County supervisors hear same info but make no decision
Greene County Development Corporation is in the last stage of fundraising for a Multi-Cultural Family Resource Center. With funding for the first year of operations covered by a $95,700 grant from the US Department of Agriculture, the group is working to gather donations and pledges to cover three more years of expenses.
GCDC past president Sid Jones, vice president Kristin Russell, and volunteer steering committee chair Chuck Offenburger shared information at the Jefferson city council’s meeting Jan. 10 and at the county board of supervisors meeting Jan. 15.
The information came with a request that the city and the county each pledge $5,000 for three years for the project. The first installment would be paid in October 2024.
The Multi-Cultural Family Resource Center will be a one-person operation. The director will help recruit, facilitate settlement, and lead the orientation of newcomers and their families, encouraging them to become permanent or long-term residents of the county.
The director will help families enroll children in school, locate housing, deal with utility needs, find healthcare, social services, or whatever the families need. Greene County is seeing an influx of Latino families; the director be bilingual in Spanish at a minimum.
The total annual budget for the Multi-Cultural Family Resource Center is $97,000, with $60,000 of that being the director’s salary. Greene County Schools has already agreed to cover one-fourth of the salary and one-fourth of the director’s health insurance cost. The school will also provide office space, a laptop computer, and use of the phone system.
The director will have a second satellite office at city hall in the space previously used by the Chamber of Commerce.
The county’s larger employers, smaller employers and individuals have pledged a total of $139,000 for the project, and GCDC has gotten permission from Grow Greene County to use some of what that group allocates to GCDC for it.
After Jones, Russell and Offenburger finished their presentation to the city council, Darren Jackson and Chad Sloan commented and Jones asked the council if there were any questions.
At that point, Margaret Saddoris, who has been a vocal opponent of the Kading housing project, interjected her own question about the role of GCDC.
“You’re asking for more funds on top of your $50,000 (annual allocation from the city) to fund another job,” she said. “As a taxpaying citizen, why don’t you put your efforts into developing jobs before you do housing or anything else.”
She noted that Jefferson is a sanctuary city, claimed that all immigrants coming to the States are illegal and only want handouts. A verbal shoot-out continued for several more minutes.
Jones said the goal of the project is to recruit families and to create controlled growth. Growing a “a few dozen people a year” would be acceptable, he said.
After more than an hour of free flowing discussion between the presenters, the council, and the public in attendance, council member Jackson made a motion, seconded by Pat Zmolek, to approve the request for $5,000 for each of three years for the project. Jackson, Zmolek, Harry Ahrenholtz and Matt Wetrich voted in favor of the motion; Chad Sloan voted against it and the motion passed.
The funds will come from the city’s hotel/motel tax fund, not property tax revenue.
The same presentation went faster and easier at the supervisors meeting, perhaps because many people were still snowed it. Also, school superintendent Brett Abbotts was there to speak to the need for the resource center in the school. He said that since Oct. 1, enrollment has increased 44 students, 28 of whom are Hispanic or Latino and need English language services.
He allayed fears about growing the population too much, saying that the elementary school could accommodate another 75-80 students and that the middle school could accommodate another 60-100 students.
Abbotts said the new families want an education for their children and that there are not discipline or attendance problems.
Supervisor Dan Benitz asked if GCDC is addressing vocational training needed by local employers. Offenburger explained that the Greene County Career Academy, because of its relationship with Iowa Central Community College, is able to do much of that. He also said the goal will be to recruit people who already have the job skills needed.
Board chair John Muir asked how the director would serve the county’s needs. Jones answered that 75 percent of the director’s time will be spent working for “the community,” and that would include assisting law enforcement, the courts, secondary roads, or any other group that needs assistance in working with or serving the new residents.
The supervisors did not make a decision Monday but will consider the request as they formulate the FY25 budget.
