Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025
Vol. 6, No. 22
PCMExplorer Local People. Local Stories.
New council member selected for Prairie City
Beth James to fill open seat through 2025 By Jamee A. Pierson PCM Explorer Two candidates submitted their names for the open Prairie City City Council seat, and at the Jan. 8 meeting the council heard from each person on why they wanted to serve. After learning their motivations for helping to lead Prairie City, the council selected Beth
James. “I would really like the opportunity to help shape where we are going in the future,” James said. James will be taking the seat of former city council member Emily Simmons who resigned from the position at the Dec. 18 special council meeting. She will be sworn in at the Feb. 12 meeting and serve through
December 2025. “I am relatively new to Prairie City, here just more than 10 years, and I would like to get involved,” James said. “I am more experienced on my side of the table and I’m curious what it is like from that side of the table. I like to be involved in things. I’ve been an election chairperson for almost 30 years because I enjoy being a
part of the process and helping other people with that process. This is something new, a new challenge.” Along with James, Lisa Brannen put her name in for the seat. A lifelong Prairie City resident, Brannen stated her biggest goal was to get more people involved in city government. “Coming in here I was expecting a few more outside people and I see nobody,” Brannen said. “I think that is
Mental health, substance misuse among top health needs for Jasper County Community Health Needs Assessment brings to light which issues Jasper County residents and community partners currently find most significant
important, especially with our younger generation.” The council discussed the attributes both candidates would bring to the governing body and city and chose James for the opening. “I might be a fresh eye to what is going on and there might be unique characteristics that I bring to the team,” James said. The seat will be up for election during the November election this year.
Jasper County obligates remainder of its ARPA funds Supervisors plan to distribute money to conservation, secondary roads and EMA By Christopher Braunschweig PCM Explorer
each presentation and delve further into information made available on the topics. Each group then identified the top two issues related to each need along with submitting individual responses for the top three strengths and top three gaps related to health in Jasper County. After all data was collected, the advisory committee then ranked the identified significant health needs based on the number of people impacted, impact on vulnerable populations, importance to the community and feasibility of change. MercyOne Newton Medical Center, the Jasper County Health Department and the advisory committee reconvened in December to develop an action plan
Jasper County officially obligated the remainder of its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds during the Dec. 31 meeting, which effectively distributed more than $900,000 to a number of different causes. The board of supervisors was required to commit its federal relief money to before the start of the New Year. County Auditor Jenna Jennings said the county received a total of $7.2 million in ARPA funds, which have been spent on numerous projects over the past few years. All of the money has to be spent by Dec. 31, 2026. New guidelines required the county to pass memorandums of understanding to commit funding. Four memorandums of understanding were passed individually by the board of supervisors, and each one distributed funds to specific projects. Jasper County Conservation received $174,005.10 to construct a second cabin at the Bison Ridge Campground in Mariposa Park for recreational purposes; conservation also received $400,000 to go towards
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Jasper County Health Department The Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) was presented to the Jasper County Board of Health during its first meeting of the year Jan. 9.
By Jamee A. Pierson PCM Explorer
Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of articles exploring the results of the Jasper County Community Health Needs Assessment. Mental health and substance misuse ranked as the highest community health needs in the latest Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) for Jasper County. Jasper County Health Department Administrator Becky Pryor shared the results of the assessment with the board of health at its Jan. 9 meeting. Along with MercyOne Newton Medical Center, the Jasper County Health Department conducted the overview of the county starting in May 2024. A 43-question survey was
available for citizens to share their personal experiences throughout the month with 373 responses collected in that time. The CHNA Advisory Committee also held a community town hall meeting in September to gain additional data. At the meeting, 82 local partners convened for a data presentation and prioritization workshop. Attendees were briefed on four different broad health topics based upon the results of primary and secondary data analysis. They included access to medical care, mental health or substance use disorders, active living, healthy eating, and lifestyle, and social, economic and environmental factors. The participants were able to engage in table discussions following
KNIFF MCCULLA: Small businesses need incentives and assistance with workforce Lawmaker says older Iowans are worried they are being taxed out of their homes By Christopher Braunschweig PCM Explorer
Editor’s note: The following story is the final part in a three-part series going over the priorities of lawmakers who represent Jasper County communities. The issues covered do not represent all of what legislators want to accomplish but merely a small handful of what they consider top priorities. Iowa State Rep. Barb Kniff McCulla of District 37 wants to see the legislature prioritize property taxes and issues affecting education, but as a
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small business owner herself she very much has her eyes set on improving businesses, cultivating a strong workforce and bolstering economic development in the state. Specifically, she wants to provide additional value to other post- Kniff McCulla grad options besides going to a four-year college. Kniff McCulla said Iowa needs more apprentice-
ships, more workforce options that do not need a four-year education. Small businesses, she said, may be able to take those people on with incentives. “We’ll teach you and then you work for me for X-amount of years and so forth,” Kniff McCulla said. “…I’d like to work on that with Labor and Workforce.” As chair of the House Labor and Workforce Committee, she will certainly get a chance to do so. Kniff McCulla said small businesses are the “backbone of America,” and Iowa lawmak-
ers need to make sure those small businesses stay in their small communities and continue benefiting them. “They thrive, the small business thrive, the people of that area thrive — so it’s very important we keep those small businesses,” Kniff McCulla said. “It’s opportunities for people to own something like that, and that gives people encouragement and opportunities. Those are all really good things.” But many small businesses, Kniff McCulla said, struggle with property taxes and maintaining a workforce. She
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said one solution could be to incentivize 65 and older individuals to work part-time jobs in these industries. Another way to increase workforce is by attracting more people to the state. “The governor is doing a great job with everything we have going with our taxes that we can get people moving into our state,” Kniff McCulla said, adding that one such couple moved to Pella from Minnesota after seeing the “Freedom to Flourish” slogan on Interstate 35. KNIFF MCCULLA | 3
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