Courthouse News & Announcements

Courthouse News - December 5, 2008

UNION COUNTY RECORDER, Paula White, 641-782-1725.

New 2009 hunting & fishing licenses go on sale December 15.  They will be effective Dec. 15, 2008 through January 10, 2010.

Regular renewal registrations for ATV & Snowmobiles are now available.  Registrations will expire on December 31, 2008.  Please bring in your registration.  Reminder notices were mailed in November.

Boaters Take Note:  Casual sales (sales between individuals) are subject to Iowa Sales Tax and local option tax.  You need a Bill of Sale from the seller, registration and a title if the boat is 17’ or longer.

The new Passport Card is now available for land and sea crossing with Mexico, Canada, Bermuda and the Caribbean.  Go to www.travel.state.gov for additional information.

The Union County Website is www.unioncountyiowa.org.  Forms are available to request a vital record, marriage application, passport application or bill of sale form.  If you have a problem with any of these services, please call the office so we can help you.

 

UNION COUNTY AUDITOR - Sandy Hysell, 641-782-1701.

UNION COUNTY TREASURER - Kelly Busch, 641-782-1710.
Drivers License (hours 8:30-4:00).

Time21 (Transportation Investment Moves the Economy in the 21^st Century) legislation, effective January 1, 2009,will increase some fees for motor vehicles in the county treasurer’s office, according to Union County Treasurer, Kelly Busch.

Iowa’s roads and bridges have been deteriorating at a rapid rate.  With 114,000 miles of highways, roads and streets and 24,753 bridges, Iowa ranks 5^th in the nation in the number of bridges and 13^th in miles of roads but has the 48^th worst urban interstate pavement conditions, 35^th worst rural interstate pavement conditions, 45^th worst primary highway (non-interstate) conditions, and 33^rd worst percentage of bridges that are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.

The Time21 fund will begin to address these problems with the goal of funding an additional $200 million annually over the next 20 years to be used only on roads and bridges.

January 1, 2009, registration fees will increase for newly purchased pickup trucks and special trucks.  For 2009 new and used pickups less than 3 tons, the fee will be increased from $65.00 to $150.00 per year for vehicles less than 7 model years.  The pickup trucks older than 7 model year fees will gradually be phased down to $50 per year.

2010 model year and beyond pickups that are used for business trade (commercial or agricultural) fee is still $150 for 3 tons; but when it is used for personal use, it will be assessed registration fees by weight and list price (just like a car).

The weight and list price for cars will be adjusted up so the minimum fee will be $50.00.  Title fees will increase from $15.00 to $25.00.  Registration fees on all trailers less than 2000 pounds will increase from $10.00 to $20.00 and all trailers more than 2000 pounds to $30.00.  All travel trailers will go from 20 cents per square foot to 30 cents per square foot.

The fees on vehicles currently owned will NOT increase but they will take longer to be reduced to the minimum fee of $50.00 at 12 model years.

The additional funds generated will be used to meet critical road and bridge infrastructure needs over the next 20 years. 

Union County Treasurer, Kelly stated, “December registration renewal notices have been recently mailed.  There may be 2 options – one for payment before December 31, 2008 and one for payment after January 1, 2009.  Customers are strongly urged to examine their statements – they may wish to renew their registrations before December 31, 2008, when fees may increase.

www.iowatreasurers.org

www.getyourtags.com

  

UNION COUNTY ASSESSOR - Gene Haner, 641-782-1735.

Please check and make sure you have a current Homestead and Military Exemption on your property.  If you have purchased a different home, make sure you have signed up for these exemptions.

The qualification for any honorably discharged member of the United Armed Forces has been changed to be eligible for the military exemption on your property taxes. Now if you have served eighteen months or more in the armed forces irregardless of when you served, you are now eligible for a Military Exemption or if you have served for twenty years in the Reserves or the National Guard you are also eligible for the military credit. What is required to sign for this credit is either a DD-214 from the regular service or a complete listing of years served from the Guard or Reserve.

You are also required to inform this office if you have removed or built any new buildings or dwellings or if you have remodeled any buildings or dwellings.

Family Farm Credit is now a one-time sign up and can be signed at any time for qualifying owners.

  

UNION COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS - Mike King, Chairperson, Ron Riley, Vice-chair, Bob Brown, Don Irelan, Tom McCann—641-782-1720.

It is all too easy to forget about the disasters of 2008 – severe storms, floods, and tornados but Union County is participating, administering and assisting with a variety of disaster related assistance programs.

During the past several months the Union County Board of Supervisors have been working closely with the Southern Iowa Council of Governments with three disaster related programs – 1) Jumpstart State Housing Assistance Program, 2) Jumpstart Federal Housing Assistance Program, 3) Jumpstart Small Business Assistance Program and the newest to be announced Jumpstart Infrastructure Assistance Program.

The Housing Assistance programs are designed to assist homeowners who experienced damage caused by the severe storms after May 25, 2008 recover from the devastation and to repair or rehabilitate their homes. In addition, to the funds received from FEMA and other sources, the Jumpstart programs could provide up to $50,000 to help offset the cost of recovery.

SICOG has already expended about $450,000 in Union and the surrounding counties and another $500,000 has been awarded in the counties to the East of Union County. In the coming months, approximately $1,000,000, which has been awarded to Union County to further assist with the disaster recovery, will begin to be used for homeowner rehabilitation / repair projects.

In addition to the housing funds, Union County has been awarded over $250,000 under the Jumpstart Small Business Assistance Program. This program is available to businesses that have been affected by the severe storms of 2008.

Finally the newest of programs to be announced is the Jumpstart Infrastructure Assistance Program. This program will make available $15.75 million for infrastructure using the CDBG infrastructure application. Applications may be submitted to the Iowa Department of Economic Development (IDED) at any time. Applications received by February 18 will be included in the first batch of applications to be reviewed.

  

UNION COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT - JO DUCKWORTH, 641-782-1622.

CodeRED©  is on line this month, In an effort to capture all residences  and businesses in Union County for CodeRED Emergency Alerts, there is a link on the Union County’s website at www.unioncountyiowa.org , then click on the Emergency Management under the office listings or call the Emergency Management Office at 641-782-1622 and I will register you on line.  Cellular phone users are strongly encouraged to register.  You will need to provide phone number, a complete address, and you will be asked if you live in a mobile or manufactured home.

The last registration date for FEMA has passed (Oct 31, 2008).  Citizens which have not received any word on their claims,  be patient.  FEMA is running 45-60 days behind on processing information.  New  registrants who haven’t heard anything back, you can expect to receive a packet from the Small Business Administration, and probably a letter from FEMA stating you are ineligible, because you had insurance.  This is NOT true.  The letter simply means they do not have enough information to process your claim, such as what insurance covered, what they did not, and all the expenses that you incurred.  You will need to file an appeal with FEMA to get any funds due to you.  I would be more than happy to help you do that,  please contact the office to make arrangements to meet with me.   You may also wish to check out rio.iowa.org to see  if you meet the requirements set forth there.

December will be a busy month for your EMA.  Required training will take me out of the office several days this month.  So, if I am not in when you call or stop by, please leave me a message with your name, phone number, and how I can be of assistance to you.  I will contact you back as soon as possible.

Check out the Emergency Management Page for new links for disaster plan preparations, winter weather tips, and registering for CodeRED

  

Union County has attempted to insure accurate information is posted to this site. However, Union County does not warrant nor guarantee the accuracy, reliability or timeliness of information on this site or information referenced or linked by this site.

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