Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Washington County Supervisors approve budget


Washington County plans on spending a little more than 20-million dollars in the upcoming fiscal year. The board of supervisors approved the 2009-2010 budget at this mornings meeting. The tax levy will increase by nearly five percent. Board Chairman Jim Miksch says even though its a bigger increase than previous years, it was necessary to stave off future fiscal problems. He also says economic times have been better locally than other parts of the country, and world.

IMS advances at state

Washington County's Board of Supervisors is expected to approve next year's budget this morning. County Auditor Bill Fredrick says road work continues to be one of their biggest expenses. He says they have had to carefully balance what the county needs, with what citizens can afford. The board of supervisors will meet at 9:30 this morning in the Washington County Courthouse.

IMS advances at state

The IMS boys basketball team has advanced to the semi-final round of the state tournament. Yesterday IMS beat Ventura 62-46. If you missed the game or would like to relive it you can head to kciiradio.com and click on radio plus. So now IMS will be back at Wells Fargo Arena on Thursday to play Rock Valley. Rock Valley beat Villisca 77-49. Thursday's game between IMS and Rock Valley will be at 12:15 pm for the right to play for the 1A championship.

Washington Schools looking to save money

The Washington School District is looking to trim its budget in the upcoming fiscal year. Superintendent Dave Sextro says they have been able to make some cut backs by offering early retirement, and then leaving some of those positions vacant. Sextro says they make every effort to make cuts that won't directly affect students. Spending reductions, and the budget for next year are just a few of the items on the agenda for tomorrows school board meeting.

Floodwaters damage local roadways

Heavy rainfall over the past few days is taking its toll on local roadways. Washington County Engineer David Patterson says between ten and twelve locations had to be barricaded in places where floodwaters covered the road. He says the extent of the damage won't be known until the waters recede. The National Weather Service doesn't expect that to happen until late this tomorrow.

Louisa Flooding

Louisa County Officials have closed County Road H22, known locally as the K Road indefinitely to keep water on the west side of the temporary levee that crosses that roadway. Kathy Vance with the ISU Extension says crews built the levee up another 5 feet over the last few days making it impassable to traffic, but better for water control and it is holding the water back from the Oakville bottoms. Vance says the County Engineer and emergency management personnel are keeping an eye on Highway 99 east of Wapello.

Kalona Flooding

The rivers have started to rise because of the weather over the past few days. The National Weather Service forecasts major flooding along the Iowa River in Wapello, Lone Tree and Columbus Junction, as well as at the English River near Kalona. Kalona Mayor Jerry Kauffman says over the weekend the English River did crest and spilled over the roads but no major damage was done. Kauffman says some homes got some water in their basements and the water had started to pool in spots downtown, but as soon as the rain stopped the water receded.

Kalona gearing up for tourist season

Tourism Season is coming soon and a lot of places are getting ready. Nancy Roth with the Kalona Historical Village says they stay prepared all winter long. She says their tourism season usually starts in early April. Roth says they dont have too much to do to get ready. She says they will start opening the buildings that were closed for the winter in late March when the weather starts to stay warmer. Roth says the village still attracts tourists throughout the winter but the busiest part of the season is around June and July and during Kalona Days.