THURSDAY, JAN. 11, 2024 • VOLUME N0. 129 • ISSUE NO. 17 • 1 SECTION • 8 PAGES
Serving — Colfax • Mingo • Baxter • Western Jasper County
CODE COMPLAINT
Colfax resident’s property use complaint highlights code enforcement struggles
How are candidates approaching agricultural issues? See what presidential hopefuls are saying about today’s farming challenges By Christopher Braunschweig PCM Explorer
Christopher Braunschweig/Jasper County Tribune A rural Colfax resident complained to the board of supervisors about being told what he can and cannot do on his property by community development staff, who have taken a more proactive approach to enforcing Jasper County’s ordinances in recent years.
By Christopher Braunschweig PCM Explorer Discussions between Colfax resident Robert Bell and the board of supervisors over codes and property rights got heated at the end of the open meeting on Dec. 17, 2023, resulting in an intense back-and-forth argument in which several Jasper County officials begged the man to work with staff to meet compliance. For some time Bell says he has been hassled by the county over the vehicles, truck parts and tires he stores on his property, eventually leading him to consider building what he claimed was a 6,000-foot fence around his property to keep people out, prevent more county
hasslin’ and hide the nuisances. Currently, there are numerous vehicles — including semi-trailer trucks — being stored on more than 36 acres of land owned by Bell (made up of two adjacent lots spanning about 18 acres each), which can be seen from the nearby roads along West 76th Street South and South 44th Avenue West. Jasper County’s GIS maps from 2017, 2019 and 2022 show the accumulation of stored vehicles has only grown over the years. Newton News also observed the early construction of a tall fence bordering the property near the southwest corner of the lower lot, which is classified by zoning codes as “agriculture” and “ag dwelling.” In Jas-
per County, agricultural and rural residential properties are prohibited from being used as junkyards. According to the county’s zoning code definitions, Bell’s property could meet the definitions of a “junkyard,” which is any lot where junk, used for second-hand materials are bought, sold, exchanged, stored, baled, packed, disassembled or handled. Junk is defined as any old, used, discarded or salvaged material. However, Bell doesn’t see it that way, and he doesn’t believe the county should be able to tell him what he can and cannot do on his property “I don’t want people telling me COMPLAINT | 3
Iowa Caucuses less than a week away Caucus locations set for Jasper County communities By Christopher Braunschweig PCM Explorer The first in the nation Iowa Caucuses are less than a week away with locals interested in the political process gathering the evening of Jan. 15. There are a variety of locations assigned to citizens of Jasper County depending on the township they reside. They include: • Clear Creek-Inde-
pendence — Baxter City Hall — 203 S. Main St., Baxter • Mound Prair i e -Po w e s h i e k-Wa s hington, Colfax 1, Colfax 2 and Colfax 3 — Colfax Mingo Elementary School — 20 W. Broadway St., Colfax • Des Moines — PCM Middle School Library — 407 E. Plainsman Rd., Prairie City • Fairview — PCM High School Library — 400 IA 163 Bus., Monroe
• Hickory Grove — Kellogg United Methodist Church — 417 Second St., Kellogg • Buena Vista-Elk Creek, Lynngrove-Richland — Lynnville Sully Middle School — 1246 Hwy F 62 E., Sully • Malaka-Newton-Sherman, Newton 1-1, Newton 1-2, Newton 2-1, Newton 2-2, Newton 3-1, Newton 3-2, Newton 4-1, Newton 4-2, Palo Alto — Berg Middle School — 1900 N. Fifth
Ave. E., Newton To participate, an individual must be a registered member of the party caucus they are attending. A person cannot be registered to no party. The individual must be 18 years old by the upcoming Election Day of the election year, Nov. 5 for 2024. A 17-year-old can participate as long as they will be 18 by Nov. 5. Participants must also reside in the precinct they are caucusing in.
Editor’s note: The following article originally appeared in the Fall 2023 edition of Central Iowa AgMag as a way to show how certain candidates felt about agricultural issues at that particular time. As such, some information has been removed to better reflect the current candidates still in the race for the nomination. With the primaries for the upcoming presidential election coming up, I bet a lot of us are wondering what the candidates and incumbent are saying about farmers and the agricultural industry. Some folks may have already made up their mind on who they’re voting for, but I’m still curious what candidates have to say. So I’ve scoured through some of the latest headlines and campaign websites for any information I could find about candidates’ views on agriculture. Here’s what I’ve found: JOE BIDEN While farmers were waiting for fields to dry after a late October rainfall, President Joe Biden announced more than $5 billion in investments to rural communities. Funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Inflation Reduction Act and other programs will go towards advancing rural prosperity, economic development, competition and sustainability, according to a Nov. 1 press release from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Here is a breakdown of the funds: • $1.7 billion in investments in climate-smart agriculture practices. • $1.1 billion in investments in rural American infrastructure through loans/grants. • $2 billion in investments to partner with rural communities to create jobs, support rural-led economic development. • $274 million to expand critical rural highspeed internet infrastructure. • $145 million to expand access to renewable energy, lower energy costs for rural Americans. However, some pundits have criticized Biden’s green-focused approach to agriculture. In August 2023, Politico reported that even some advocates are not convinced it will help. Coupled with the negotiations to pass the farm bill (the results of which were unknown by press time), Biden might have an uphill battle. CANDIDATES | 4
ROZENBOOM: Transparency needed to ensure no foreign, corporate ownership of Iowa farmland State senator’s priorities for 2024 legislative session focus on agriculture, natural resources By Christopher Braunschweig PCM Explorer
Rozenboom
Editor’s note: The following is the second of three articles going over Jasper County lawmakers’ priorities for the 2024 legislative session. Although Iowa Sen. Ken Rozenboom is chair of the education committee, it is actually CONTACT US
his work on the agricultural and natural resources committees that is driving his personal list of priorities for the 2024 legislative session, which includes taking a hard look at who is buying Iowa farmland. Specifically, Rozenboom wants to address concerns of any foreign ownership and corporate ownership. While there
there are laws prohibiting the purchase or acquisition of Iowa farmland from foreign businesses and governments, there Shaw is a strong feeling Media there may be some “very deep pockets” inappropriately involved. With his strong background in agriculture, Rozenboom is greatly concerned about potential foreign investment in est. 1851
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farmland in Iowa and across the country. He is also concerned about corporate ownership. Again, there are laws limiting corporate influence on farmland, but he has doubts everyone is in compliance. “For almost two years now, we’ve been digging into this with ROZENBOOM | 4
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