Local & State News
www.newtondailynews.com | Wednesday | Feb. 15, 2017 | 3A
Contracts
Supervisors
Continued from Page 1A
Continued from Page 1A
The 2 percent increase in teachers’ compensation will come in the form of salary increases and health insurance coverage. The base salary was raised $150 (as opposed to the $200 increase the NCEA initially proposed), and teachers will continue to receive incremental pay raises based on seniority. By “aging the scale,” or increasing salary based on years of experience, about half of Newton’s teachers will receive a pay bump. They will advance one step on the scale and collect a raise. The other half of teachers have maxed out in their lane of seniority and will not receive a salary increase. Health insurance costs increased by about $30 a month per employee, said Director of Business Services Gayle Isaac. The district will cover this increase. Along with the salary increases, taxes and other stipends, the total compensation for teachers in
Due to the 1.25 percent decrease for the five elected officials, the board was also required to decrease their percentage. The raise increases the auditors pay to $72,504, the attorney to $115,555, the recorder to $72,504, the sheriff to $106,964 and the treasurer to $72,504. “We remember for these position, they have to reapply for their jobs every four years and all of them have immense responsibility,” Brock said. The supervisors will also be getting a pay bump of just more than $800, from $41,200 to $42,019. Jasper County Auditor Dennis Parrott said during previous discussions that the pay increase will keep the supervisors’ wages competitive within the state when figuring the total population of the county. In other business, the abatement of delinquent mobile home taxes for mobile home parks located in Monroe and Colfax. The abatement comes following the removal of the delinquent homes and removes the properties from the county tax roll. In Monroe, the total abatement is $6,370 for eight mobile homes with the largest abatement at $1,950. Colfax had about half of that amount at $3,056 for five mobile homes. Jasper County Treasurer Doug Bishop said the county is continuing to work on the mobile home abatement process with one future park needing to be addressed. Additionally, Chris and Kelsey Ford were denied a driveway variance for their property at 555 W. 68th St. S. The couple was proposing a driveway adjacent to Highway F48 West. The variance was denied due to line of sight restrictions.
Justin Jagler/Daily News The Newton Community School District Board of Education approved a two-year contract with the Newton Community Education Association at Monday night’s meeting. The agreement was reached following another year of historically low supplemental state aid.
the new contract equals about a 2 percent raise from 2016-2017. “It was an amicable bargaining session,” said Isaac. “We have had ones in the past that were not so friendly.” In past years, multiple meetings lasting more than three hours were needed to reach an agreement. This year, the groups met one time after the initial proposal. There was a settlement reached in an hour and a half, Isaac said. The busi-
Debate Continued from Page 1A neighbors and between people who all have a stake in the success and prosperity of Iowa’s communities, Allen said. The legislation is expected to pass amid support from GOP legislative leaders, Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, the incoming governor. However, the timing of final votes remained unclear. Democrats have introduced dozens of proposed changes that could take even more hours to debate. GOP lawmakers said they will make some changes to the bill, though some members of the minority party countered it wasn’t enough. Republicans argue the bill would give local employers more flexibility with their
ness director said uncertainty over future collective bargaining laws was a factor in the smooth negotiations, as teachers wanted to lock in a twoyear contract before the laws changed. Callaghan said there was a lot of participation from the teachers and a great deal of communication. He said it is important to understand the challenge of maintaining fiscal responsibility with three consecutive years of historically
budgets and would allow them to reward top workers. The arguments are backed by the Iowa Association of Business and Industry, a powerful lobbying group in the state. The nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency, which offers analyses on proposed legislation, said there’s not enough information available to determine the total fiscal impact of the bill. GOP Sen. Jason Schultz said the bill will “put taxpayers back in the driver’s seat.” “It will allow state and local officials to develop employment contracts that make sense for taxpayers and employees,” he said. Rep. Steven Holt, a Republican, echoed his colleague in the Senate, adding that “the common-sense reforms in this bill will result in a government in Iowa that is more responsive and
Audiologist Since 1979
low supplemental aid. “It has been extremely difficult,” Callaghan said. “But it’s been a pleasure to try and work with people to understand the difficulties that causes when we’re a taxing institute that has responsibility to not only the students, but the teachers, the staff, the school board, the community and the parents.” Contact Justin Jagler at 641-792-3121 ext 6532 or jjagler@newtondailynews.com
more efficient.” Democrats and union organizers have continuously shot down those assessments. Hundreds of people also challenged it during a public hearing Monday night at the Capitol. Public safety employees, like law enforcement officers and firefighters, would be exempt from some of the bargaining provisions in the bill, though they would still be subject to other proposals. That includes a requirement that unions manually collect dues and that they hold more frequent elections on whether to dismantle. Both provisions were key aspects of the Wisconsin bill. Since its passage, union membership in Wisconsin has dropped 40 percent. Wisconsin’s legislation led to massive protests in that state, though such turn-
out is not expected in Iowa. Iowa has long been a right to work state, which means private-sector companies are prohibited from reaching labor agreements in which workers have to pay fees to the unions as a condition of employment. It generally means less union participation in the state. The public galleries in the Senate were filled during floor debate, though there was a considerably smaller turnout at the Capitol compared to the previous night. Mary Beth West, a kindergarten teacher in Des Moines, said she was in the building to support her “brothers and sisters.” “I don’t know what’s going to become of this, but I need to be here every step of the way so I know I’ve done everything I can,” she said. — Justin Jagler contributed to this report.
Zeta Chapter to meet Thursday The Zeta chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International will meet at 5:45 p.m. Thursday. The meeting will be held at the United Presbyterian Church at 209 N. Second Ave. E. in Newton. Members will enjoy refreshments as they arrive, and donated items of Box Tops, pop tabs, and toiletries will be collected for the various service projects. The group will also accept donations to the World Fellowship Fund. The program will follow and will address the devastating topic of human trafficking and the impact that it has on local communities.
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