Another Job Well Done at the 2008 Taste of Southwest Iowa
Thank you to all the local volunteers who made the trip to the Capitol to visit with legislators and show off our region's assets and ag productivity! A special thanks to KMA Radio's News Anchor Mike Peterson for covering the event.

See The Day Below
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On Thursday, March 20th, the member counties of the Southwest Iowa Coalition hosted capitol guests, visitors and legislators by dishing out tasty samples of agricultural products from the region and introducing them through festive displays to local community assets and attractions at A Taste of Southwest Iowa. The annual event since 2000 delightfully surprises unsuspecting visitors and has established quite a reputation among Capitol regulars and staff as a ‘don't miss event' in the rotunda area.

More than 350 guests were served samples at many of the locally-manned county tables, and many more wandered and browsed materials and displays on opportunities for tourism, living and working in southwest Iowa . Weary legislators from a long night and early morning of debating bills came down from the chambers to visit Coalition members as they have now for 8 years. And, all the while, Fremont County 's own, Marty Mincer, filled the air with rag-time tunes on his electronic piano.

The Taste of Southwest Iowa event was started by Coalition members as a way for local agricultural producers to market their products to a broader market and to focus policy-makers on the critical role agriculture plays in our rural economies. SWICO board members meet throughout the day with the house and senate leadership and key policy-makers to discuss its annual Legislative Agenda of Priorities developed by the membership.

Member counties represented this year through local leadership included: Adair, Adams, Cass, Fremont , Montgomery , Page, Shelby and Taylor Counties. Bon's Bake House, Greenfield , Iowa , was serving up its delicious homemade peach cobbler across from Naturally Iowa's organic Falk's Ice Cream made in Clarinda. You could chose catsup or mustard on your Maidrites brought in from Atlantic, which originated in Iowa, or sample the world prize chili winner's recipe from the Farmers Kitchen. Moving around the rotunda, one could sample Zeb's Smokehouse venison from Bedford, smother a brat grilled by the Adams County Cattlemen with sour kraut, taste the popular Windy Hills Orchard jams and jelly collection or meet Miss Shenandoah. And for a little innovation, the Southwest Iowa Farm to Food Initiative hosted a table featuring edibles from aronia berries that included meatballs in aronia berry barbeque sauce and aronia berry salsa.

The event is generally held in March and any local organization or group is invited to host a table for a county that is a SWICO member. If your county would like to participate in the Taste of Southwest Iowa in 2009, you can contact the office by phone or e-mail.

click here to download Taste participation details.

Act now for TIME 21

Member and co-chair of the SWICO Transportation Committee, Larry Winum attended the TIME 21 Rally on January 23rd in Des Moines. He is asking for Coalition members to contact their legislators and request that they support fully funding the transportation measure. Below is a report with additional details. Larry or President Ken Pangburn will be happy to answer any questions members might have. Simply e-mail those to the office and they will be forwarded on to them.

Your legislators e-mail address is FirstName.LastName@legis.state.ia.us

From, member Larry Winum:

This gives you an overview of the visit I made on behalf of the Coalition last Wednesday. Bottom line, a majority of the legislators and the Governor want to find a way to fund TIME 21. It is just a question of how, and can sufficient bi-partisan support be mustered to reach a solution.

Our message needs to continue to be; it is your job as legislators and Governor to create the fairest revenue package possible to solve the transportation funding shortfall that exists. We do not care how you get there, but it is your responsibility to get it done.

 Senator Rielly and Noble are the majority and minority ranking members respectively of the Senate transportation Committee. They are both working hard together to get something done. They told us it was vital that a grassroots effort be made throughout the State where Legislators are hearing consistently from their constituents about the importance and absolute need to fund TIME 21.

In my view, this is one of the primary purposes of the SW Iowa Coalition., Now is the TIME to push hard for funding. If we want projects like the Hwy 34 Bridge and Hwy 71 to stay on track and get fully funded in the near future our legislators need to hear from us loud and clear….and probably every week!

I did talk with Nancy Richardson, and she informed me that at their most recent commission meeting, the Hwy 34 bridge project is currently the only “new” project that is listed on the current IDOT 5 year plan to potentially get funding in the 5 th year. As you know the IDOT has committed funding approximately $70 million ($30 million has been earmarked from the Feds) in the first four years of the project, but still needs to fund the final year (and the cost keeps rising). Apparently, because of the funding shortfalls, the only new project (existing transportation projects have received funding for the 5 th year) being considered for final funding is Hwy 34. The good news is that we are in the ball game. The bad news is we still need to find funding. Paul Harnett and I plan to make our annual trip to Washington in the next month or so, to push for more funding from the Fed and with the reauthorization bill coming up in the next couple years, we should be in a strong position.

I cannot over emphasize the importance of our members to contact their legislators and support funding of TIME 21. If our coalition is all about maintaining, enhancing and promoting economic development, then the proper funding of our transportation system is critical to that effort. I believe the SW Iowa Coalition has tremendous clout with our legislators….let's use it now!

Larry Winum, Transportation Committee Co-chair

TIME 21 Legislative Action Alert - Here is what you need to talk with legislators about the Coalition's position on TIME 21

Iowa Good Roads Association
1000 Walnut, Suite 102
Des Moines, Iowa 50309
515-284-7410, Fax 515-284-7301
email: info@igra.org

To: All TIME 21 Supporters
From: Dave Scott, Iowa Good Roads Association
Re: TIME 21 Funding
Date: December 5, 2007

Important

Governor Culver indicated Monday that he is not supportive of efforts to raise the gas tax at this time. Last week the Republican Party of Iowa criticized him for even thinking about supporting the gas tax. He has said he would consider other financing methods. While we have made good arguments of why a gas tax increase should be part of a funding package, we now focused on an alternative funding plan.

Please contact your legislators now. Tell them it is imperative that we look at these other sources of funding. The legislature must act in this coming session, but they must hear from people back home. The plan still gets us to $201 million by FY 2012.

TIME 21 Funding Scenario Without Gas Tax Increase

Talking Points

• Eliminates use taxes imposed on sale of vehicles subject to registration and replaces it with a "registration fee to purchase" which gives this revenue constitutional protection by sending it directly to the Road Use Tax Fund.
• Raises the amount of tax rate currently imposed on those sales from 5% to 6% of purchase price. Use taxes were originally exempted from local option taxes because not many local jurisdictions imposed the tax. Dealerships in a local option jurisdiction felt they were at a competitive disadvantage if they had to collect the tax and a dealership a few miles away did not. All dealerships are now in a local option jurisdiction today where at least 6% is being imposed on all other sales.
• The additional 1% would not remain in the local jurisdiction, but would go to the Road Use Tax Fund. Local jurisdictions will get back more through the TIME 21 formula than they would if they kept what was raised locally.
  
• Commercial and agricultural pickup trucks three tons or less will have their registration fees raised from $65 to $100. Trucks 3 - 7 tons are increased from current rate approximately $40 per year.
• All non-commercial/agricultural use pickups are also raised to $100. However, newly purchased pickups after July 1, 2008, will go to a weight and value system similar to automobiles. This system does not apply to commercial/agricultural pickups. These stay at $100.
• Automobile registration fees are extended from 5 to 7 years at paying the full registration rate.
• Driver's license fees are raised from $4.60 per year to $6.60 per year.
• Trailer registration fees are increased from $10 to $20 on trailers not exceeding 2000 lbs. and $30 for trailers over 2000lbs. These fees have not been raised since 1997.
• Title fees increase from $10 to $20 and salvage title fees from $2 to $5. These fees have not been raised since 1979.

TIME-21 Funding Scenario without Gas Tax

click here to view a chart with a scenario to fund TIME-21 at the $200m. level by 2012.

Please note these figures are based on a commercial/ag pickup registration fee of $100, all non-commercial/ag pickups at $100 and new purchases of non-commercial/ag pickups after a certain date going to the weight and value system. This scenario does not provide for a 10% reduction in registration fees as has been provided previously.

These figures also replace the use tax on the sale of vehicles subject to registration with a "registration to purchase fee", which gives this source of funding constitutional protection. The rate levied is 6% which is the minimum total sales tax in all counties in Iowa. (Use tax is currently exempt from additional local option taxes and is levied at 5%).

An adjustment to the 6% rate must be made downward to reflect a transit and tank fee to be levied at %. You would need to do this as a fee as well and not a % of sales tax because you cannot have a differential sales tax rate and conform with "streamlined sales tax." The total of the two fees would be 6%.

Agenda Item I: Tax Increment Financing (TIF)

TIF is still considered the single most important tool available for economic development in rural Iowa. It adds millions of dollars to the future tax base each year, and we would oppose efforts to limit its use. We also believe that local control needs to be maintained. However, a loophole in the legislation allows for a no bid-letting situation. We ask that you protect TIF but close this loophole in the legislation so that competitive bids must be submitted for consideration for all projects. We also ask that you consider amendment of TIF that would allow local government entities to exempt school districts from participation in TIF via a simple exclusion in the required 28-E agreement.

Agenda Item II: Value-Added Agriculture Products &

Processes Financial Assistance Program (VAAPPFAP), Community Economic Betterment Account (CEBA) and the Iowa Values Fund

Adopted by SWICO in 2004, we have requested since the 2005 legislative session that these programs

(VAAPPFAP & CEBA) be viewed independently of the Iowa Values Fund (IVF) revenue stream and that each program be considered as individual line items within the Iowa Department of Economic Development (IDED) budget and that they be funded at the previous 2002 budget level. Both legislators and IDED board members need to realize that internal funding of projects on a case-by-case basis through the IVF limits the necessary, discretionary, spending ability of IDED staff for their use in technical assistance, project creation and job incentive programs so critical to rural growth in Iowa.
We additionally requested that serious consideration be given to the expansion of the VAAPPFAP fund and that at least some weighted consideration be given to the location of value-added agricultural research/production entities that were willing to locate away from traditional university research parks into the rural areas of our state.
We are unsettled that these programs were not funded the last two years and are currently relying on the repayment of loans from the previous budget pools for operation. These programs should not be totally dependent on the repayment of loans as their only funding stream.

We ask that funding for CEBA to be restored at a budget amount of four million dollars and that VAAPPFAP be budgeted at an amount of three million dollars and that the money is transferred to the Iowa Department of Economic Development for award determination and oversight.

Agenda Item III: Highway 34 Bridge

The SWICO extends it's appreciation to the IDOT for its efforts the past year in expediting the progress of the Highway 34 Missouri River Bridge Project. This project has been officially adapted in the IDOT five-year program with approximately $64 million being designated through the year 2012. Approximately $32 million has been earmarked to this project from the Federal government after strong lobbying efforts by the SWICO over the past 15 years.

We request that our State Legislators support the efforts of the IDOT and SWICO to obtain the balance of funding required to complete construction of the project no later then 2013.

Agenda Item IV: Highway 71 Improvement Taskforce

The Southwest Iowa Coalition is fully supportive of the efforts of the Highway 71 Improvement Taskforce to improve the road surface of Highway 71 from I-80 to Clarinda. The unimproved portion of the road from US 34 to Clarinda needs to be included in the current IDOT 5-year program. This is a very rough riding section of road that needs immediate attention as over-the-road (OTR) truck traffic coming from Kansas City and further points are avoiding this main transportation route when ever possible.

Local support with cost shared funding for the project has now been approved by the RPA 13 Policy Board with the City of Clarinda agreeing to fund one-half of that cost and the remainder to be divided up from RPA funds available to Cass, Fremont, and Montgomery Counties. This project is scheduled for 2009 and 2010 due to the RPA funding.

Agenda Item V: Eminent Domain

We believe that the legislature has gotten itself involved in an unwarranted fashion regarding eminent domain as a result of the Supreme Courts', Kelo vs. New London decision. Iowa's eminent domain law has long been considered a model and has been adopted in many states across the U.S. It is important that local city and county governments have the ability to protect the public's safety, social welfare and provide public use areas and infrastructure by exercising their right of eminent domain. Keeping within the spirit of the law, it is also important that when a Government forces an individual to forfeit his property rights that it remains for the public's benefit and not for individual benefit. We do ask that any action taken on the eminent domain legislation continue to provide procedural protection to the owner of land in condemnation proceedings and continue to ensure that aspects of the proceedings be publicized and open. Further, we request that legislative action provide language that ensures, and takes into consideration, city and county-specific issues.

Agenda Item IV: TIME-21

The Southwest Iowa Coalition strongly supports investments in infrastructure that contribute to sustaining and enhancing opportunities for economic development within the State of Iowa. Members recognize that Iowa must address long-term funding that will be dedicated to maintaining its entire road system. SWICO recognizes that our rural areas are struggling to maintain county and rural roads vital to our rural economies.
Because The Southwest Iowa Coalition understands that the TIME 21 proposal would leave the existing Road Use Tax Formula unchanged for existing revenues and would only change the Road Use Tax Formula for new revenues generated its membership did resolve:

The Southwest Iowa Coalition supports the TIME 21 Proposal and appreciates the Legislature's passage of the bill, and requests that the Legislature now fully fund TIME 21 to enhance economic development in the State.
Agenda Item VII: Regional Rural Development

We again ask that you support the implementation of entrepreneurial activities in rural Iowa by carefully considering legislative language within economic development funding streams, which will ensure flexibility so that they are accessible to grassroots, regional initiatives instead of requiring conformity by them to pre-designed state agency specifications. We live here, we work here and we believe we know best how to use state funding wisely in our own region.

Federal Legislative Priorities

Federal Agenda Item I: FAA Fee Restructuring Proposal

We adamantly oppose the FAA proposal of shifting big airlines tax obligation onto the backs of small and mid-sized businesses that depend on general aviation. These FAA proposals jeopardize both airport modernization and safety while increasing fuel tax as much as 261% for general aviation and requiring unnecessary user fees. We also strongly object to the Senate Commerce Committee suggestion, which also recommends significant general aviation fuel tax, increases and user fees, while giving huge tax breaks to the big airlines. Both the FAA and the Senate Commerce Committee proposals also lack provisions for Congressional oversight of these funds which we find to be egregious and that the federal government should control budgets and spending, not departments and private industry. We would support HR 2881, which was recently passed out of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and represents a common sense approach to FAA reauthorization that would dramatically increase modernization funding, while retaining the current, simple, easy to use excise tax system.

Agenda Item II: Renewable Fuels
We believe any incentives for renewable fuels should apply only to domestically produced fuels.

Federal Agenda Item III: Highway 34 Bridge
SWICO delegates have lobbied for more than 15 years to secure funding for the Highway 34 Missouri River Bridge Project. We want to thank our Federal Legislators for the approximately $32 million of funding that has been designated to this project to date and request your continued support in funding this $100 million project. This project is now officially on the IDOT's 5 year program with construction currently scheduled to be completed by 2013. It is critical to the enhancement of economic development in S.W. Iowa that this project be completed and remains on schedule.

Federal Agenda Item II: Mandatory Price Reporting

In order for independent livestock producers to access accurate market value information for their commodities, mandatory price reporting by meat processors is necessary. Although legislation in this regard is now in place, the system is far from satisfactory in the way that it is functioning. We ask our federal senators and representatives to revisit the legislation and make necessary changes that will ensure that reporting is actually occurring and done so in a timely manner.

Federal Agenda Item III: FSA Fruit and Vegetable Requirements

Considerable effort is being made in the southwest Iowa area to encourage the production and consumption of locally produced food products. Typically, producers of these food products are raising various types of fruits and vegetables on small acreage plots. However, significant problems can arise for producers enrolled in the Farm Service Agency programs who wish to establish fruit and vegetable production on their farms. We ask our federal senators and representatives to consider granting waivers for small-scale production of fruit and vegetables on farms enrolled in the FSA program.

Federal Agenda Item IV: Farm Bill

We are encouraged by the drafts being circulated and conversations with Congressional staffers that the Farm Bill has included valued provisions for improved rural development opportunities. We continue to be users and beneficiaries of such programs as VAPG, RBOG, RBEG, IRP, B&I and other programs administered by USDA-Rural Development. We are also very encouraged about proposed legislation that could create the Rural Collaborative Investment Program (RCIP) to support rural regions working cooperatively to improve their geographic areas and a new micro-enterprise lending and technical assistance program, as well as provisions addressing improved rural telecommunication infrastructure, alternative energy and support of bioscience initiatives.

Reserve the August date for 2008
August 26th at the Red Oak Country Club

The member golf outing, which has become a custom, will become an annual tournament event. Thank you to member, Jason Reynolds in Taylor County, for making the 2006 1st official Annual Golf Tournament such a success!

It has become a custom through the last few years for members to enjoy golf prior to the regular board and member meetings in August at the Atlantic Golf and Country Club. The goal for next August will be 15 teams of 4 for golf, so be planning your county teams now.

The candidates forum has been blended with the golf and cookout and has worked well. The board has decided to host a legislative forum in August each year following the golf tournament. During the election cycles, SWICO will invite candidates for a moderated forum, and on non-election years, legislators representing the membership area will be invited for an informal panel discussion. The Coalition will use this opportunity to submit a platform from the membership on issues targeted for impact during the upcoming legislative session.

Farm Bill Forums

Senator Tom Harkin met with SWICO representatives in an effort to gather grassroots input for development needs that might be addressed within the new Farm Bill legislation.
Focus groups throughout the state were scheduled. The Coalition thanks Senator Harkin for the special invitation to participate in the process. Members from SWICO traveled to Harlan to share their challenges and resource needs in all areas of rural development with special emphasis on rural agricultural initiatives that can build sustainable economies. Special appreciation goes to the Senator's representative, Ellen Huntoon for making the arrangements.