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October 8, 2013
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Union County mental health faces massive state bill payments By JAKE WADDINGHAM CNA staff reporter
jwaddingham@crestonnews.com
The reduction in state funding and a hope that the state would forgive state mentalhealth bills has left Union County mental-health services with about $900,000 in unpaid bills. Central Point Coordinator (CPC) Director Lori Nosekable met with Union County Board of Supervisors Monday afternoon in an open meeting to discuss payment strategies and explain why the debt was allowed to accumulate. Nosekable said a large number of Iowa counties stopped paying their state bills when the state changed the funding pattern for mental health, leaving CPC with a smaller budget. She added that members at the Department of Human Services
TIMELINE December 2012: State administrators recommend the state spend just $1.5 milion in additional mental-health funding. January 2013: A bipartisan advisory panel of legislators vote to recommend putting $20 million in the fund; Gov. Terry Branstad, meanwhile, proposes $3.8 million. February 2013: Negotiators from both chambers settle on the $11.6 million figure. The bill (House Study Bill 103) was filed Tuesday. March 2013: Legislation is signed by Gov. Branstad. Oct. 7, 2013: CPC Director Lori Nosekable met with Union County Supervisors to discuss the $900,000 debt and outline a payment strategy. March 2014: Property taxes — a major source of financial support for mental-health services — are due. June 30, 2014: Adair and Taylor counties are required to have their state bills repaid by a state mandate in order to receive equalization funds. Union and Adams counties also plan to have state bills paid off so the four counties can start the region with a July 1, 2014: The four counties are required by state law to be a functioning region.
told her there was a good possibility the state would forgive the debt. That didn’t happen. “We should have been chipping away at it sooner, but honestly, we didn’t think we would have to pay it back,” Nosekable said.
With a rough estimate of $900,000 in the current mentalhealth account and $900,000 in unpaid state bills, Nosekable and supervisors discussed a payment strategy to cut down the debt. “We cannot pay it all at once,” Nosekable said. “We
need to leave enough to pay regular monthly bills, plus start to pay off our obligations.” Nosekable and supervisors want the budget to be current when Union County joins three Please see BILLS, Page 2
QUICK NEWS
Lt. Gov. Reynolds endorses Ernst for U.S. Senate Iowa Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds — a native of Osceola — went on record Monday supporting Joni Ernst for U.S. Senate. Ernst is currently in a race with Bruce Braley and several other Republican candidates to fill the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Tom Harkin. “This endorsement means a lot to me as do all of my local and state endorsements,” Ernst said during a CNA interview Monday afternoon. “Her endorsement is also humbling because the lieutenant governor doesn’t give many endorsements. She stays out of primaries. She and I both feel I’m the one to beat Bruce Braley. But, the final test and the most important endorsement is the voters of Iowa in this election. That’s who I’m working for.” The endorsement occured Monday morning at the Iowa State Capitol building. If elected, Ernst — a native of Red Oak and former Montgomery County auditor — would be the first Iowa female senator or representative to serve in the U.S. Congress.
Creston firefighter 5K
Combine fire:
The second annual Band of Brotherhood 5K run, walk and firefighter mile hike will be 9 a.m. Nov. 16 at McKinley Park. The event is presented by Creston Fire Department for the American Lung Association’s Fight for Air Stair Climb. Pre-registration price is $20. Registration price after Nov. 1 is $25. Awards will be given for first through third place in all age groups. The firefighter mile hike will be done in full bunker gear. Registration forms may be picked up at Creston Fire Department, 500 N. Sumner Ave., or by calling Lee Freeman at 712-621-6161.
CNA photo by KYLE WILSON
Creston firefighters Jordan Nelson and Gary Thompson work together to extinguish a combine fire 4:34 p.m. Monday on 260th Street in rural Creston. The damage to the combine — owned by Clint Hoffman of Diagonal — was contained to the engine area of the combine. Damage estimate is $25,000.
State lawmakers get paid during shutdowns WASHINGTON (MCT) — Members of Congress deadlocked over funding the government are taking heat for receiving paychecks during the federal government shutdown. Given recent experience at the state level, it is no surprise. The 27th Amendment, the most recent addition to the U.S. Constitution, protects congressional salaries. It says that Congress cannot make immediate changes to its own salaries; any changes must wait to be implemented after the next election. The amendment took effect in 1992, but it was proposed along with the rest of the Bill of Rights in 1789. The idea has been around a long time, and states have included similar language in their own constitutions. Illinois is one of those states,
and a trial court ruled last month that Gov. Pat Quinn could not veto legislators’ salaries. Quinn, a Democrat, wanted to dock lawmakers’ pay until they passed a bill to reduce the state’s pension costs. The Democratic leaders of the state House and Senate filed a lawsuit to block Quinn’s move. The governor said debates during the state’s 1970 constitutional convention showed delegates were mainly concerned about legislative salaries being increased, not decreased. “I understand where his heart is, but that’s politics. That’s not the law,” Cook County Circuit Judge Neil Cohen said in his ruling, according to CBS 2 in Chicago. “The governor violated the constitution. He had no right
to do that, despite benevolent intent.” The state comptroller immediately began processing legislators’ paychecks. The governor is appealing the decision. Minnesota is another state that protects legislative pay in its constitution, so lawmakers continued collecting checks when state government shut down for three weeks in July 2011. The standoff between Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton and Republicans who then controlled the legislature temporarily put 22,000 state employees out of work. Roughly a third of Minnesota legislators voluntarily gave up their pay, as did the governor, although several collected back pay once the shutdown was over.
Voters in California tried in 2010 to link legislators’ pay to their ability to pass a budget on time, after years of frustration in Sacramento over blown deadlines and deficits. Their efforts were initially successful, but the legal fallout puts the law’s effectiveness in question. The 2010 constitutional amendment, known as Proposition 25, tried to hit legislators in the pocketbook for not finishing a budget by June 15. The next year, it was put to the test. The official in charge of writing state checks, Controller John Chiang, a Democrat, relied on the new law when he docked legislators’ pay in 2011. Legislators passed a
Weekend accident causes major damage at Barker Implement in Creston
An accident early Sunday morning resulted in about $10,000 damage at Barker Implement in Creston. According to a Creston Police report, the accident occurred 3:19 a.m. Sunday when Martin Gary Waske, 41, of Afton — driving a 1988 Honda east on East Taylor Street in Creston — made a right turn and entered the parking lot of Barker Implement. Waske collided with a John Deere Gator HPX, forcing the Gator into a John Deere 2305 tractor and loader. Waske left the scene without reporting the accident to police or property owner. Approximately 8 a.m. Monday, police were notified of the accident, and police collected
Please see SHUTDOWN, Page 2
Please see QUICK NEWS, Page 2
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Volume 130 No. 84 Copyright 2013
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Contents
Classified . . . . . . . . . . . 12-13 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Deaths. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Heloise Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Local . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-12
Wednesday weather High 73 Low 47 Full weather report, 3A