Supervisors candidates agree economic development is a must in Jasper County

Editor’s note: The following is part one of a two-part series covering the forum organized by both major parties. Candidate questions were submitted by visitors and read aloud by moderator Andrew Green, a professor at Central College in Pella. Republican candidate Denny Carpenter was not present.

Three out of four candidates running for two open seats on the Jasper County Board of Supervisors participated in a joint forum organized by both major political parties on Oct. 15 at the Newton Community Theatre. Discussions heavily centered on economic development, a noted priority among candidates.

Democratic candidates Bev Price and Pam Olson both listed economic development as their top priority. Republican incumbent Brandon Talsma ranked economic development as his third highest priority for the county, with the No. 1 and No. 2 spots secured by infrastructure and law enforcement.

The increased tax valuations from economic development opportunities, Price said, are going to drive all the programs and funding in Jasper County. Without it the burden falls on taxpayers to provide all the funding for services. Continuing to work on existing and new projects will be critical, she said.

If the county pursues economic development properly, Olson said it could bring a lot of money into the area and therefore provide a lot more services. Both Olson and Price said public schools will play a major part in economic development. Schools make people want to raise their families in Jasper County.

“If they have a good school, if they have things to do, places to work — that helps all of us in the long run,” Olson said.

Economic development is a major driver, Talsma said, and is always something that needs to be focused on. Over the past few years and even before Talsma took office, he said the county has always done an extremely good job partnering with the other communities when it comes economic development.

Beck’s Hybrids, Janco Industries Inc. and Co-Line Manufacturing were some of the prime examples listed by Talsma. The sitting supervisor also said another entity is coming to Jasper County in the near future, something that the Newton City Council is also aware of. The county has to continue to grow, he said.

“But we have to grow in a way that we don’t lose who we are,” Talsma said, pointing to the county’s rural identity. “Especially those who live in unincorporated territories, those who come from agriculture. We don’t want to be the next Ankeny, the next Altoona, the next Waukee.”

In order to meet those economic development needs, the county may have to take a risk and bond for some projects. Candidates were asked their position on the use of bonding for economic development. Although noting it was a complicated topic, Talsma said it depends on a case by case basis.

Jasper County has to do its due diligence when considering whether to bond for a large project. Talsma said a supervisor has to weigh the benefits to residents and if it feasible with the budget; it should be looked at with strict scrutiny. Price said bonding has its place and is even required for a lot of projects.

“If we’re going to do any economic development, there’s going to be bonding associated with some of those projects,” Price said. “But you do have to weigh the risk and reward. Honestly, if we could get a comprehensive plan together that has some meat to it … we can set our goals so we know what we want.”

The county does have a comprehensive plan, which Price acknowledged, but she argued it does not have specific plans. With a detailed plan, bonding can make sense and have staff work toward that goal. She agreed with Talsma, every project is different. But the county should have a way to repay that bond.

Bonding for projects is not something the county has done a lot of in the past, Price claimed, but there have been more projects as late. She hopes the county can work on more of those. Olson agreed with Talsma and Price. It all depends on the project, what it could bring to the county and what assurances there are.

Olson said the question would be better if it was asked about a specific project. Later, the moderator gave them a specific project: the Legacy Plaza development and the accompanying reinvestment district. The moderator asked if candidates support bonding for the Legacy Plaza project to move forward.

The reinvestment district would provide $14 million funds over 20 years. The revenue stream from new sales and hotel/motel taxes would provide those funds.

Talsma anticipated this question would come up. If there is a benefit to the county without passing the debt to taxpayers through the debt service levy, then yes Talsma would support bonding. The project seems realistic and the county did have its municipal advisor review it, and he’s confident in the numbers.

“Really what it’s going to come down to of whether I can support it all the way or not is what kind of assurances can we build into the agreement with DMACC, the developer, City of Newton — all the entities involved — to ensure if it’s underperforming … what are the other ways we can collect money,” Talsma said.

Meaning he did not want taxpayers to take on debt. Price said it is going to take negotiations before committing to a bond. But the developer is not going to be able to raise all of the money for the rental housing and hotel projects at Legacy Plaza. It will take investment from local governments.

“It’s important and that project is important, so hopefully we can get that worked out so we can move forward with all the stakeholders,” Price said.

Olson recalled sitting in the board of supervisors meetings where this topic was discussed in-depth. To her, it would be a great project for the county to be involved with. But Olson said the county needs some kind of guarantee built in to the agreement, referencing Talsma’s earlier statements.

“We want to make sure if it isn’t performing like they think it should perform, we as citizens aren’t going to fall back to having to be able to pay for this,” she said.

A FIVE-MEMBER BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

While the three candidates found common ground on the issue of economic development, the question of whether the board of supervisors should expand to five seats instead of three did offer a little more variety. Price said a three-member board works but there are restraints and challenges.

“To have meaningful conversations about any projects without taking any action, they can’t talk to each other right now. It’s nearly impossible,” Price said. “I honestly believe we can take the same money we have right now or slightly more and split that over five supervisors instead of three.”

With five supervisors on the board, the work can be spread out, Price added, and it would lead to better discussions. Olson said she would support a five-member board. Members would have to come from specific districts and there would be an at-large position. Olson said the five-person lineup would help.

“I think more citizens would get their voices in, I think it would lead to better discussions,” Olson said, echoing Price’s sentiments about funding for the board members. “And I believe that we could take the money we take with the three supervisors and split it among five and still come out OK.”

Talsma differed from both Price and Olson by saying that decision can be left to the citizens of Jasper County, noting there is a process in place in Iowa Code that allows people to petition the current board to increase its membership to five. The specific Iowa Code is 331.203 under “Membership increased — vote.”

He added, “I would leave that decision to them (citizens) and not for the board to make.”

HANDLING PROPERTY TAX INCREASES

When asked how the county should handle property tax increases, Olson said it is a tough question to answer. She questioned if the increase would come from an increased tax levy or increased property valuations. The value of a property can increase but the levy can stay the same, she said.

“At which time your taxes are going to go up, so that depends on what you’re really referring to,” Olson said. “Are you referring to your tax levies? Or are you talking to your property values?”

Talsma said the county should handle property tax increases with honesty and transparency, “the same way we’ve been doing for the past four years.”

If supervisors are going to raise property taxes, he said they have to have enough honesty and integrity to be upfront about it.

“It shouldn’t be done arbitrarily through valuation increases and leaving the levy rates the same,” Talsma said. “Obviously, we fought the last three years … In the 2019-2020 budget, the county collected $16,190,000 in property tax dollars. In 2022-2023, the current fiscal year, we collected $16,483,000.”

Many people blame the county for their higher property taxes, Price said. But she noted there are other agencies whose levies factor into that amount. She pointed to the county’s recently added feature on Beacon to look at the distribution of property taxes, which could help citizens understand the process better.

Ultimately, Price hopes the county doesn’t have to increase the levy.

“That’s not the goal,” she said. “The goal is for valuations to go up. But just because they go up doesn’t mean you spend everything that’s there either. We can drop the levy but it takes work … We need to continue to do transparency and encourage the taxing bodies to do the same thing.”

ADEQUACY OF VETERANS SERVICES

As a veteran, Talsma said he has a personal stack in the quality of veterans services in the county. To him, it feels like the county is gaining ground on veterans services, especially with the expansion and changes in veterans affairs. This past year the department got a new director and new faces on the board.

“She (veterans affairs administrator Alyssa Wilson) is doing an absolutely phenomenal job at processing more claims and helping more veterans than ever before coming out of that office,” Talsma said. “That being said we have a great board … that is looking at continually expanding the veterans services.”

Between Wilson and members of the veterans affairs commission, the county is getting veterans linked to services provided by the county, state and federal levels. Talsma said there is always more that the county can do, but he and the board agree with accomplishing goals one step at a time.

Price agreed the county has come a long way on providing adequate veterans services. And it has also become a lot better at referring people to the veterans affairs department. When people are coming by to pay their taxes or get services from the DMV, staff are referring veterans to veterans affairs.

“They have seen a huge increase even since we’ve opened that building,” Price said, noting Wilson is doing a good job of meeting veterans where they’re at.

Although it is not a service she had personally dealt with, Olson recognized the good the department provides to citizens, and she’s glad the board support’s Wilson and her efforts. Veterans services are important, and Olson hopes the county continues to offer them and make improvements.

IMPORTANCE OF ELDERLY NUTRITION

Candidates were asked about the importance of elderly nutrition and whether they would support continued funding to sustain the program into the future. Olson said she would support it, saying the meal program is pivotal to the residents who frequently use it.

“We have an aging population somewhat and we need to take care of them,” she said.

Talsma said the county does fund elderly nutrition and will continue to. Kelli VanManen, the project manager for Jasper County Elderly Nutrition, does an outstanding job and can stretch a penny like none other, he said. Most of the funding, Talsma added, comes from a federal program she applies for.

“She coordinates it, she stretches it as far as she can, she uses as many volunteers as she can,” Talsma said. “Almost all of the drivers — well, not all but most of them — are unpaid, getting nothing more than mileage reimbursement. She stretches her staff for as thin as she possibly can to provide that service.”

It is vital for elderly populations to remain in their homes, and the program allows that. Price said the elderly nutrition program now serves more than 300 residents in the county each day and has on-sight meals in Monroe, Colfax and Newton. It’s a great program, she said.

“We have one of the better programs actually in the state. Our county does a great job of that,” Price said. “We need to make sure we continue it, especially with the nursing homes we’ve had closed. We need to try to keep those people in their homes as long as we can.”

HOW TO FILL VACANT AUDITOR SEAT NEXT YEAR

With the recent announcement of Jasper County Auditor Dennis Parrott retiring at the end of the year, candidates were asked if supervisors should pursue a special election or an appointment. Price and Olson agreed the clear choice is to make it a vote of the people, especially with two years left in the term.

Talsma said it depends on who has interest in possibly being appointed to the position. Special elections cost money, and the incumbent supervisor said it would cost approximately $25,000 to conduct an election. With two years left on the term, Talsma said a qualified candidate could be interviewed.

If they find an individual who is a good fit, then an appointment may be suitable. Talsma said if no qualified candidate can be found or if the board does not feel like anybody can do the role justice, then he said a special election would be the next route.

GIVING HOSPITAL ARPA MONEY FOR EMERGENCY ROOM PROJECT

MercyOne Newton Medical Center is in need of a new emergency room. Representatives from the hospital recently asked the board of supervisors to consider giving $2 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds for this project. Candidates were asked if they would support giving money to MercyOne.

It is important to keep hospitals in communities and the people of Jasper County are thankful to have the facility, Olson said. She would have to see where all the ARPA money has been allocated out, noting a portion of the $7.22 million was to go to secondary roads department.

“And I believe that money for the hospital would come out of the road department, but I also feel the hospital is important,” Olson said. “Yes, I would support.”

Talsma said most the ARPA funds have already been distributed or earmarked for other projects in the county. He, too, supports giving the hospital ARPA funds, but he is unsure how much there would be. There are more than 10,000 people a year coming through the emergency room. It’s clearly important.

“It is an extremely important asset to have within Jasper County,” Talsma said. “I also know from meetings and conversations with the team out there at MercyOne that just because they’re part of MercyOne doesn’t mean that Mercy’s throwing millions of dollars every year for capital projects.”

Which is why the hospital turned to the board of supervisors for help. Price said the emergency room in Newton is seeing more mental health and behavioral health patients. Sometimes staff have to keep those patients in the emergency room for days because there is no other place for them to stay.

“The question is: How much do we contribute to the program? What do we have available? Obviously it would be huge blow to the county if we didn’t have a hospital here,” Price said. “Lots of live-saving procedures would not be able to wait to get to Des Moines or some place else.”

ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT SERVICES

All three candidates support the advanced life support (ALS) services pilot program currently being operated by the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office. Talsma said he has been supportive of the program from Day One and approached the sheriff about it almost three years ago.

Through some unique funding opportunities, the sheriff’s office was able to establish the pilot program. Talsma said it is the first of its kind in the state. The county’s ARPA committee decided to further fund that program with federal stimulus money.

“Newton is becoming more and more of a fallback for all of the other volunteer departments,” he said. “Volunteer departments across the county, across the state, across the entire Midwest are having a harder and harder time finding EMT-qualified people to be able to provide that level of care, to be able to maintain transport agencies.”

Talsma said he and sheriff John Halferty believe this was a problem the county needed to be proactive about and not reactive.

Price also supports the program, saying many residents in the rural areas that need faster service. She commended the fire and EMS programs in each community, but the volunteer status can mean slower response times depending on the time of day.

“The sheriff’s office is usually the first one there in a lot of those cases,” Price said. “Providing them with the training and the equipment so that they can provide some immediate life saving procedures before someone else can get to them to help is crucial in saving lives of our residents.”

Olson called the ALS program an excellent program.

“So many of our volunteers anymore are not working in the community that they’re volunteering in, and that leaves a vacancy there,” Olson said. “So if someone needs something during that day, this program that the board has supported actually will help put people there.”

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext 560 or at cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com