Click here to submit your
news ideas and stories to the
Manchester Press!
| | 
The
Official Newspaper of Manchester and Delaware County, Iowa
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
| |
Council discusses hotel tax, sewer increase, ALLEnergy
by Latisha Sand |
The council discussed several items at their last council meeting, including the Community Childcare of Manchester, the hotel/motel tax and the fire department remodeling. But before that, the council, with Council member Tony Broghammer abstaining to vote, approved the division of taxes levied on the property now owned by ALLEnergy of Manchester.
The council also approved the first reading of the ordinance for increasing the sewer rates. This ordinance will go in front of the council two more times before it is finalized. According to the ordinance, half of the total increase will take effect on the June 29, 2007 billing and the other half will go into effect on the June 30, 2008 billing.
The City of Manchester was recently awarded a grant through the Iowa Department of Economic Development (IDED) in the amount of $300,000 for the Community Childcare of Manchester. One of the daycare sites also received a $50,000 grant for new playground equipment. The council approved two resolutions for the childcare centers, including the $300,000 and one approving the environmental assessment for the project. This says that there will be no new construction and that the sites will not be disturbing Iowa farmland, forests, landmarks or other environmental areas.
Manchester Fire Chief Dennis Meisgeier once again discussed an additional fire truck for the fire department. The department priced a 100-foot aerial platform truck through Peirce Manufacturing at the cost of $856,000. This amount would go onto a $1 million, 20-year bond issue for the department’s remodeling and addition project. The council agreed to hold a special election for the issue, either in late July or early August, and the next step is for City Manager Tim Vick and City Clerk Erin Rempe to write a resolution before the next meeting.
The hotel/motel tax is still a hot topic during council meetings with all but one of the members agreeing to let the residents of Manchester decide whether or not the city should implement the tax. Residents could vote on the issue during the special local option sales tax election, which will be held in late August, or during the regular election in November.
The tax would add a 7 percent tax on all motel and hotel rooms in Manchester. The money gained by this tax would then be used to promote tourism through the Manchester Area Chamber of Commerce and the Manchester Parks and Recreation Department. Originally it was discussed that the two groups would each get 45 percent with the remaining 10 percent going back to the hotels and motels. Then, at the last meeting, Parks and Recreation Director Ben Page said that the groups would each get 50 percent of the profits. But Council member Jeff Ogden, who was concerned with the upkeep of the parks, wanted some of the money set aside. Page will approach the Parks and Recreation committee to discuss the 45/45/10 split again, but with the 10 percent going for upkeep instead of the money going back to the hotels and motels.
The council also approved:
• to pay Tschiggfrie Excavating Company $85,269.30 for the 2007 Street Improvement Project,
• to pay McClain Excavating Co., Inc. $334.83 for the Industrial park Lift Station,
• to pay TeKippe Engineering, P.C., in the amount of $9,458.26 for the Southwest Industrial Park Lift Station Improvements, the Water Nitrate Removal for Well number seven, the Turkey Timber Lift Station Improvements, Schram Drive improvements and 2007 street improvements,
• to set June 25 at 5 p.m. as the date and time for a public hearing on contract documents for the proposed Honey Creek Drive project,
• and approved the renewal of the Native Wine Permit for Widner Drug and Gift and a new application for an on premise beer permit for the Delaware County Fairgrounds Softball Complex.
The council also held two public hearings for amending the current budget for the fiscal year ending June 30 and a public hearing for the proposed contract documents and the estimate cost for the well number seven sewer expansion project, which is for the Honey Creek Drive Project. Both hearings had no responses from the public and the council approved the resolutions for each project.
It was decided to move the last three items on the agenda, the early retirement incentive, certificates of occupancy and a Housing Rehabilitation Grant, to the next meeting, which was held on Monday, May 21, because two of the council members had to leave early. |
Manchester Wal-Mart honors Philgreen with Teacher of Year award
by Jamie Smith |
Duane Philgreen, a teacher at West Delaware High School in Manchester was recently named local Teacher of the Year by the Manchester Wal-Mart store. The award, which was given as part of Wal-Mart’s 12th annual Teacher of the Year program, comes in honor of National Teacher’s Day on May 8. Philgreen received a $1,000 grant for West Delaware, a $100 gift card to buy classroom supplies, a Teacher of the Year polo shirt and a personalized certificate.
Over the next few days, Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club associates across the country are announcing the names of local teacher winners. One teacher has been selected as a ‘local winner’ by each Wal-Mart store, Sam’s Club, Neighborhood Market store and Wal-Mart Distribution Center. Teachers were nominated by members of the community during February and selected by a committee of store or club associates. Nationwide more than 4,000 teachers are being honored by Wal-Mart’s Teacher of the Year program.
“The teachers in our area are superb,” said Manchester Wal-Mart manager Eric McKenna. “The selection process was not an easy one, but we are happy to recognize Duane Philgreen and share this great news with our community.”
The Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year recognition is part of a three-tiered program. All local winning teachers have the opportunity to apply for state Teacher of the Year honors to receive a $10,000 grant for their schools. Each state winner is automatically entered into the national competition. The one national winner, who is recognized in the fall, will receive an additional $25,000 education grant for a total of $36,000 to his or her school.
Since the Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year program began in 1995, Wal-Mart has honored more than 25,000 teachers nationwide and donated more than $18.5 million to local schools. The company is one of the largest corporate supporters of teachers and education – last year alone giving more than $57 million in support of educational initiatives.
|
Smile! Recorders office now taking passport photos
by Latisha Sand |
Passports have become a hot commodity since new homeland security rules were set in place, and the Delaware County Recorder’s office is now helping residents get that important document.
“We want to make it very convenient for people to get a passport, and we’re very proud that we have added this choice,” said Delaware County Recorder Deb Peyton. “This will make our office a one-stop place to get your passport.”
Peyton and her staff became passport agents in 1994 and started the application process for the public at that time.
|
LATISHA SAND / Press
Delaware County Recorder Deb Peyton and her staff are now taking passport photos to make their office a one-stop-shop for all of resident’s passport needs. |
However, to complete the application, residents had to bring in their own pictures, which were taken at surrounding photography studios.
The new one-stop-shop passport service comes after the government started cracking down on foreign travel. Currently all AIR travel to Mexico and Canada require a passport to re-enter the United States. Starting in January 2008, people traveling to Canada and Mexico by SEA or LAND will have to have a passport to re-enter the United States. This requirement includes any one-day trip and/or students traveling for spring break.
The new guidelines for 2007 have already brought in 239 people to the Delaware County Recorder’s office for passport applications. There was a total of 426 applications processed in 2006.
The office charges $10 for the photos. Additional charges for passports include a $67 payment to the United States Department of State and a $30 processing fee payable to the Delaware County Recorders office. Both the photo fee and the processing fee go directly to the General Fund for Delaware County.
If residents need a certified copy of their birth certificate, they can be obtained in Peyton’s office if they meet the following qualifications: 1.) they were born in Delaware County, 2.) birth did not occur between the years of 1921 and 1941 and 3.) parents were married at the time of the birth if before 1995 (if after 1995 all Delaware County births are at the local level). The fee for that certified copy is $15 per certified copy.
Other forms of identification residents will need to get their passports, besides their birth certificate, are two identical passport photos and a driver’s license or other photo identification. The process takes about 15 minutes.
The Delaware County Recorder’s office is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and is located in room 204 at the Delaware County Courthouse in Manchester.
Feel free to call Deb Peyton at 563-927-4665 for any additional information you may need. |
109
E. Delaware - P.O. Box 245 - Manchester, Iowa 52057
563-927-2020 / FAX 563-927-4945
Copyright
Manchester Press 2005 - 2006
Thede
Web Works - Web Questions
|