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2015
WEDNESDAY March 4, 2015
Your Hometown Paper Serving Beaman, Conrad, Liscomb, Union & Whitten
WWW.CONRADRECORD.COM
CONRAD, IOWA 50621 - U.S.P.S. 129-760
VOLUME 134 NUMBER 42
Most local officials Volunteers recognized at Main Street banquet support gas tax increase By ROB MAHARRY Mid-America Publishing GRUNDY COUNTY- It’s no secret that Iowa’s roads and bridges are in rough shape, but a bill that Governor Terry Branstad signed last week aims to gradually alleviate that problem by increasing the state tax on all fuel by 10 cents per gallon. In Grundy County, most local officials are welcoming the change, which went into effect last Sunday after passing the House 53-46 and in the Senate 28-21 in a pair of votes that cut across party lines, as a difficult but necessary decision that will greatly improve traveling conditions over the long term. County Engineer Gary Mauer noted that 43 bridges across the county are currently either low restricted or embargoed, and three are still closed after the heavy floods of 2013 (one is just west of Conrad, and the other two are located northeast of Wellsburg). According to Mauer, Grundy County is expected to receive about $500,000 in additional funding per year as a result of the increase, and he plans to put most of it toward bridge repairs. “If you don’t have the money to repair them, you have to start looking at closing them or bonding (to pay for improvements), and we were getting close to that point,” he said. Grundy County is still awaiting a review from the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) on the decision to reduce funding for the three previously mentioned bridge replacements, and Mauer estimated that one bridge alone usually costs about $500,000 to repair. A study from the Tax Foundation in 2014 showed that Iowa ranked 33rd out of 50 states with a state gasoline tax of 22 cents per gallon (40.4 cents when including federal taxes), and with the 10 cent increase, the state tax is now just above the national average of 31.1 cpg at 32 cents. As the increase applies to all fuel, at 33.5 cpg, Iowa now has the 13th highest diesel tax in the nation. The fuel tax hasn’t been raised in Iowa since 1989, and Grundy Center Public Works Director Dan Bangasser said that resources had been tight for quite some time. “We’ve been working with pretty much the same pool of money for a long time,” he said. “The cost of trucks, equipment and the products that we use to maintain the streets has all gone up.” Bangasser added that his department would receive about $45,000 in additional funding per year (50 percent of the tax revenue goes to the state, 30 percent to counties and 20 percent to cities), and seal coating and asphalt work will be among his top priorities. Conrad Public Works Director Bruce Marble said that the money could be used to help offset the cost of replacing the bridge west of town, which lies partially within city limits, but he did not express a strong feeling one way or the other on the gas tax increase. The Grundy County Farm Bureau has endorsed the increase, and current president Brian Feldpausch, who farms north of Beaman and also sits on the BCLUW school board, argued that better roads and bridges are crucial to farmers and rural Iowa in general. “The main reason (the Farm Bureau supported the fuel tax increase) was that infrastructure and roads are so important for getting crops and
“Overall, we’re going to see better roads, less potholes, smoother drives, less wear and tear, and bridges are going to reopen.” — Grundy Co. Farm Bureau President, Brian Feldpausch livestock to market,” he said. “The advantage of American agriculture over the rest of the world has been our infrastructure, and if that crumbles, then there goes our advantage.” Advocates have made the case that because the gas tax is a “user fee”- both Iowans and travellers from other states who purchase fuel here have to pay it- increasing it is the most equitable way to pay for road and bridge improvements and avoids placing the burden squarely on the shoulders of Iowa property owners. Road use tax dollars are protected by the Iowa Constitution and cannot be allocated for anything other than transportation. Feldpausch also noted that when the legislature has tried to find savings elsewhere to pay for repairs in the past, negotiations have been unproductive and devolved into partisan squabbles over funding levels for various state departments. One notable exception to the chorus of local support for the tax increase is State Representative Pat Grassley (R-New Hartford), who represents southern Butler, northern Hardin and all of Grundy County in the House. Grassley cited several factors in the reasoning for his ‘no’ vote: he argued that the tax should have been phased in over time, that the funds would be used for new projects and not repairs to current roads and bridges, that it did not contain stronger language to place a moratorium on bonding and that his three rural counties ($756,968 per year for Butler, $663,200 for Grundy and $759,632 for Hardin) have not received adequate funding for roads and bridges. “It's my belief that this low level of funding for our rural counties is insufficient and at some levels, offensive. Some rural counties wouldn’t receive enough to even complete two major bridge projects a year,” he said in a prepared statement. “If the legislature is serious about fixing Iowa's infrastructure, we need to be serious about finding a long term solution to this problem that doesn't only benefit urban Iowa.” Senate Minority Leader Bill Dix (R-Shell Rock), who represents Conrad and Grundy Center as well as all of Grundy and Hardin County and portions Butler and Story County, voted in favor of the bill. Mauer admitted that the benefits of the increase will not be seen right away, and as gas prices steadily climb after dipping as low as $1.85 per gallon last December, drivers may not like the timing with spring just around the corner. Feldpausch noted, however, that it needed to be done to ensure the long-term stability of transportation in Iowa. “We’re not going to see every problem fixed in the first two years,” he said. “Overall, we’re going to see better roads, less potholes, smoother drives, less wear and tear, and bridges are going to re-open. It’s a 10 to 20 year project.”
The Record’s Index Church..............5 Classifieds........7 Movies.............3
Obituaries........3 Opinion............4
By ROB MAHARRY The Record CONRAD- A lot of planning and effort from business owners and community members have gone into Conrad’s downtown revitalization over the last few years, and a good chunk of it hasn’t been on the clock. Those who have freely given their time to help the project succeed were recognized on Friday night during the Main Street Volunteer Recognition banquet at the Oakwood Golf Course. After patrons enjoyed a meal catered by RJ’s Lounge, Mayor Jeff Martin thanked everyone in attendance for their participation in the revitalization project and their continued efforts to keep Conrad vibrant and economically strong. “It’s really nice to appreciate everyone here,” he said. Chamber-Main Street Director Darla Ubben then took the floor and recognized the current CMS board members: President Kevyn Zacharias, Vice President Jim Hillygus, Secretary Rachel Kenney, Recorder Barry Kell, Betty Cocker on promotions, Shane Tiernan, Jordan Emley and new member Teresa Hutchens. Kerry Carson, Robyn Amthauer, Ann Rogers, Donna Vreeland and Tim Cooper, former board members who recently completed their terms, were also honored. Ubben added that one seat on the board is still currently available. “I don’t think any of us will see anything like (the downtown revitalization project) again in our lifetime that will come through like that did, so it’s pretty cool,” she said. Hillygus and Kell also spoke about what the Chamber-Main Street board and the Community Development Committee have been doing over to promote Conrad and get people to visit the downtown area. Kell
Magician Jonathan May (left) performs a ball trick with Diane Miller (right) during his routine at the Main Street Volunteer Party on Friday night at the Oakwood clubhouse in Conrad. (Rob Maharry/The Record photo) noted that in all, $850,000 of private and public investment went into the Main Street project, and nine buildings have been sold since it began as several new businesses have sprung up in the last few years. At the present time, two Main Street buildings are still unoccupied and available for new businesses. “The project was a great success for the Chamber, for the city and the community as a whole, but it wouldn’t have been possible without all of the contributions,” Kell said. “The numbers, the dollars, the things that you can see (downtown) are great… it just shows the public-
private partnership in our community and how strong it is.” Later in the night, Carson was recognized as the volunteer of the year for all of his efforts, and the building that is now home to Shear Bliss Salon and the building that is now The Farmer’s Daughter Photography have been nominated for a Main Street Iowa award, which will be announced in May. Carson served on the Chamber board for six years, worked as a secretary and in design on the board, played a crucial role in the creation of the Dorothy King Park and has attended several Main Street con-
ferences. Ubben praised Carson for his vast understanding of the Main Street program and his ability to continue to recruit new volunteers to help with various activities. Magician Jonathan May ended the night with a lighthearted routine as he involved several members of the audience, drawing from his own experiences running an orange juice stand as a child and his constant quest to make people feel good about themselves. Chamber-Main Street representatives will attend a Real Estate Development in Marshalltown next week from Monday until Wednesday.
RICL opposition group requests Supervisors’ support By JOHN JENSEN The Grundy Register GRUNDY CENTER — The Grundy County Board of Supervisors Monday heard a request from local farmers opposed to construction of the proposed Rock Island Clean Line, asking them to come out in opposition to the line. More than a dozen farmers and land owners filled the Supervisor office, asking the supervisors to file an
objection to the line with the Iowa Utilities Board. “We do appreciate the support that you guys have in opposing the eminent domain part of the Rock Island Clean Line project,” Eric Andersen said. “And we would like you to take that support a little farther opposing the whole project and file an objection with the Iowa Utilities Board stating that the Grundy County Board of Supervisors opposes this
project. “This is not a good project,” Andersen continued. “This is a bad project in the wrong way by the wrong entity for the wrong reasons.” Andersen said the group is not against wind energy and economic development, but is against a project by a private company that would not be using existing rite of way and would instead route lines across farm fields, in essence dividing the
fields. Dike-area farmer Dennis Kruger spoke about the potential impact of farming around the proposed line, suggesting that it would take several additional hours per season to farm fields where the lines were located and that farmers would not be able to aerial spray several acres of fields. See SUPERVISORS ...continued on page 6
Fueling up!
As BCLUW students prepared to take the Iowa Assessments this week, the Conrad Fire Department served a free breakfast for them on Tuesday morning. In this photo, John McNair of the CFD dishes up some pancakes for junior Mikaela Simpson. (Rob Maharry/The Record photo)
Museum open house Grundy County Heritage Museum open house March 8, page 3.
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