Newton
Serving Newton & Jasper County Since 1902
Daily News
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
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www.newtondailynews.com
Newton, Iowa
Council approves city’s 2014-15 budget
INSIDE TODAY
Sports
Royals hold off Hawks in 1A state quarterfinal Page 7A
By Bob Eschliman Daily News Editor Mandi Lamb/Daily News Above: Lisa Gregory, sister of Copper Dollar Ranch murder victim Melisa Gregory, speaks during a candlelight vigil Monday night on the Jasper County Courthouse lawn. Bottom: Jasper County Sheriff John Halferty, pictured with Jason Ferguson (left) of the Altoona Police Department and Jasper County Attorney Mike Jacobsen (right), announces the arrest of Theresa “Terri” Supino in the 31-yearold murder of Gregory and Steven Fisher.
Agriculture
Hopes for future in ag education, FFA Page 12A
Weather
Former Newton resident charged in 31-year-old double homicide Terri Supino facing two counts of first-degree murder in deaths of Steven J. Fisher, Melisa L. Gregory at Copper Dollar Ranch in 1983 By Mandi Lamb Daily News Associate Editor
Wednesday
High 29 Low 13
Thursday
High 37 Low 29
Friday
High 39 Low 26
Saturday
High 30 Low 9 Weather Almanac
Mon., March 3 High 15 Low 7 No Precipitation
Also: Astrograph Page 11A Classifieds Page 8A Club Notes Page 3A Comics & Puzzles Page 6A Dear Abby Page 6A Opinion Page 4A Obituaries Page 3A
Our 112th Year No. 201
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For 31 years, the families of 20-year-old Steven J. Fisher and 17-year-old Melisa L. Gregory, who were found brutally murdered at the Copper Dollar Ranch northwest of Newton, have waited for justice. On Monday morning, they came one step closer, as local authorities arrested former Newton resident Theresa “ Te r r i ” Supino in connection w i t h the cold case. Supino “ I t ’s a happy day,” Melisa’s sister Lisa Gregory of Newton said. “It’s awesome, but it’s also a sad day. It’s a lot of emotions right now.” Supino, 53, of Altoona was arrested at her home Monday morning and is being held in the Jasper County Jail on a $400,000 bond. Supino was married to but separated from Fisher at the time of his death. “For the last 31 years, the deaths of Steven and Melisa have weighed heavy on the Fisher and Gregory families, this sheriff ’s office and many in Jasper County,” Jasper County Sheriff John Halferty said during a press conference early Monday afternoon. “Since the bodies of Steven and Melisa were discovered, the Jasper County Sheriff ’s Office,
with the assistance of the Newton Police Department, the Jasper County Attorney’s Office, the Office of the State Medical Examiner and the Division of Criminal Investigation have continued to work to bring justice for Steven and Melisa. “In the 31 years since the deaths of Steven and Melisa, the deputies, officers, agents, criminalists and many others have remained dedicated to assuring this case was never forgotten and that Steven and Melisa were never forgotten.” Although no specific piece of evidence was cited in the breaking of the cold case, a 10-page statement of probable cause signed by Halferty on Feb. 27 and filed Monday at the Jasper County Courthouse indicated “investigators have reinterviewed the defendant (Supino) numerous times in the years since the murders. She had talked at length with many witness about the events, and the defendant’s account of her relationship with Steven Fisher and Melisa Gregory and of substantially every detail of the night of the murder has changed significantly, in your affiant’s (Halferty’s) opinion.” The Crime According to the statement of probable cause, Steven and Melisa’s bodies were found by Steven’s best friend, the late Jeff Illingworth, shortly before 8 a.m. March 3, 1983, at the former Copper Dollar Ranch, located at 4916 W. 48th St. N. about four miles north-
west of Newton. Steven was found lying face down outside of a small camper trailer near a horse barn at the ranch, where he had been living for about three weeks. Melisa was found lying face up on a bench immediately inside the trailer. Both appeared to have been attacked with an unknown weapon, initially thought to be a large caliber firearm. Fred Carpenter, the medical examiner at the time who is now deceased, arrived at the location later and pronounced the victims dead. MURDERS See Page 5A
The Newton City Council unanimously approved the city’s 2014-15 operating budget at its Monday meeting. The budget calls for increasing the city’s overall property tax levy to $15.81 per $1,000 of taxable valuation, and increase of 67 cents — or 4.4 percent — over the current tax rate. Increases in the city’s debt levy — to pay for the bonding approved as part of the Newton Housing Initiative — and employee benefits account for nearly all of the increase. The debt service levy, currently $1.04 per $1,000 of taxable valuation, will increase 32 cents to $1.36 per $1,000 taxable. The employee benefits levy — covering police and fire retirement funds, FICA and IPERS copays and other employee benefits — will increase 31 cents, from $5.40 to $5.71 per $1,000 of taxable valuation. The 2014-15 budget also proposes to dip a little into the city’s nest egg. The General Fund balance is projected to decrease from an anticipated $2,394,000 on June 30 of this year to $1,980,500 on June 30 of 2015. The total city budget for 201415 will be $29,785,475. Adjusting for a roughly $10 million spike in the Debt Service Fund during the current fiscal year, it’s an increase of nearly $2.2 million. According to a five-year analysis of the city’s budget, the 2013 city budget was $23.86 million. In 2012 and 2011, it was $22.55 million and $21.87 million, respectively. Near the end of Monday night’s meeting, City Administrator Bob Knabel noted the upcoming budget does not provide for much more than “marginally” addressing the city’s infrastructure needs. He said the Road Use Tax, which is used for the majority of the street improvements, comes far short of the annualized need. “The Enterprise Funds adequately meets the needs of the utilities but the needs of the General Fund equipment, buildings and facilities are not being met,” he stated in his report to councilors contained in their meeting packets. “If it were not for the bond issue that was just passed, most of the projects apart from the Housing Initiative would not have been possible.” Knabel said, until a “sustainable funding source” is found, Goal “A” of the city’s comprehensive plan cannot be addressed. That goal’s objectives are: • maintain, improve, and replace where necessary the city’s streets, sidewalks and infrastructure projects; • develop a plan with funding mechanisms for the maintenance, improvement and replacement of all city equipment; • develop a long-term plan to improve the efficiency and upkeep of all city facilities; and • identify and stabilize revenue sources for operational costs. Knabel said he plans to come back to the council to begin discussing a sustainable funding source later this year, probably in June. COUNCIL See Page 2A