Jefferson taxpayers may be relieved of bearing the brunt of funding for the animal shelter if a new 28E agreement can be reached between the city and Greene County.
Jefferson city administrator Mike Palmer spoke to the county supervisors May 2 to suggest forming a committee to write a new agreement, one that would create a more equitable funding source.
The 28E agreement in place now is 16 years old. Palmer said the Jefferson city budget includes $12,000 for the shelter, but the cost is $15,000-$16,000. PAWS (People for Animal Welfare) operates the shelter on a primarily volunteer basis, with the city funds paying for a part-time minimum wage custodian, food, and veterinary bills.
The county pays $1,500 per year for food and utilities at the shelter. That amount was set when fewer animals from the rural parts of the county were being taken to the shelter, and before the county sheriff’s office was providing law enforcement in every county town except Jefferson.
The 28E agreements the sheriff’s office has with Rippey, Grand Junction, Dana, Paton, Churdan and Scranton do not specify who pays the shelter costs for dogs picked up in those towns. The majority of that cost falls on Jefferson taxpayers.
Sheriff Steve Haupert said the mayors in those towns are aware that the cost of animal control and sheltering has been discussed. He said he could give each city council a 30-day notice that their current 28E agreements would be terminated, with new agreements including those costs. He won’t do that, though, unless he knows the supervisors and the city of Jefferson also have a new agreement, he said.
Supervisor Dawn Rudolph will be on the committee to write a new 28E agreement. She is also on the steering committee working toward building a new animal shelter.
Veterans’ property tax abatement: Palmer also clarified an incentive offered to veterans as part of Home Base Iowa.
Two years ago when Greene County became the first Home Base Iowa community, Greene County Development Corporation announced a 3-year property tax abatement for veterans purchasing homes in the county. The abatement was included in news articles, including one posted to the GCDC website.
Last month, veteran Michael Larson told the supervisors he had purchased a home in Grand Junction expecting the tax abatement, and that even his lender had mentioned it. The abatement amounted to about $4,200, Larson said.
However, assessor Linda Spearman said abatements for veterans were not approved by city councils nor by the supervisors. Larson asked the supervisors for relief.
Palmer clarified that the Jefferson city council had also not approved a special tax abatement for veterans. Veterans are eligible for a 3-year abatement on new construction or on the increased value of a remodel that adds at least $10,000 in value to the home. That abatement is available to anyone. There is no abatement for existing homes, but only new construction.
The information on the GCDC website has recently been changed.
