Special to the Times Vedette
Leah Fett of Guthrie Center was recently named to Concordia University, Nebraska’s Honors List for the fall 2023 semester. A total of 226 total students were named who earned a 3.9 GPA or higher while also completing at least 12 credit hours.
By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
On Jan. 4, the Guthrie County Board of Supervisors met for their first weekly budget workshop meeting in preparation for budgeting for the upcoming 2025 fiscal year. The supervisors heard from two departments, Veterans Affairs/General Relief and the Auditor’s Department.
Beth Watson, administrator for Veterans Affairs, provided a summary of the preliminary budgetary plans for her department.
Auditor Dani Fink shared budget numbers for her department. She explained the projected costs of elections.
The supervisors discussed the feasibility of reviewing budgetary numbers from remaining departments, and whether or not that could be achieved in one day. There was consensus that each department’s initial overview with the supervisors should only take 15-20 minutes.
The supervisors held their regular meeting on Jan. 9. Zoning Administrator Chris Whitaker spoke to the supervisors regarding a requested appeal from Brian and Michelle Bailey, regarding the requirements for a minor subdivision.
Whitaker said that according to the guidelines, “Even a minor subdivision does require a paved surface.”
“The rules are pretty clear as to what we can and can’t do right now, so we’re not in a position to where we can change that for this particular situation,” Supervisor Maggie Armstrong said.
Armstrong added that, going forward, she feels the supervisors should review the rules to see if any need to be updated. The consensus among supervisors was that the rules as they are currently written are clear. Mike Dickson made a motion to deny the appeal, and it was unanimously passed.
The supervisors heard from two members of the Guthrie County Compensation Board, John Tews and John Twillmann, regarding recommendations for Fiscal Year 2024-2025 salaries for elected officials. Guthrie County salaries currently are below the average and the median when compared to all counties in Iowa. The recommendation was for an increase of 7.25%. The supervisors voted to approve the recommendation.
The board’s next meeting will be a budgetary workshop on Thursday, Jan 11 at 9 a.m. The next regular meeting will be Tuesday, Jan. 16 at 9 a.m. Interested persons may listen to the supervisor meetings remotely by dialing 1-323-792-6123 and entering passcode 547 029 216#.
By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
During the regular meeting of the Panora city council on Jan. 8, the council discussed the status of discussions with the EMS Advisory Council.
“Last Thursday, Brian (Dorsett), Blake (Michelsen), Lisa (Grossman) and I met with the county EMS advisory group,” Mayor Curt Thornberry said. “They put together a proposal.”
Michelsen and Dorsett shared their impressions from the meeting.
“Each side is kind of holding their own, and hopefully we can work through that in the next meeting or two, and finally get in a direction where we can move forward,” Councilman Dorsett said.
“There’s an argument that it could be more efficient and more cost-effective if there weren’t two services, but rather just one,” Thornberry said, noting that County Supervisor Mike Dickson was collecting data to try to quantify the potential savings.
“We’ll see what happens,” Thornberry said. “I’m looking forward to seeing what they bring back.”
In other news, the city council approved the 2024 fire department roster and the 2024 EMS volunteer roster as presented.
The council also discussed obtaining a Mobile Solar Battery Trailer at no cost to the city. The trailer is available through funding with 90% of the costs paid through FEMA and the remainder by the state. The trailer would allow the city to have a portable power source for incidents such as power outages or certain events. The council agreed this would be a worthwhile piece of equipment to have.
The council members each signed the City Council Personal Code of Conduct.
The council’s next regular meeting will be Monday, Jan. 22 at 5:30 p.m. The meeting is accessible electronically thru GoToMeeting as allowed by Section 21.8 of Iowa Code. Web link: https://meet.goto.com/cityofpanora or Phone call: 1-(312)-757-3121 Access code: 295-099-701 Audio PIN: 220 #
By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
The first measurable winter storm of the season brought more than 9 inches of snowfall to the area by this morning, as seen in this photo on Main Street in Panora.
By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
Landon and Lindsey Loftsgard are the new owners of Panorama Gardens in Panora. Their initial goal, according to Landon, is to keep things running the way that customers have expected during the 70 years that the business was run by the Olson family. Not only are there no immediate plans for drastic change, but there is a process in place to assure continuity.
“Panorama Gardens was in the Olson family, started by Dave’s father, since the early 1950s, and they’re staying on for the next couple weeks to do some training and ensure a smooth transition,” Landon said.
A grand opening event for the new owners is tentatively planned for the spring with the date and details to be announced later.
As the new owners settle in, some expansions are likely.
“Further down the road, we’re looking at bringing in some expanded garden products, like patio furniture and trees,” Landon said. “We’re definitely open to ideas.”
Landon and Lindsey Loftsgard, with their children Brooks and Annie, and their dog, Gus