Woodbury County officials continue to wrestle with ways to fill eight open prosecutor positions that are slowing the pace of work in county court cases.
Only 10 of the 18 assistant county attorney positions are currently filled. The Woodbury County Attorney Office had six open positions in early 2023 as County Attorney James Loomis took office, so the problem has gotten worse.
During the Tuesday meeting of the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors, County Attorney James Loomis and Board Chairman Matthew Ung said the insufficient number of assistant attorneys means that those working have at least 100 cases each. They said that slows down how quickly many county cases can be resolved, which is not ideal of the impacted people.
To solve that staffing crisis, the supervisors discussed increasing pay and benefits. Ung said it is necessary “to be creative with their compensation package, including wages and benefits.”
They directed the Human Resources Department to draft an agreement for county union officials to consider in amending a current labor contract, to consider at a future meeting.
Some options in that plan would put raises in place as soon as six instead of 12 months, while another would allow the attorneys to do remote work and give more personal days off.
Additionally, the Iowa State Auditor says his office has identified another substantial instance of embezzlement in a small town.
Auditor Rob Sand said the Iowa Legislature has an opportunity to potentially deter future misuses of taxpayer money by toughening punishments.
“If we want to see less embezzlement of tax dollars across the state of Iowa, we are years past due for the legislature to make it a mandatory prison sentence. Period. I’ve been asking them to do that since I was first elected in 2018 and they still haven’t done it,” Sand said.
Sand’s office reported that $80,000 dollars of misused taxpayer funds has been found in the town of Delhi.
The money is largely under the control of former city clerk Lori Tucker. Two-thirds of the money was in the form of excess wages, unused vacation and payments to a health insurance savings account.
Tucker — who is now the city clerk of Ryan, Iowa — did not return calls for comment.
Sand said his office is nearing completion of a second investigation on finances in the city of Ryan. His report on Delhi and Tucker was referred to the county attorney and attorney general’s office for potential criminal charges on Tuesday.
*Additionally, an improved playground at a busy park in Storm Lake Iowa will be dedicated next week.
That dedication will be on August 14 for the new Chautauqua Park playground, which is an improvement that was added due to a plentiful grant.
IN a release, city officials cited the pivotal role the Paxton Trust played for yet another beautification project in Storm Lake. Some others have been the observation deck on the Awaysis Park lighthouse, the flags plaza in Awaysis Park, the Circle Park Rain Garden, and a current project with Witter Gallery to install several bronze statues in many places in Storm Lake.
The latest money from the Paxton Trust was a $150,000 grant to replace a 25-year-old playground set. The metal mesh base of the old playground was beginning to break down from age, and replacement parts were no longer available.
Other money for the project brought it to a total of $235,000.
Trust representative Julie Mooney said mission is beautification of the land in the lakes and parks areas.
Mayor Mike Porsch said the latest Paxton Trust gift “helps to make Storm Lake the community we want it to be.”
*The state of Iowa hasn’t issued permits yet for school employees to carry guns on school property under a new law.
It is also still not clear if public schools will be able to arm staff without risking the loss of insurance.
Republican lawmakers passed a new law this year allowing school staff to get a professional permit to carry a firearm on school property, which school boards would have to approve.
Schools were already allowed to arm staff, but two districts that chose to do so ended up reversing their policies after their insurance carrier said their coverage wouldn’t be renewed. The new law was meant to address the insurance issues.
Going into the school year, an Iowa Department of Public Safety spokesperson says no school staff have been issued permits to carry on school grounds. That’s because the administrative rules to implement the law aren’t in effect yet, as they are still open for public comment.
As for insurance coverage, the company that covers the majority of school districts still isn’t saying publicly if it’ll cover schools that arm staff. A spokesperson for EMC Insurance said, “We are analyzing the new law and its implications as we continue to evaluate options in this evolving marketplace.”
