THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 2025 • VOLUME N0. 124 • ISSUE NO. 24 • 1 SECTION • 6 PAGES
Serving Colfax • Mingo • Baxter • Western Jasper County
‘PLEASE VOTE NO’
Despite pleas from constituents in listening session, Dunwell votes in favor of removing gender identity as a protected class from Iowa Civil Rights Act By Christopher Braunschweig Jasper County Tribune Even though every person who tuned into Rep. Jon Dunwell’s listening session last week was against the bill removing civil rights protections from transgender Iowans, and even though they pleaded with the Republican lawmaker to vote against it, he sided with the majority to pass it and send it to the governor’s office. The Iowa House on Feb. 27 voted 60-36 to pass the bill that removes gender identity as a protected class in the Iowa Civil Rights Act. Earlier that same day the Iowa Senate voted 3315 to pass the bill. All three of the lawmakers representing Jasper County communities voted in favor. Before the Iowa Legislature put the bill to a vote, Dunwell hosted a Feb. 25 Zoom meeting with constituents of District 38 to discuss the bill. All of the speakers who shared their opinions Dunwell were adamantly against the bill. Michelle Smith, of Mingo, said changing civil rights code in Iowa is a very slippery slope. “My son’s best friend is very nervous she would lose her job just because they can, maybe they don’t like the fact that she’s transgender,” Smith said. Others called the legislation “harmful” and “downright mean and hateful” and that it
Supervisors and AFSCME at impasse, base wages for bargaining employees approved despite pushback By Christopher Braunschweig Jasper County Tribune
Christopher Braunschweig/Jasper County Tribune Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law a bill that removes gender identity from the state’s civil rights code. The bill made it through the Senate and House despite heavy pushback from people protesting at the Capitol. Locals who tuned in for a listening session with Rep. Jon Dunwell urged the Republican lawmaker to vote no.
would take away human rights from transgender Iowans, despite claims from Republicans — which have overwhelmingly supported the bill — that it will not do so. Listening session participates also predicted more discrimination will follow. Whether or not the discrimination is widespread, participants said any kind of discrimination is “not acceptable.” One constituent was surprised the bill made it through committee and that Dunwell was a supporter of it. Brad Magg, who ran against Dunwell in the
2024 election, questioned what the bill accomplishes. Dunwell said when something is included a state’s civil rights code it provided enhanced protections, and in many ways those protections work well when it comes to housing and employment. Dunwell argued most of these protections are covered by federal law or other laws already. “Where it gets to be challenging is in the situations we’ve seen with sports. Where it gets challenging is some of
Jasper County creates wage committee to analyze employee pay plans Supervisors pivot more towards a merit-based system for county workers By Christopher Braunschweig Jasper County Tribune Jasper County has created a group to analyze and propose adjustments to the pay plans for county employees, which was initially started by the board of supervisors. While it seemed like progress was being made in the rework, the supervisors hit a snag and have Nearmyer now turned responsibility over to this group. The wage committee is comprised of Supervisor Thad Nearmyer, County Auditor Jenna Jennings, Deputy County Auditor Melissa Hartgers, Payroll Clerk Lori Talsma Nore and Human Resources Director Dennis Simon. As an advisory commit-
Union members say Jasper County is going to lose deputies
tee, the group will not be approve anything, but it will instead make recommendations. Jasper County Attorney Scott Nicholson asked if the group was going to make recommendations to supervisors in a public meeting. The board said yes. Supervisor Brandon Talsma suggested the wage committee was created as a way to continue the discussions already started by the board during past work sessions. For the past few months, the board has held work sessions after the meetings to rework the wage scales and pay plans of county employees. “It took us 12 weeks to get to something that was halfway usable, and then in a 30-minute conversation it all went out the window,” Talsma said before making the recommendation to create the wage committee. The board of supervisors would go on to establish the wage committee in a 3-0 vote. Talsma explained the snag came from a discussion with the county’s legal counsel Ahlers & WAGES | 3 CONTACT US
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Union members say Jasper County is going to lose some good deputies on staff after negotiations with the board of supervisors ended at an impasse. Several union employees of AFSCME attended the Feb. 25 board meeting and were displeased with the county seemingly ending labor relations. However, no further negotiations are going to take place, especially after the Jasper County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution for the fiscal year 2026 salary/hourly wages. The resolution states union employees covered under AFSCME and PPME will receive a 4 percent increase to their base wages. Hourly non-bargaining employees and non-department head salaried workers are receiving a 2
percent increase to their base wages. “If this is the best you can and will offer us, I’m just telling you guys on behalf of the sheriff ’s office and right now what I’m hearing around the office, you guys will lose a lot of good deputies and a lot of solid deputies,” one union employee said to the board of supervisors. “And it’s going to fall back on you guys.” Earlier this month, AFSCME rejected the proposal from the county, which had reduced the union contracts to base wages. In press releases, union leaders called it an “aggressive and targeted attack” that stripped members of their previous contract provisions and workplace protections. Supervisors Chairman Brandon Talsma told Newton News the comments UNION | 3
‘REWORK THE FORMULA, REWORK THE SPENDING’ Rep. Jon Dunwell wants to propose bill next year that gives public schools a 3-year expectancy in funding, giving time to rebuild the formula complicated formula and it’s not the same for every district,” Dunwell said at Editor’s note: This is the Feb. 15 the second in a series of gathering. articles covering the top- “My four ics discussed at legislative d i s t r i c t s gatherings hosted by the are all League of Women Voters different of Jasper County. from each Iowa House Rep. Jon other in Dunwell, R-Newton, wants terms of to propose a bill that would how the give public schools a three- d o l l a r s year funding package to come out. Dunwell allow districts better plan- R e w o r k ning. the forAlthough he was hesi- mula, rework the spendtant to mention this idea ing.” at a recent legislative gathSystems in government ering hosted by the League can be inefficient, he added, of Women Voters of Jasper but giving schools a set exCounty in the DMACC pectancy of funding could Newton Campus, Dunwell help. Dunwell said when said it is a passion of his he spoke to officials at the to introduce this bill next Baxter school district, they Shaw Media year. Then at the same time told him if they knew a 2.5 lawmakers would use those increase in SSA was comthree years to rebuild the ing every year, for example, formula. they would be fine. “To figure out how we’re “We have a lot of what’s allocating dollars to our called categorical dollars schools, because it’s a very that the schools can’t acBy Christopher Braunschweig Jasper County Tribune
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cess, categorical dollars they can’t spend,” Dunwell said, noting some districts have their hands tied. “So when you look at our penny sales tax, Newton here has primarily chosen to use that in the last couple years more for sporting facilities.” Dunwell noted if the Newton Community School District had greater freedom in spending its money it might help them out. However, he also said there is a reason why categorical funding exists. But he ultimately believes lawmakers need to create time and space to rework a system that matches Iowa. “That’s not an easy process,” he said. “Not sure you can do that in a session. I say let’s approve of a multiyear increase and then let’s work on the system and see if we can’t come out with a better, more efficient system, and get some of that money that’s hung up in the FUNDING | 3
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