THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 2025 • VOLUME N0. 124 • ISSUE NO. 27 • 1 SECTION • 6 PAGES
Serving Colfax • Mingo • Baxter • Western Jasper County
Colfax woman found guilty of child neglect Tami Jo Hodges to serve 10 years in prison for leaving an infant alone at a residence By Jamee A. Pierson Jasper County Tribune During a call involving dog complaints, the Colfax Police Department found there was more going on at a local residence. As a result, Tami Jo Hodges, 31, was found guilty on two charges of neglect or abandonment of a dependent person, a class C felony, and was
sentenced to two, simultaneous 10-year prison terms by District Court Judge Terry Rickers March 17. The Colfax Police Department was called to East Broadway Street about two dogs at large Aug. 21, 2024. It was reported one of the dogs had chased and bit a child. Once the dogs were
IMPACT served almost 2,500 residents in Jasper County Annual report shows 25% of the county population can apply for assistance By Christopher Braunschweig Jasper County Tribune IMPACT Community Action Partnership is proud to know it served 2,484 Jasper County residents this past year, but representatives of the organization told the board of supervisors that still leaves about 6,671 other residents with an income below 185 percent of the federal poverty line who are eligible to receive services.
Brandon Pollard, grants and donors coordinator at IMPACT, provided the county board of supervisors with an update of the work done in the community during the March 18 meeting. IMPACT is the Community Action Agency that serves Jasper, Boone, Marion, Polk and Boone Counties. “Our mission is to help folks that are experiencing poverty or have a low IMPACT | 3
located, they were identified as belonging to Hodges after having been at-large several times in previous days. While trying to round them up, the dogs ran back to the Hodges residence. After arriving at the residence, officers heard a baby crying inside. They tried to make contact with an adult or care giver at the residence by
knocking and announcing their presence, but there was no answer. With the baby continuing to cry, officers found the front door to be unlocked, opened it and announced their presence. The baby was located on a mattress in the living room of the house. After searching the home, no adult or care
giver was found. The officers did observe the house was full of trash, animal feces and human excrements. The dogs at large were contained within the house. Animal control was called and took both dogs. While officers were still at the residence, Hodges arrived along with another child. The
Department of Human Services was called and took custody of both children. The child with the dog bite was also identified by officers. They found the adolescent with a small scratch on her leg reportedly from the dog bite. The area previously had swelling and redness according to the child’s mother.
JASPER COUNTY LEGISLATORS SAY THERE ARE WAY TOO MANY BILLS FILED THIS SESSION Lawmakers stress both good and bad bills go through extensive vetting process By Christopher Braunschweig Jasper County Tribune
Editor’s note: This is the third in a series of articles covering the topics discussed at legislative gatherings hosted by the League of Women Voters of Jasper County. Sen. Ken Rozenboom said there have been way too many bills filed this session, and hardly any of them are good ideas. “There are over 900 House Files, nearly 1,000,” Rozenboom said during a recent legislative gathering hosted at the Newton Public Library by the League of Women Voters of Jasper County. “There are over 600 Senate Files. And then there are study bills. And there aren’t that many good ideas, let me to you.” He said it again when he and his fellow lawmakers, Rep. Barb Kniff McCulla and Rep. Jon Dun-
Christopher Braunschweig/Jasper County Tribune Sen. Ken Rozenboom speaks with constituents during a legistlative gathering hosted by the League of Women Voters of Jasper County in the meeting room of the Newton Public Library.
well, were questioned about a bill letting homeschools charge tuition and possibly be eligible for education savings accounts. He said it once more when they were asked
about a bill penalizing use of genetic-based vaccine. Rozenboom admitted at the BILLS | 3
Property tax document sent in mail only confuses an already complicated subject Jasper County leaders say budget year statements are confusing and misleading By Christopher Braunschweig Jasper County Tribune If the goal of the local government budget year statements released in the mail this past week was to confuse taxpayers, then it was an overwhelming success. Leaders from the City of Newton, Jasper County and Newton Community School District agree that informing their citizens of the upcoming public hearings for the proposed property taxation is a good thing, but they suggest the data included in the statement is confusing, misleading and overgeneralizing. For instance, Newton residents can be forgiven if they believe their taxes for city, county and school district are all increasing by 12-14 percent, because it suggests as much on the back page of the document. Although it gives these figures as hypotheticals, it also suggests property values are increasing by 10 percent. However, it is unlikely every resident’s assessed property value increased that dramatically or at all, unless they made significant changes or upgrades to
egories may see a declining property tax bill for the second year in a row,” Muckler said, adding that the statement also fails to mention taxes pay for important services. Tim Bloom, director of business services at the Newton Community School District, said the notices to taxpayers are accurate in that it gives the current tax rate and the proposed tax rate. But he said at the same time the effective rate is not really meaningful and the increased property valuation is an arbitrary factory. “It is giving people undue stress for something that is not likely and is the Christopher Braunschweig/Jasper County Tribune Representatives from IMPACT Community Action Partnership provided an an- worst case scenario for a tax increase,” nual update to the Jasper County Board of Supervisors during its meeting on Bloom said. “I believe this was not the March 18 at the county courthouse. intention of the elected officials. They would like to have sent to people their their home in the past year or so. New- in property taxes compared to the cur- taxes for the current year and what the ton City Administrator Matt Muckler rent year. next year’s proposed amounts are going said these 10 percent assessment inMuckler also argued that some tax- to be.” creases are false assumptions for almost payers actually saw a decrease in their Bloom lamented that this is not what all residents. current year taxes for FY25 due to the was included in the laws. He also sug“The FY26 budget year is a non-as- implementation of the first phase of gested there are other factors that play sessment year,” Muckler told Newton the 65-and-older and military exemp- into property taxes, such as the rollback. News, noting that odd-numbered fis- tions passed by Iowa legislators. FurThe rollback makes it so Iowans do Shawtool Media cal years are assessment years. “Unless thermore, the tax estimator linked not pay 100 percent of their valuation. property owners constructed an addi- in the statement does not include these Bloom said the legislature is trying to tion on their home or business, their exemptions. address some of these issues but the real property assessments will most likely “With fully implemented exemptions issue is people pay taxes for services. He not increase from FY25 to FY26.” in FY26 for residents over 65 and for also suggested a lack of state funding to For FY26, the City of Newton would those who qualify for the military exonly take in an additional 1.36 percent emption, Newton residents in those catTAXES | 3
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