Also hear about jackpot fraud
~by Janice Harbaugh for GreeneCountyNewsOnline
The Greene County board of supervisors at their Feb. 23 meeting reviewed a proposed notice of public hearing for FY2024 property tax levy rates for general services and rural services. The proposed notice explained increases in the budget for both services.
Auditor Jane Heun said increases to the FY2024 budget for general services are due to increased costs of insurance coverage, increased salaries, wages, and benefits, higher costs for goods and services needed, and a need to maintain sufficient reserves.
She said increases to the FY2024 budget for rural services are due to increases in salaries, wages, and benefits, higher costs for goods and services needed, and a need to maintain sufficient reserves.
Heun told the board the increases for both types of services exceed current dollars by more than 2 percent. She said this requires approval of property levies by four of the five supervisors in a vote after the public hearing for these levies.
The proposed levy rates are not available as of Friday morning. According to Heun, all counties have had to refigure valuations per new legislation. “What was originally looked at has changed rate-wise,” Heun told GCNO. She planned to have rates calculated before the Feb. 27 meeting.
The supervisors set the public hearing on the county’s proposed property tax levy for both general and rural services for Monday, March 13 at 9 am.
In other business, county attorney Thomas Laehn told the supervisors jackpot fraud at Wild Rose Casino and Resort has caused his office “significant burden” over the past weeks.
Laehn said there are 83 pending criminal cases in his office and “jackpot fraud is 20 percent of them.”
Laehn described jackpot fraud to the board as one person winning a jackpot but colluding with another person who agrees to say they won the money and claim the winnings.
Laehn said criminals try this plan because the casino is required to check with the State to see if winners have fines or child support payments due. If so, the casino intercepts the winnings and pays them to the State to satisfy those debts.
By having a second person claim to have won the money, the first person hopes to avoid the State taking the winnings for debt. The winner is termed “the principal” and the receiver of the winnings is termed “the aider and abettor.” The two people often split the winnings.
“Both people have committed crimes,” Laehn said.
Board chair John Muir asked if anyone is ever successful at this.
Laehn said the casino reviews security footage for winnings above a certain level to determine if the person claiming the winnings is actually the person who played and won.
“There were another 10 (charges for alleged jackpot fraud) this weekend,” Laehn said.
Laehn also spoke to the board about House Study Bill 126, a 1600-page bill supported by Gov. Kim Reynolds, having to do with reorganization of State government. Part of this bill would give the state attorney general authority to take over any county case.
“The county attorneys would come under the supervision of the state attorney general,” Laehn said. “This would be a revolution in how we process cases in Iowa. It would totally change the role of county attorneys and would centralize criminal prosecution in Des Moines.”
Laehn expressed serious concern about this and said it would be a major loss of local control in administering justice.
Doug Hawn represented the Scranton Alumni Association and requested $5,000 in Dreyfus funding for a project to install a generator and to rewire the entrance of Scranton’s community center.
Hawn said the project is needed to give residents of the area a safe place to gather if there are major power outages.
Hawn said funds have already been raised through events, individual donations, and an ITE grant. He said the association will also be requesting Grow Greene funding.
The board unanimously approved $5,000 from Dreyfus funds be granted to the Scranton Alumni Association.
Representing the Greene County Fair Association, Hawn then requested $5,000 from Dreyfus funding on their behalf for a semi entrance and sidewalk project at the fairgrounds.
Hawn said the current rocked entrance to the west side of the former bus barn on the grounds is “unstable” and unsafe for the semi-tractor and tanker that are housed there to use.
Hawn said sidewalk improvements would increase safety and access for handicapped visitors and baby strollers.
The board unanimously approved $5,000 from Dreyfus funds be granted to the Greene County Fair Association.
Hawn also gave the supervisors an update on the communications tower project.
Hawn said the location for the new tower will be off the road and near the gates at Seven Hills Park, south of Jefferson.
He said the Federal Aviation Administration has approved the location for a 300-foot high tower, and RFCC, a communications consulting firm from Eden Prairie, MN, will be putting out a request for proposals to choose a tower construction company.
Hawn said the county wants to find a used building to move to the site to save on construction costs and he talked about plans for ordering equipment, licensing, and soil testing.
Hawn estimated the majority of the project could be done by midsummer.
The board canvassed the results of the Special Election for a vacancy on the Grand Junction Council. Dennis Jacobs received 42 votes; Spencer Kirk received 41 votes; and Terry Hoefle received 18 votes. There was one write-in vote.
