Guthrie County Sergeant Kent Gries reported a semi vs. cow collision occurring on Oct. 27 at 7:43 a.m. on Justice Road. William Anthony Hike, 38, of Grand Junction, was driving a 2004 Peterbilt semi tractor southbound in the 1200 block of Justice Road and struck a black angus cow in the roadway owned by Steven Ray Schwartz of Bayard. The cow was killed upon impact. Estimated damage to the Peterbilt is $1,500. Value of cow is estimated at $1,500. No citations were listed on the report. 

Guthrie County Chief Deputy Jeremy Bennett reported a two-vehicle accident occurring on Oct. 25 at 7:46 a.m. on Prairie Street in Guthrie Center. Michael Charles Kesselring, 65, of Guthrie Center, was driving a 2016 Kia Sportage EX northbound on Seventh Street and collided with a 2018 Kia FRT SD driven by Paxton Kay Schneider, 20, of Adair at the intersection of Seventh and Prairie. Estimated damage to the 2016 Kia is $7,000. Estimated damage to the 2018 Kia is $4,500. No injuries were reported. Kesselring was charged with failure to yield from stop sign.   

Guthrie County Deputy Sheriff Matt Losee reported a single-vehicle accident occurring on Oct. 24 at 6:02 p.m. on Highway 141. Scott Richard Mills, 33, of Adel, was driving a Ford F-350 and pulling a grain cart that overturned. Estimated damage is $10,000. No injuries were reported. 

By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette

During the Oct. 28 regular meeting of the Guthrie Center City Council, City Clerk Kris Arrasmith asked the council to consider approving the city’s downtown TIF area for another five years. The council unanimously approved this.

The council set a public hearing on the Urban Renewal Plan Amendment for the Guthrie Center Urban Renewal Area. The public hearing will happen in conjunction with the regular city council meeting on Monday, Nov. 25.           

As part of the consent agenda, the council approved liquor licenses for Wine Time LLC and Incredi-Bowl.

Upcoming events mentioned included the Guthrie County Community Foundation fall reception on Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 6:30 p.m. at the Panora Community Center. There was also a mention of the Big Green Umbrella open house, 104 Industrial Road in Guthrie Center, on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 4-6:30 p.m.

Arrasmith pointed out that during the city’s Trick-or-Treat hours (6-8 p.m. on Oct. 31), National Honor Society students will also be going house-to-house collecting food items for the food pantry.

Arrasmith shared progress on construction at the Cameron Flats housing project.

“If you’ve driven down there, you’ve probably seen they’ve been moving dirt around,” Arrasmith said.

She added that a lot was recently sold, so the project is moving forward nicely.

Because of Veterans Day, the next regular meeting of the city council will be Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 5:45 p.m. The public is welcome.

By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette

During the regular Oct. 29 meeting of the Guthrie County Board of Supervisors, the supervisors heard a request to appeal the zoning administrator’s decision for a building permit at 3276 268^th St. in Stuart.

The requestor, identified as Mr. Bagby, explained that he would like to build a small house and six cabins for the purpose of a nonprofit religious 501(c)3 community on the land. He said it would not be considered a church but a ministry.

Region XII Zoning Administrator Chris Whitaker explained that, unfortunately, there simply is not an appropriate and legal way to approve the request.

“The issue is the small cabins, the community or retreat center, and a number of other things that Mr. Bagby has proposed…none of which are permitted uses, accessory uses or conditional uses in the Ag district in the Guthrie County Zoning Ordinance,” Whitaker said.

Whitaker added that rezoning one particular parcel of land is generally not considered proper, and he cautioned the supervisors about doing so.

The supervisors voted unanimously to accept Whitaker’s recommendation.

A citizen mentioned there will be an open house, presented by Summit Carbon Solution, for the public to learn more about CO2 safety and transportation, Nov. 6 at Barnett Library in Guthrie Center from 5-7 p.m.

County Treasurer Brenda Campbell informed the supervisors about a request to suspend taxes for Parcel 0000996001. She explained that the homeowner is dealing with significant medical challenges, and there have been similar tax suspensions in the past for similar situations. She said if granted, the taxes would be suspended until the home is sold.

Supervisor Maggie Armstrong cautioned against making a snap decision and said she feels more information is needed about this entire process.

“I can make assumptions to get there, but I don’t think that’s fair to either party. I just want to be very mindful. I would make a motion to table this for now,” Armstrong said.

The supervisors voted to table the matter.

County Engineer Josh Sebern gave an update, including the annual review of the weed commissioner’s report. The supervisors approved reappointing Tim Masters as the county’s weed commissioner.

Supervisor Mike Dickson asked the supervisors to consider approving the county to work with Ahlers & Cooney to draft a Hazardous Pipeline Ordinance. Supervisor Brian Johnson said it seems clear that the Iowa Utility Commission has authority in this area, so any such ordinance by a county would likely be ineffective. Armstrong suggested seeking more clarification on whether the county has any leeway in this area.

The supervisors previously voted to cancel the Nov. 5 meeting due to Election Day. Therefore, the next regular meeting of the supervisors will be Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 9 a.m. The public is welcome to attend in person or via remote technology. To join remotely, call 323-792-6123, then use meeting code 547029216#.