Members of Governor Kim Reynolds’ Iowa Department of Government Efficiency Task Force are considering recommending the consolidation of counties or county services.
The head of one of the task force’s working groups—Terry Lutz—said at an Iowa DOGE meeting Wednesday that Iowa’s 99-county model is outdated. Lutz said regional shared services would save money and help lower property taxes.
Iowa DOGE Task Force Chairwoman Emily Schmitt was asked how seriously the group is considering that as a recommendation.
“Some of the ideas that are in the gathering phase may not make it to the recommendation phase. So we’ll really find out in the research one, what are the recommendations that should be moved forward, and what are the ones that are practical and ready that we’re able to do?” Schmitt said.
The task force has scheduled meetings for August and September to develop and finalize recommendations for the governor and legislature.
*Additionally, the school year ended for about 14,500 students in the Sioux City School District on Thursday.
The Sioux City district is perhaps the last of Siouxland schools to complete the school year, given some makeup days added at the end due to cold weather or snow. Many smaller districts wrapped the year near Memorial Day.
With the seasonal weather, some students at West High and West Middle schools were in classes that were held outdoors. To commemorate the end of the year, some East Middle School employees took a turn in a dunk tank.
Sioux City School District teachers have one more work day on Friday to complete the year.
There will be a change in the leadership of the district on July 1 for the next school year, as Rod Earleywine is retiring as superintendent and the successor is Juan Cordova.
*In other news, a governor-appointed task force has narrowed the number of possible men’s prison sites in South Dakota from 13 to four options.
The Project Prison Reset task force members on Tuesday also abandoned the previous prime option of a contentious spot in Lincoln County, which the state has already spent $60 million to prepare for the project.
State officials are looking to build a 1,500 to 1,700-bed prison at a cost of $600 million. The work is part of an effort to replace the state’s 144-year-old prison in Sioux Falls.
The task force wants the state engineer’s office to explore options for a prison in four sites. Those include Mitchell and Worthing, plus perhaps expanding one of two prison facilities in Sioux Falls and Springfield on adjacent land.
Removed from the list of options is a state-owned parcel of land originally proposed for a new 1,500-bed prison, which a recent report recommended as the top location for a new facility. State lawmakers have said they oppose that placement, noted state representative Brian Mulder, of Sioux Falls.
The project prison reset task force has one more meeting, tentatively scheduled for July 8, before state lawmakers are scheduled for a special session. That July 22 special session is reserved for voting on the task force’s recommendation.
*Tuesday the Trump Administration asked Congress to cut funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. CPB provides funding to radio and television stations across the country.
In many communities the only source of news information is their local public radio station.
Last year Siouxland Public Media received $200,000 in the form of a Community Service Grant from the CPB which makes up about 20% of the budget.
If Siouxland Public Media loses funding it would not be able to perform at full capacity and would be unable to provide all necessary services and programming.
Congress has 45 days to take action following the administration’s requisition.
*Additionally, the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa is calling on five cities to amend ordinances they say unconstitutionally restrict drag performances.
The group sent out letters Wednesday asking the cities to remove phrases classifying male and female impersonators as adult entertainment. The ACLU says the wording places restrictions on all types of drag performances, even those without explicit content.
Shefali Aurora is a staff attorney with the ACLU of Iowa. She says the current phrasing restricts free speech and target LGBTQ people.
“ Too often drag is equated with sexualized performances. But drag is not by definition, adult entertainment. It can simply be someone wearing clothing and accessories conventionally worn by a person of a different gender,” Aurora said.
The ACLU sent letters to Carroll, Harlan, Mount Pleasant, Polk City and Webster City.
The group said they’ve sent similar letters to cities such as Eagle Grove, Pella, and Grinnell. Those cities changed their ordinances in response.
