needs of the county as it looks to eventually pass an EMS levy. Two of the changes were simple replacements: Bill Hoffman Jr. has been tapped as a representative from the Ottumwa City Council, in place of Dan Reid, who is up for re-election in November. Also, Loren McIntosh has been selected to represent Wapello County Rural Fire in place of Cory Benge, who was charged with felony theft of a wifi router from the city in June. There was also a to-be-determined position to represent the EMS Association, and Amanda Hull, a firefighter for the city, was selected for that role. All other representatives to the advisory council are unchanged. The issue hadn't been discussed since city and county officials held a work session in late May to discuss who should be on the advisory council and the roles the council should be tasked with. Eventually, the county will put an EMS levy to the voters, and 60% approval is required to adopt it. Although Iowa law does not require counties to provide mandatory EMS service the way they do police and fire service, a county can levy up to 75 cents per $1,000 of taxable valuation, institute a 1% income tax, or a combination of the two. The county is also expected to adopt job descriptions and change job classifications for an engineer assistant, working foreman and assistant to the board of supervisors. The meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. in the third-floor courtroom/board room of the courthouse. Ottumwa City Council The council will meet at Bridge View Center with one of the agenda items creating new minimum fines for city-related offense, ranging from animal infractions to traffic violations. Glue sniffing and public nudity each carry a $100 fine. Also, the city is expected to approve purchases related to Legacy Fields Soccer Complex, and a resolution for goal nets and a UTV are both on the agenda. The city is also anticipated to award a contract to paint the wave pool at The Beach to MP Contractors LLC for $44,800. The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m.
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
County officials address potential consolidation
OTTUMWA — Maybe the first sign was back in the day when judicial districts were established with multiple counties in a particular district. The second sign may have been the disbanding of smaller mental health regions and creating much larger districts, almost reflecting the judicial districts. But could the state really consolidate entire counties in a similar fashion? It's certainly on the table. One of the roles of the Iowa Department of Government Efficiency Task Force, which was created by Gov. Kim Reynolds, is to explore the possibility of winnowing the state's 99 counties, according to a story in the Des Moines Register earlier this month. State Rep. Hans Wilz is an ex-officio member of the task force, and could not be reached for comment. Other members of the task force include county and state officials and business leaders. Wapello County supervisor Darren Batterson was skeptical, even though 68 of 99 counties lost population in the 2020 census, the Register reported. "All of our directors behind you are smiling, because they all know where the state is leaning," Batterson said during the board's meeting June 17. "I don't know if they'll ever get it pulled off, but it's definitely where they're leaning. "I can see some services consolidating. I mean, countywide law enforcement? One sheriff for four counties? He'd never be able to cover all the sections in a day. Or, just imagine. Every county has 700 miles of roads. So if you consolidate counties into districts, like they did with mental health, you're talking thousands of miles of roads to supervise, maintain and equip." Of course, the bar for consolidation of counties is high, but there is a pathway under Iowa Code Section 331.253(1), which states two or more counties can place it on a ballot by "a joint report." According to the Register's report, two consecutive general assemblies at the statehouse would have to vote to amend the state constitution, and then a simple majority of voters would have to approve the measure in the general election. Wapello County already has a 28E agreement with Appanoose County to share engineer Brad Skinner, but many counties have also combined recorder and auditor offices. Proponents of consolidation point to the fact that people can access many county services online, for example, property tax payments and vehicle registrations. "One of the things we're already doing is we're cutting costs internally because of automation. We're already doing that," supervisor Bryan Ziegler said. "I think the future we're going to be sharing more services. But that's up to us. It's going to be local decisions that make those choices." Batterson pointed to voting. By expanding reach and consolidating, "it makes everything harder." "It's hard enough just to do it countywide," he said. The Iowa State Association of Counties believes "home rule," which was created in 1978, gives counties authority over their own affairs. "We support local control," ISAC executive director Amanda Woodard told the Register. "We think it's important and we think that counties are lean and efficient and continue to find efficiencies within and across county lines." What could complicate the process, especially in rural counties, is the differing land values and property tax rates, Batterson said. Still, he agreed with Ziegler that the county is already making it easier for residents in terms of services. "We're already doing a lot, and other counties are too by cutting costs and sharing services with each other where we can. But the bottom two tiers of the state are the poorest, and there are six or eight counties that are mostly urban," he said. "They're trying to pull all the weight because they have all the population, and they don't have to worry about consolidating services to make things work." Other county officials voiced their dissent as well. Recorder Lisa Kent said one of the people on the task force, Dallas County recorder ReNae Arnold, is newly elected. "I sent Hans an email after this came out," Kent said. "In my opinion, she's not qualified to make decisions for our office." County conservation director Rick Tebbs also has seen the state discuss consolidation before. "In 1990, they talked about cutting the counties in half," he said. "They have tried for 15 years to change the state constitution on Lee County, because they have two county seats, but they can't get it done because everybody digs their heels in and doesn't want their county seat to move. "It's not a simple step to change the state constitution." The task force will meet in August, and final recommendations will come in September.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Prep baseball: Dodgers deny Jaeger 300th win
OTTUMWA — Thursday night was a perfect example of what can happen when the Ottumwa baseball team plays flawless baseball. It also provided what can happen when the Bulldogs are anything but flawless. Ottumwa connected on timely hits early in the opening game of an Iowa Alliance doubleheader at John Hart Stadium before backing up Dawson Weller with errorless defense, putting away a 2-0 win over Fort Dodge to move head coach John Jaeger on the verge of earning a milestone victory. The Bulldogs could not complete the sweep, however, as multiple miscues helped the Dodgers put away a 14-3 win earning the split in Wapello County preventing Jaeger from earning his 300th career head coaching victory. Advertisement "When we're focused, when we have a good mindset, we can play really well," Jaeger said. "As soon as we let our guard down and don't focus as well as we need to, we don't do things like we should. We had really good focus at the plate in the first game and hit the ball well. In the second game, we did not have the mental state. Baseball is hard because you have to stay in it for a long period of time." Ottumwa jumped on top in the opening inning. Christian Allar, back at the top of the Bulldog batting line-up for the ninth time in the past 10 games, opened the doubleheader with a single back up the middle before stealing second base, setting up Cameron Manary for an RBI double to left giving Ottumwa a 1-0 lead. "I like being able to see what the pitcher is throwing and kind of helping the guys batting behind me out," Allar said. "When I got that early hit, I didn't even know what I was doing, but once I got it I had confidence that I saw it once and I can just see what the pitcher is throwing and see if I can do the same thing as before." Allar proved to be the toughest out on Thursday in the Ottumwa line-up, reaching base five times in the doubleheader including twice in game one. The Bulldogs doubled their 1-0 lead as Mason Gravett scored after opening the second inning with a double lined out to center before coming home on an RBI single off the bat of Matthew Mitchell, opening a two-run opening-game lead for Ottumwa. Advertisement "It was just all flowing for us in the first game," Gravett said. "The team chemistry was all there. The dugout was loud. We were hyping each other up on the field. The hitting was all there, the defense was good and pitching was really good." That pitching would feature six shutout innings from Dawson Weller, who retired eight of the first nine Fort Dodge hitters in the doubleheader. The Dodgers (15-9) would threaten that shutout string by putting runners in scoring position in three of the final five innings, loading the bases in the sixth as Weller neared the end of his night facing Bo Marsh while nearing 90 pitches. "I started to get tired and my pitches started going everywhere but the strike zone," Weller said. "I just had to settle in and bear down. Those situations make you better as a pitcher." Weller responded, pumping his 93rd and final pitch of the game past Marsh to record his fifth and final strikeout preserving Ottumwa's 2-0 lead. Landon Boney recorded his first save by pitching a scoreless seventh, working around a two-out infield single by Royce Peterson by coaxing Jaxson Dencklau into a game-ending groundout to Brayden Larkin at first base clinching Jaeger's 299th career head coaching win. Advertisement "I was just hoping to get out of that inning and give my team a chance to win the game," Weller said. "I knew the game was in my hands at that point. I just had to throw strikes and trust my defense." That proved to be more problematic in the second game as Mitchell struggled on the mound early with command, walking three batters in the first two innings while allowing Fort Dodge to score the first run in the first inning on a balk. Ottumwa would commit four errors in the field against the Dodgers in the nightcap while four different Bulldog pitchers were responsible for 11 walks, four hit batters, two balks and four wild pitchers that allowed runners to score from third in the final three innings. "You've got to mentally stay in this for over four hours in a doubleheader, which is a long period of time," Jaeger said. "It's also about life lessons. You have to stay focused in life as well even when things don't go your way. You've got to figure out how to regroup." Ottumwa (15-6) heads to Des Moines Lincoln on Monday for an Iowa Alliance Conference south division doubleheader starting at 3:30 p.m. The Bulldogs also travel to Iowa City Liberty on Tuesday night for a final doubleheader before the release of the Class 4A substate pairings.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Case: 'You start with dignity and respect'
OTTUMWA — The second Ottumwa mayoral candidate has formally announced a run, and maybe a historic one at that. Brenda Case, who spent almost 30 years working for the Iowa Judicial Branch, kicked off her candidacy Thursday on the steps of Ottumwa City Hall, looking to become what may be the first woman mayor in the city's history. But that is not why she's running. A long career in project management allowed her to help people from all walks of life, and now she wants to continue that effort in a new capacity. "I thought for several years that I could contribute something to the city, and I think I'm good at removing obstacles so people can get their jobs done," Case said. "I love my town. I could have lived anywhere in the state, but I picked Ottumwa because it's great. It's low-key and there's history here." Case joins Ben Foote as the only candidates so far to succeed Rick Johnson, who will not run for a second term as mayor. The mayor's seat and a majority of the city council seats will all be on the ballot in November. While Case said she could have picked anywhere to live, she has long admired Ottumwa's "do-it-yourself" strength, a community that pulls together to get things done. "What it really comes down to is we help each other, like the sandbagging during the flood, or people take chainsaws to downed trees. We make things happen, and we celebrate that," she said. "We have all these events like Juneteenth, Pride Day, Live After Five. We come together, even if we don't agree on everything, and that's what makes a happy life. "Two big things to me are dignity and respect. Everybody deserve it. You have to start there," she said. "I worked with the janitors, people who drove trucks, installed cables and carried lunch boxes. They were assigned to me at the judicial branch and then up to the Iowa Supreme Court. Everyone along that continuum has different needs, wants and ways to communicate, but you start with dignity and respect." While Case admires the spirit, she wants her candidacy to be grounded in facts. "I want to focus on what's really happening because there is development in Ottumwa and there are progress and changes, but it doesn't happen fast," she said. "There are things that just make life a little nicer, like the gardens, the renovation of this beautiful historic building (city hall). We need to stop and do those things, not just run from point A to point B to accomplish this or that." Ottumwa's form of government is a "weak mayor" system, in which the city council votes but the mayor does not. Case does not view the mayor's position as one of power, but rather one of influence. "Like you drop a pebble in water and it sends ripples out everywhere that makes a change in the world," she said. "The first thing I will do is get to know people. I'm not going to give any advice until I know what's happening, because there is always more than what you see on the surface. "There's a lot of work happening, but you just can't see. Long-range projects, but you just don't see it until the end. Until people get to know you and they trust you, you can't do any of it. That's my next step." Case also came up with a way for residents to meet her called "Mayoral Minute." It isn't developed yet, but she said it will be a way to get to know her personally, inform citizens how government works and simply educate on a variety of issues. "I think I'm going to share some things starting now, just because I want to," she said. "And I might amuse people now and then, because that's fun."
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Case 'ready to give back'
OTTUMWA — The second Ottumwa mayoral candidate has formally announced a run, and maybe a historic one at that. Brenda Case, who spent almost 30 years working for the Iowa Judicial Branch, kicked off her candidacy Thursday on the steps of Ottumwa City Hall, looking to become what may be the first woman mayor in the city's history. But that is not why she's running. A long career allowed her to help people from all walks of life, and now she wants to continue that effort in a new capacity. "I thought for several years that I could contribute something to the city, and I think I'm good at removing obstacles so people can get their jobs done," Case said. "I love my town. I could have lived anywhere in the state, but I picked Ottumwa because it's great. It's low-key and there's history here." Case joins Ben Foote as the only candidates so far to succeed Rick Johnson, who will not run for a second term as mayor. The mayor's seat and a majority of the city council seats will all be on the ballot in November. (This is a developing story and will be updated)
