West Des Moines Express (Newspaper) - March 2, 1984, West Des Moines, Iowa Serving you in west Des Clive And Windsor Heights 25t Vol. 90 27 West Des Iowa March 2.1984 D WZ rt tc BJ 2 -a o Cu fD W T West Des Moines Board votes down fact finders report BY BRIAN BLOOM The West Des Moines School Board unanimously approved the report in their settlement with the West Des Moines Educational Support Personnel but rejected the report for that district's education association in their regular board meeting Monday The which was moved up to 4:30 p.m. to accomodate basketball saw the board vote to go into binding arbitration in the faculty The education association had previously agreed to the amended fact finders The amended report was necessary because of some calculations that did not add up in the original report given to the According to West Des Moines Education Association negotiation spokesperson Sandy the neutral fact report was overwhelmingly received by the education Demers stated that the association has been extremely disappointed with the stance this In a phone Demers pointed out that the main objection to the package was the way the total dollars in the package was distributed between the fringe and the Other objections reportedly were Centered around the current nurses salary and the vision care The which entered into executive session to discuss negotiations reportedly commented that they had little objection to the total dollar cost of the package but that objections were to the way the dollars were According to board members also commented that fringe benefits are getting out of hand and need to be There has been no official remarks made from school representatives as they cited a ten day period before the fact report would become The next step in the negotiations is binding In that a representative from the one from the education association and a third party must choose between the original the association's proposal or the fact Only those three plans can now be What the arbitration board finds is also binding to both In other the board approved the hiring of a consultants team from the University of Illinois headed by Dr. This at an estimated cost of will look at the district's kindergarten program and make suggestions as to the curriculum and other information for the The board also approved the report from Environmental of Mississippi and Kansas That firm has studied the asbestos problem at Stilwell Junior High and made their recommendations for the Bids for that removal will be opened at the next with work expected to begin in Two important items were deferred to a later The school calendar was until the Des Moines School District finalizes The board wished to have their district's dates coincide with Des Moines The board also deferred discussion on liability insurance for the school until an undisclosed later Second graders from Phenix School entertained the board prior to beginning the Monday Johnston council submits estimated budget BY BRIAN BLOOM ' Johnston's City Council voted to approve a policy of soliciting insurance proposals in a meeting that centered mainly on the proposed storm drainage The insurance proposal was given to the International City Management Association who contracts the work out to The Wyatt Company of D. C. The council was looking for a group that was not involved in the city practices to formulate an insurance plan for the Cost of the management group is 14,300. The bulk of Thursday night's or centered on whether or not to ask special assessments for the proposed 1964 storm drainage Bob of Veenstra and told the board of the various assessment options available to These included options to assess front benefitted areas or a general The board took no formal action but support was given to both assessing property owners in the city or taking the money general funds on Possibly the most important issue that showed little discussion centered on the proposed budget for the 198445 The which is printed elsewhere in this shows a decline in the total budget askings for next The 1983-84 estimated budget was set at The proposed budget for the next year has been set at City Manager Don Coates explained that this upcoming year is minus some costly expenditures founa in past Coates pointed to the railroad track purchases and conservation land acquisitions of last year are not necessary in this year's Coates also pointed out that the levy per valuation has gone Last year Johnston officials asked for 7.50 per This year's askings were for approximately per Coates explained that industrial and residential growth within the community as well as property value increases has allowed for the drop in levy Specific budget askings include a general fund of from property tax That budget grows to with the addition of special revenues and trust and agency Under program expenditure the council is asking for more money in three of the four Community protection has a budget set at That is up from last year's re-estimated budget of Human which takes in has nearly a growth for this year up from a year Policy and administration also has a healthy raise from to in this year's Home and Community Environment has a large decrease in that That appropriation is over less than a year ago at A public hearing has been set for March 8 at 7:15 p.m. to discuss the proposed THE MARTIN HOUSE Clive refuses MTA request BY BRIAN GRANBERG have budgeted a fair amount for the service we get out said Clive Mayor Gene Maddox and the rest of the Clive City Council agreed to refuse to pay the Metropolitan Transit Authority any more than budgeted for the bus Angered by the threat of the MTA board of Trustees to end bus service to the at the endof members of the council indicated they will probably not approve the for 1984-85 bus The city budgeted for this year's service but the MTA charged the city The MTA request for 1984-85 is Maddox pointed out the city can not raise taxes to pay the extra for the 1983-84 bus service and the only place to get the money is to take it from needed funds in other city affecting services like police and fire The only bus service now provided Clive is express bus service in the morning and evenings serving about 60 Maddox pointed out the bus users pay about per year for the service while the city subsidizes these riders with per rider per bothers me when the MTA says we can't raise said is no way they can take a car downtown and park it that big problem with the said Councilman Ralph they just spend what they We levy the When we give them a I don't know why they don't live under it. They are not a taxing They act like another county government out Jerry the Clive representative on the MTA faced the council and tried to explain the MTA He told the council that you can not raise revenues by raising He called the problems with the MTA a deteriorating more you cut the fewer riders you believe the City of Clive has a to support public transit but they make it difficult for us to said Councilman Ken Maddox said the council has for a long time there needs to be better budget control by the Forest general thinks elected officials should do I think Forest ought to do Maddox predicted the member cities will have continuing problems using property tax funding to finance the bus Martin House ordered raised believe the City of Clive has been said City councilman Ken say patient to a and since Gladys and Carl Martin have refused to permit inspectors access to their home at 1559 NW 80th the Clive City Council unanimously approved the motion ordering the Martins out and their house demolished by March 1. The city has claimed the house is delapidated and a fire hazard and although the Martins have made some repairs to the they refused to permit inspectors to determine if the repairs were sufficient to correct the The council's order at the Feb. 23 city council invoked a December 1981 Polk County District Court ruling that ordered the home Johnston ratifies teacher contracts The Johnston Board of Education approved tentative contracts with the Johnston Education Association and the Johnston Education Support Personnel Association at a meeting last The two-year contract with the JEA calls for a 4.21 percent increase in salaries of certified This would amount to a increase in the base bringing it to Steps 1-7 would be increased per and steps 9 and above will see a All personnel whose salaries are off the salary schedule for 1984-85 will receive in addition to their 1983-84 School nurses were granted a five percent The agreement covers all school such as secretaries and bus All cells of the wage schedule were increased 4.5 and health and insurance provisions were The JEA and the had earlier voted in favor of the proposed Also at the the board held a work session on the 1984*85 district The proposed general fund budget will be and the schoolhouse fund budget will total - million of which is tagged for the construction of the new middle A public hearing on the budget will be held March 12 at 7:30 p.m. in the district administration
