Winterset Madisonian

�Former Truro City Clerk Kelli Bregar received $74,584.13 in "improper and unsupported disbursements" between 2003 and 2009, a special state audit of the Truro city books disclosed last week.
�The special investigation was conducted by the state auditor's office, at the request of Truro Mayor Bryan Arzani.�Arzani requested the investigation last fall.
�The audit reveals that nearly $65,000 of the $74,584 came in the form of "improper net pay."
�It didn't all happen at once. Records show Bregar, who was in charge of writing checks for the city, apparently began overpaying herself the salary in January of 2003.
�The probe also discovered numerous instances of altered bank statements.
�Bregar apparently went to work for the city in mid-1999, after working as the city's Deputy City Clerk for slightly more than a year.
�Bregar announced in late 2008 that she would resign as City Clerk, but stay on until a successor had been trained.�Records show that Bregar issued herself payroll checks for more than she was authorized to be paid.
�That started in January of 2003.
�In the first six months � between January 1 and June 30, 2003 � city records show Bregar collected an additional $1,769 in salary.
�Bregar apparently collected an average of $8.60 more than to which she was entitled during each pay period during the first six months of 2003, resulting in an overpayment in salary of $1,769. According to the city budget, Bregar's gross wages were $872.38 per pay period. Records show Bregar was collecting gross wages of $880.98.
�For the following fiscal year, FY 2003-2004 � a fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30 of the following calendar year �the audit shows Bregar collected an additional $9,706 in pay. In FY 2004-05, the overpayments totaled an estimated $9,211. It grew to an extra $13,134 in FY 05-06, to a high of $13,877 between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2008.
�Over a six-year period, the overpayments totaled $64,496.

PRESIDENTIAL DECLARATION SOUGHT FOR COUNTY IN WAKE OF ICE STORM

�Madison County has been included in one of two separate Iowa state disaster declarations in the wake of recent winter storms.
�The next step is seeking a presidential proclamation.
�Copies of the declarations are on the president's desk, seeking presidential approval to free up federal and state assistance to affected areas.
�FEMA officials were in the county last week, trying to determine the impact of the December 23-27 blizzard.
�Problem is, although the blizzard taxed local resources, Madison County was not declared a disaster area by the governor in the wake of that storm.
�Officials say 27 Iowa counties were declared disaster areas following the Christmas week blizzard. They included Adair, Audubon, Buena Vista, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Cherokee, Clay, Crawford, Emmet, Franklin, Fremont, Guthrie, Harrison, Ida, Lyon, Mills, Monona, Osceola, Page, Palo Alto, Pocahontas, Pottawattamie, Sac, Shelby, Sioux and Woodbury counties.
�Madison County, however, was listed in a January 28 disaster declaration by Iowa Governor Culver because of the January 19 ice storm which paralyzed the area, bringing down trees and power lines and leaving many residents without electricity.
�The ice storm disaster declaration includes Madison County, along with Adair, Audubon, Calhoun,� Carroll, Cass, Crawford, Guthrie, Harrison, Pottawattamie, Sac and Shelby counties.
�If a presidential disaster declaration is approved, affected counties could get reimbursed for up to 75 percent of the costs associated with dealing with the storms from the federal government and 10 percent assistance from the state.

INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT NAMED FOR I-35 SCHOOLS

�Retired Perry school superintendent of schools Dr. Randy McCaulley has been hired as interim superintendent of schools at Interstate 35 schools in Truro.
�McCaulley replaces Bill Maske, who resigned last month to make a run for Congress.
�McCaulley has been a school superintendent for the last 24 years. He was in Perry for eight years, before retiring last June. That school district has 1,850 students, and is slightly larger than Winterset.
�Previous to that, McCaulley was superintendent of schools in Anamosa for eight years. Before that, he was the superintendent of the Lawton-Bronson school district for four years.
�McCaulley will continue to live in Perry, and commute to Truro.
�McCaulley, 56, is married. He and his wife, Marsha � who teaches at Des Moines North � have three grown children, daughter Katie and sons Tony and Shane.
�McCaulley will work the remainder of the school year as superintendent. A Johnston-based search firm is seeking candidates for a permanent successor to Maske.
�Maske's last day as superintendent was last week.

I-35 absorbed state cuts
�Dr. McCaulley says the I-35 school district managed to absorb the 10 percent budget cut imposed by Iowa Governor Chet Culver last fall. The cut cost the I-35 school district about $400,000. Officials say the school district's unspent balance was able to cover the cuts.
�However, when the governor's bid to allow school the 2 percent allowable growth for Iowa school districts for the next school budget year kicks in, it's expected many schools will again be forced to go to property taxes to make up the difference.

APPEL OPTS OUT OF LEGISLATIVE FORUMS; SAYS SHE�LL HOLD LOCAL LISTENING POSTS INSTEAD

�State Senator Staci Appel says she won�t be attending any of the Winterset sponsored chamber legislative forums, but will hold her own listening posts instead.
�The Winterset Chamber of Commerce has been sponsoring legislative forum for years, on the last Saturday of each month the legislature is in session.
�It�s been a tradition since before Sen. Appel was elected four years ago.
�Appel held a local listening post at the Winterset public library Friday, the day before the scheduled chamber forum. She did not attend the Saturday forum.
�Appel says she may be able to find time for the Winterset forum in March.
�Appel said she did not get an invitation to attend the Winterset forums this year.
�She also indicated that Saturdays are family day in her family.
�Over the year, Appel has usually attended most of the winterset Saturday forums. Last year, however, she took issue with the way the forums were being held.
�At one point, she requested that all questions be written down and placed in a sack. Only questions drawn from the sack would be addressed.
�On several occasions, Appel has brought a guest speaker to the legislative forums.
�At one forum last year, held in the courtroom of the Madison County Courthouse, Appel brought Iowa House lawmaker Jack Hatch, where Hatch answered questions, which consumed nearly half of the scheduled one-hour session.
�

EMPOWERMENT MERGER EMERGES AS KEY ISSUE AT LISTENING POST

��omplaints are mounting over the proposed state-mandated merger of county empowerment groups, with a preliminary merger deadline of July 1, 2010 fast approaching.
�Some say there�s not enough time to make quality decisions. Others are unhappy about the re-organization in general.
�County empowerment agencies are being asked to merge � into groups no larger than four counties � to streamline services. It means new boards, and fewer local members to sit on the boards.
�The local empowerment board has 11 members. Under the merger, perhaps three or four local people will serve on the new board.
�Empowerment is an issue about which State Sen. Staci Appel is passionate. It was one of the first issues Appel championed when she was elected to the Iowa legislature.
��I�m lucky enough to keep empowerment,� Appel told a group Friday gathered at the Winterset Public Library for a local listening post.
�Some are critical of the lean-design approach to the mergers. Iowa Governor Chet Culver had been presented with no less than five options to help streamline empowerment, and this approach, said Appel was �the direction he decided to go.�
��This was a non-negotiable item by the governor,� she said.

WINTERSET AWARDED $50,000 TO START K-12 ENGINEERING PROGRAM

�The Winterset school district will be getting a grant from Project Lead the Way, helping the school district begin a K-12 engineering program.
�Officials sought the grant, hoping it would be approved, saying existing instructors would teach the program. The grant is for $50,000 � of which $40,000 will be used on materials and
�"The only way we are able to do this program is because we got the grant," Winterset Superintendent of Schools Mike Wells told the Madisonian.

Grant will fund program
�No new spending � other than the grant monies � would be added to the school district's budget next school year.
�The grant will help the school district set and meet national standards for mathematics, science and language arts.
�At the high school level, eight new classes � Principals of Engineer-ing, Introduction to Engineering Design, Digital Electronics, Computer Integrated Manufacturing, Civil Engineering and Architecture, Biotechnical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, and Engineering Design and Development � will be offered. Engineering Design and Development is considered the capstone course of the engineering curriculum.

WINTERSET TEACHERS SEEK A 3.99 PERCENT INCREASE

�The Winterset teacher's association is asking for a $30 increase in teacher base pay and an additional benefit allowance, according to the association's formal salary and benefit proposal for the 2010-2011 school year, present Monday to the Winterset School Board.
�Winterset Teacher Association representative Jeremy Fitzpatrick delivered the proposal to the board, handing out the proposal with little comment. The school quietly read the proposal, asked if there were any questions � there were none � and adjourned. The school board immediately convened a second special meeting, at which the school presented its proposal. The proposal was zero increase in salaries and steps and no increase in benefits.
�The proposal would also require teachers to work from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily. Presently teachers may choose to work from 7:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. or 7:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Administration officials say they also plan to eliminate what are called some "permissive items" during collective bargaining.
�The groups are expected to begin meeting together privately for contract negotiations soon.
�The association's request calls for a total package increase of 3.99 percent, including the $30 increase to the base pay, which commensurate increase in step pay and a $105 increase to the district's $717 monthly allowance for insurances.
�Winterset support staff had previously proposed a package that would give staff a 4.99 percent increase.

NEXT ROUND OF FOUNDATION GRANT APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE SOON

�Grant applications will be available later this month for the 2010 round of funding from Greater Madison County Community Foundation, foundation officials said this week.
�The applications will be available February 15.
�Applications will be available in the eight city halls in Madison County, three school superintendent's offices � in Winterset, Earlham and Truro (I-35) � at the County Auditor�s office in the Madison County Courthouse, the Welcome Center in St. Charles and at the Madison County Development Group (MCDG) office, is located at 1217 North 6th in Winterset, (in the business center housing the Maid Rite restaurant)
�Last year, local grants totaling $90,500 were handed out to 41 of the 53 groups and organizations who sought funding.
�Another $90,000 will be available again this year.
�The money comes from proceeds from the state-licensed casinos spread out among 14 Iowa counties. The other 85 counties which do not have gambling operations each receive the monies, which amount to about $129,000 per county.
�In Madison County, 25 percent of the money received is set aside in an endowment fund. Once the endowment fund grows, interest from those monies will be used to fund other grant requests.

READ MY LIPS: �NO NEW ... TRUCK?�

�The Winterset city council got its first look last week at the proposed $5.52 million budget for the fiscal year that begins in July.
�The five-member council apparently only saw a few things they didn't think the city should do this year.
�Of those, the big ticket item was spending about $62,000 to replace the chassis on the 1990 Dodge pickup truck that is equipped with a utility box that is used primarily for battling rural brush fires. The Winterset Fire Department says the chassis is deteriorating and should be replaced soon. Officials want to upgrade the chassis to the equivalent of an F-550 frame capable of handling an "ambulance package" � capable of handing the fire truck utility box.
�The department also wants to replace the thermal imaging units firefighters carry. They send a signal back to a receiver which helps monitor a fire situation. The device can be used to contain a fire quicker, allowing crews to pinpoint areas of the fire which should be prioritized. The unit is about ten years old and will run about $15,000.
�After spending nearly two hours hearing from ten departments, officials went through the departmental requests individual, looking for places to trim.
�They found very few. Of those, however, the chassis replacement became a casualty. The council says it will encourage the fire department to "make do" with its rural brush fighting unit as is, forestalling the chassis replacement until 2012.

JW MUSEUM EFFORT ATTRACTING SPONSORS

�Despite a tight economy, officials with the John Wayne birthplace say there�s still interest in helping build a museum in Winterset.
�Both actress Maureen O�Hara and the Winterset Farmers & Merchants State Bank recently contributed $2,500 each for a 16-inch by 16-inch granite �brick� commemorating a John Wayne movie.
�Duke was in more than 150 movies and officials are hoping to sell as many bricks, each with a John Wayne movie title engraved on the brick, to be installed near the giant statue of John Wayne. Over 25 bricks have been purchased to date.
�Brick sponsorship prices start at $1,000.
�O�Hara purchased a brick for the movie The Quiet Man, in which she co-starred and was the love interest of John Wayne, while F&M bank chose to sponsor the brick celebrating the movie Red River.

KEROSENE ALERT ANNOUNCED

�Winterset area residents who purchased kerosene from a Winterset convenience store over the weekend are being advised not to use the fuel.
�Officials at the Winterset Kum & Go store discovered Monday that a fuel truck driver inadvertently mixed about 500 gallons of unleaded fuel into a storage tank reserved for kerosene.
�Officials apparently discovered the mistake Monday while trying to reconcile the Friday delivery with weekend fuel purchases.
�Experts say the kerosene-gasoline combination makes the fuel highly flammable, making it hazardous to use for heating or other purposes.
�Records show about 50 to 70 gallons of the mixture was sold to the public between Friday and Monday.
�Late Monday afternoon, the county emergency telephone notification system was used to contact Winterset area residents warning of the situation, and urging those that had purchased kerosene to return it to the store.
�No incidents have been reported because of the fuel mixture.

SHERIFF BUSCH'S SON RETURNS TO AFGHANISTAN

�Madison County Sheriff Craig Busch and his wife Linda spent last weekend on the east coast, visiting their son Todd, who will return for military duty in Afghanistan.
�Todd Busch is an Orient-Macksburg graduate, with 14 years in the U.S. Army. He served a tour in Bosnia and three tours of duty in Iraq, where he received a Purple Heart. He is an MP.
�The Busches met in Fayetteville, NC, for a reunion during Todd's two-week leave from Iraq.
�Military police (MP) duties in Afghanistan include guarding captured Taliban and Al-Quaida prisoners.
�Ted Gorman, Publisher

FIVE SEEKING TWO COUNTY SUPERVISOR SEATS

�Five individuals � four Republicans and one Democrat � have taken out nomination papers to run for two Madison County Supervisor seats that will be up for grabs this fall.
�County supervisor Steve Raymond says he will not seek a third four-year term as supervisor. Additionally, supervisor Joan Acela is not running again, opting instead to run for the retiring Jodi Tymeson�s seat in the Iowa House of Representatives.
�Lawrence Soder of St. Charles, a Republican, announced this week he is withdrawing from the race. Soder, along with three others, circulated nomination papers at the recent GOP county precinct caucuses. They included Winterset realtor Bob Duff, Winterset city councilman Kirk Macumber and newspaper reporter Dave Braga. Kim Tucker, who lives north of Winterset, also has taken out nomination papers.
�Joyce Kooker is the lone Democrat seeking a supervisor�s seat.
�To qualify for the June primary, Republicans must obtain 92 signatures while Democrats must get 75 names on their petitions.

UNEMPLOYMENT HITS 7.8%

�Madison County's unemployment rate jumped to 7.8 percent in December, state officials say.
�Officials estimate there were about 700 unemployed in Madison County, while 7,800 had jobs.
�Madison County's unemployment rate climbed from 5.6 percent in August to 5.8 percent in September, before dropping to 5.5 percent in October.
�November's adjusted jobless rate in the county was 6.4 percent, while December's rate was 7.8 percent, compared to a statewide average of 6.6 percent.
�Polk County had a December unemployment rate of 6.5 percent, with an estimated 15,800 residents out of work.

VAN METER MAN CONVICTED

�A 52-year-old Van Meter man was convicted last week of committing lascivious acts with a child following a nearly three-day jury trial in Madison County District Court.
�The charge stems from an incident with a 13-year-old girl which occurred July 11, 2009, at a rural Madison County residence. Toby Joe Cozad originally was charged with third degree sexual abuse.
�A seven-man, five-woman jury found Cozad guilty of the reduced charge.
�The trial began Tuesday, continued Wednesday and into the day Thursday. The jury got the case around 2:30 Thursday afternoon. The verdict was announced around 1:30 Friday afternoon.
�Madison County District Court Judge Martha Mertz has ordered an April 5 pre-sentencing hearing for Cozad.
�Cozad remains free on bond.
�The judge also ordered Cozad not to have contact with the victim or members of the victim's family.

THREE-PEAT FOR WHS JAZZ BAND

�For the third year in a row, the WHS Jazz Band came away last weekend from the Simpson Jazz Festival with a first place finish in Class 3-A competition.
�The jazz band finished tops, ahead of of second place Harlan. Harlan is the two-time defending state Class 3-A champion.
�It�s the first time Harlan has competed at the Simpson Festival.
Winterset finished first, followed by Harlan, Oskaloosa, Keokuk, Carlisle, Norwalk, Nev-ada and New Hampton.

LAWMAKERS ON A BUDGET THIS SESSION

�Iowa lawmakers are spending less time in Des Moines this year, and that should translate into big savings for Iowa taxpayers.
�Reducing the number of days lawmakers will be in Des Moines should save an estimated $300,000. The normally 100-day session has been shortened to just 80 days.
�That will save taxpayers 20 days in legislator per diem, times 150 lawmakers, times $100 per day.
Also:
��All legislative employees are seeing a continued pay freeze. No legislative employees will be receiving "step" pay increases.
��All full-time legislative employees must take six furlough days, although none will be during the session. Three furlough days were taken prior to the session with the other three to be taken following the session.
��There is a hiring freeze on full-time, permanent employees.
��Session-only staff have reduced hours, from 40 hours to 32 hours.
��The $300 monthly constituency allowance for lawmakers has been scaled back, to $200 a month.
��There�s a ban on all out-of-state travel. As far as travel is concerned, reduced in-state travel is being required.
��Printing expenses also will be trimmed and there will be no new equipment purchases.
��If lawmakers go beyond 80 days, session-only staff won't be permitted to work at the statehouse.

WINTERSET BED & BREAKFAST OPENS WITH A PROMISE TO PAMPER GUESTS

�Quaint, friendly, inviting, comfortable, cozy, relaxing ... with the mere mention of three special little words � �bed and breakfast� � all sorts of lovely images spring to mind. Perhaps you picture yourself nestled comfortably on an overstuffed chair, a light blanket draped across your knees, a good book in one hand a steaming cup of tea in the other, a fire crackling brightly at your feet. You might even stretch and yawn sleepily, imagining your eyes opening slowly after a peaceful night�s rest in a clean, comfortable bed, the smell of eggs, bacon and coffee from your made-to-order breakfast wafting down the hall. Or maybe after a fun afternoon of shopping with friends or visiting local landmarks with family nothing sounds better than sinking into a claw foot tub for a little rest and relaxation.
�Whether it�s a romantic weekend, a small family get-away or a chance to sneak away on your own for some pampering, Heavenly Habitat Bed & Breakfast is the ideal destination for a relaxing stay.

PRESIDENT LINCOLN�S 200TH BIRTHDAY TOUR MAKES WINTERSET STOP

�Pop quiz: name the 16th president of the United States of America. Here�s a hint: he�s on the penny � but you probably already knew that.
�Even for those who cannot claim expertise in American history, President Abraham Lincoln is a stand-out figure in most former students� memory. His tall black hat, his extraordinary height, his humble beginnings, his incredible insight and intelligence leave quite an impression. Then of course there is his tragic end, a presidency cut short by an unstable stage actor taking the renowned leader�s life with a gunshot to his head.
�President Lincoln � a great man, foundational to our country. Do you ever wish you knew him better? Do your children or grandchildren have questions about the famous �Honest Abe?� Here�s some good news: there is a bicentennial exhibit rolling our way that will help Madisonians explore Lincoln�s connection to Iowa in a concrete way.
��Lincoln in Iowa� presented by �History on the Move� is a museum exhibit developed by the State Historical Society of Iowa and the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. Tucked inside a 30-foot semi-trailer, the exhibit features all sorts of interesting artifacts from the life of our 16th president.

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