County nearing Home Base Iowa designation

BY BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

Henry County moved a step closer to becoming part of the Home Base Iowa initiative on Tuesday.

During their meeting, the Henry County supervisors passed a resolution supporting the state program, launched by Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad.

The Home Base Iowa Initiative is a public-private partnership with a goal of matching military veterans with jobs available across Iowa. The initiative consists of two components ? Home Base Iowa Businesses and Home Base Iowa Communities.

Branstad is requesting Iowa businesses and communities support the initiative. One of the requirements is a resolution from the county board of supervisors.

Leading the Home Base effort in Henry County is the Mt. Pleasant Area Chamber of Commerce and the Mt. Pleasant Area Development Commission with each group agreeing to fund the job search assistance part of the program.

Travis Kraus, executive vice president of the Mt. Pleasant Area Chamber of Commerce, and Melissa Flowers, Chamber membership and small business coordinator, submitted the resolution and briefed supervisors on the project.

Kraus said the initiative has been in motion at the local level for a number of months. ?We?re close to having all the pieces to submit the application for a county designation (as a Home Base Iowa Community),? Kraus remarked. ?This is a great way to honor veterans. We want veterans to come to Henry County to live and work.?

He said that about 19 Iowa communities already have received the designation, but that Henry County ?was ahead of the curve for the rest of the state.?

There are four primary requirements of the program including: 10 percent of businesses with job openings pledge to hire at least one veteran; the community puts together an incentive package for veterans and their families; a governing body passes a resolution in support of the designation; and Home Base Iowa signs are posted as appropriate.

Flowers said 20 county businesses, dependent on job openings, have signed the pledge to hire at least one veteran.

The Chamber and Economic Development Commission have drafted a three-prong package to lure veterans and their families to the county. The three package incentives include job search assistance, relocation assistance and a welcome package.

Job search assistance includes maintaining a list of businesses that have pledged to hire veterans and posting information and links on the Chamber?s website. The Chamber and Economic Development Commission will also help defray costs associated with traveling to Henry County for job interviews, such as motel and gasoline expenses.

As for those ready to make the leap to Mt. Pleasant, relocation assistance would be available. The assistance includes a down payment on closing costs for home purchases, courtesy of local lenders; property tax abatement; and employer-paid relocation assistance at participating companies. The cities of Mt. Pleasant, Wayland and Winfield have offered five-year property tax abatement on the first $75,000 of improvements to dwellings. New London will give a three-year tax abatement on 100 percent of improvements. The state also gives 100 percent lifetime tax abatement for disabled veterans unable to work.

The welcome package includes lots of goodies from the Henry County Veterans Affairs Office, including free passes to Iowa Wesleyan University athletic events for one academic year, free associate membership to the Mt. Pleasant Area Chamber of Commerce for one year, free Mt. Pleasant Community School District events passes for one academic year and a discount on membership to the Rec Center in Mt. Pleasant.

?We want to match veterans with jobs here,? Kraus said. ?It is a great way to honor our veterans and also respond to the need for skilled workers.?

Other agenda items during the board?s meeting were scant.

Henry County Engineer Jake Hotchkiss presented his weekly report, calling the past week ?the calm before the storm,? meaning that planning is beginning in earnest for the construction season.

Hotchkiss said the county secondary-roads crew spent the week cutting brush, working on gravel roads and mowing.

He said he is continuing to lay the groundwork for summer construction projects and the board will be awarding bids for some of those projects for three straight weeks in March.

County Recorder Shirley Wandling?s fiscal 2017 budget proposal was received. Wandling said, ?I haven?t done much changing (on the budget) at all.? The budget included just minor changes in a couple of areas. She also included a new printer and possibly an 11x17 scanner in her proposal.