Greg Piklapp of the Ames Regional Economic Alliance, and now executive director of Greene County Development Corporation, made his first visit to the Jefferson city council at the council’s Aug. 26 meeting. He was introduced by GCDC board president Scott Weber.
Piklapp said his goal in Greene County is to advocate for and execute programs set by the city councils and the county board of supervisors. He will help with economic development, manufacturing and workforce needs. AREA is connected with state and national economic development organizations to work on behalf of the Alliance.
He said that although he lives in Boone and Alliance serves three other counties, he will compete with his coworkers to draw jobs to Greene County. His previous work with Alliance has been economic development in the smaller towns like Zearing, Colo, Maxwell, Gilbert, and Cambridge.
“I see opportunity here. I see an eagerness to move forward,” he said about Greene County.
Earlier in the meeting, the council tabled a pair of agenda items that would have approved “borrowing” funds from the water plant construction fund to pay for other projects. That fund now has $2.82 million, accrued over the years by setting sewer rates that include an allocation to that project, planned for 2034-35.
The first item would have created an internal debt of $1.8 million to provide a $300,000 forgivable loan to support the low-to-moderate income units of the middle school project, now known as The Jeffersonian. There would also be a $100,000 annual allocation for five years to fund administrative activities needed for the economic development of the new urban renewal area; $120,000 annually for five years to fund economic development organizations; and $400,000 for other projects listed in the urban renewal plan. The fund would be repaid over six years using TIF revenue.
There would have been a separate internal debt issuance of $75,000 to be repaid with revenues from the new blight TIF district. That would have funded administrative activities needed for economic development and to fund economic development organizations.
The items were tabled at the advice of legal counsel.
The council approved the low bid of $79,467 from Moeller Furnace Company of Fort Dodge for three new Rheem air conditioning units at the Greene County Community Center. The Hess Fund will contribute $20,000 toward the cost, with the remainder coming from PACE (People Active for Community Exercise, the group that did the original fundraising for the rec center).
Council member Dave Sloan abstained from voting.
During the open forum, resident Russ Gettler spoke about “the high property taxes in Greene County.” He said that in the past 10 years the population has declined 6 percent, and that experts say the “reasonable growth” in the city budget, considering the declining population and inflation, should have been 26 percent. He said the budget grew 71 percent over those 10 years, and the city budget has grown by $1 million in that time. He listed several amenities in Jefferson, but said it’s a good police department, good streets, and a good hospital that draw people to a town. He encouraged council members to be good stewards of tax dollars, and to consider whether a requested or suggested improvement is a want or a need.
Cindy Wise said she had researched tax increment financing and quoted information from Iowans for Tax Relief claiming that TIF has not created economic growth. Her information said that, according to the Iowa Department of Revenue, after analyzing economic activity in the state over the course of 15 years, TIF likely leads to no net employment or wage gains when measured for entire local economies. She said she would attend future meetings with more information about TIF. The council does not respond to comments made during the open forum.
