SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
September 28, 2008
Sullivan’s Salvos 9/30/08
The flood response work of Johnson County and UI employees has been honored as a success story on the FEMA website. Follow this link for more:
http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/hazus/hz_hugsuccess.shtm
Johnson County recently submitted a Notice of Intent to acquire flooded properties through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. In layman’s terms, we are interested in buyouts.
Johnson County’s application only reflects rural residences; Iowa City and Coralville have already submitted NOIs for properties in those cities.
First, a bit of flood terminology. (No doubt many of you are unfortunately already experts in this lingo!) The floodway is the area where water goes during floods of any size. There is actual current in the floodway. The 100-year floodplain is the next-most likely area to be flooded, followed by the 500-year floodplain. Obviously, as we have seen, the flood maps are not always exactly correct, but this is the way it is supposed to work, and it generally does.
Johnson County’s application focuses on the floodway, which is the top priority of the State of Iowa. 57 of the 58 properties included in our application are located within the floodway. These properties are located in 2 general areas – homes in a neighborhood north of Iowa City know as Riverfront Estates, where Stewart Road runs into the Iowa River, and homes in two neighborhoods known broadly as the Izaak Walton League area. There is also a single house at Sutliff in the 100-year flood plain.
While 58 properties are included in the application, only 25 property owners have actually requested buyouts. Buyouts are optional on the part of both the buyer and the seller; either party can opt out (or in) up until the last minute. That is why we decided to include properties whose owners claim they are not interested; these folks may change their minds.
In a perfect world, the County would be able to buy out a whole neighborhood. That way, we could close the road, shut off utilities, and have minimal expenses for fire and police. The whole area would sit in a natural state. Even if that does not happen, it is good to get as many properties as possible out of the floodway.
The 25 properties that requested buyouts are valued at $1.58 million. The County share would be 15%, or $237,000. The total assessed value of all 58 properties is $6.65 million, making the County share $997,000.
Needless to say, Johnson County does not have a lot of extra money lying around. But buyouts can utilize many different sources of money for match. So the possibilities for funding a buyout are many.
The annual Run for the Schools is the morning of Sunday, October 5 in downtown Iowa City. This event is a great fundraiser, and lots of fun. For more info, see: http://www.runfortheschools.com/.
The Johnson County Democratic Party recently changed the date of its annual Fall BBQ from Saturday, October 4 to Saturday, October 18. The BBQ will be at the North Liberty Recreation Center from 4 to 8pm. US Senator Tom Harkin & US Congressman Dave Loebsack will be the special guests.
The date of the BBQ was changed because the Iowa Democratic Party decided to schedule its annual Jefferson Jackson Dinner on that same date. The event will be a great time; tickets are just $20 per person or $40 per family. Send me an E-mail if you’d like a ticket.
Speaking of party politics: I am very disappointed in the commercials John McCain has run on taxes. There is only one way to say it - these ads are lies!
The McCain ads claim Obama will raise taxes. In actuality, 80% of all Americans will get a tax CUT under the Obama plan. 10% will see no difference. Only the richest 10% of Americans will see an increase in taxes.
Who is affected? The lowest annual income affected would be $227,000. And folks earning exactly $227,000 would only pay an additional $12 in taxes annually. Obama’s plan rightly asks the very wealthiest people in America to give a bit more. It only makes sense.
So, given that over 90% of the people watching one of those commercials at any given time would receive a tax CUT from Obama – by my way of thinking, the McCain campaign is deliberately misleading the American people.
Plus, McCain wants to tax health benefits! THAT will raise taxes on a lot of Americans!
I used to respect Senator McCain. I lost that respect during this campaign. Senator McCain has sold his soul. As one reporter put it, “John McCain in 1999 would not vote for John McCain in 2008.
OK, I know this is petty, but it drives me CRAZY! From the official stances of AP, UPI, the New Work Times, and Garner’s:
You should use “an” before a word beginning with an “H” only if the “H” is not pronounced: “an honest effort”; it’s properly “a historic event” though many sophisticated speakers somehow prefer the sound of “an historic,” so that version is not likely to get you into any real trouble.
That has always driven me nuts!
DID YOU KNOW? In the US in 1970, there were 701,000 housing units subject to governance by homeowners associations. In 2008, the number is 24,100,000. (Source: Governing magazine.)
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-
www.johnson-county.com
"Sullivan’s Salvos" is sent once per week to any interested party. It will give a brief update on issues of interest to Johnson County residents.
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As always, feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan@mchsi.com. I look forward to serving you!
---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 10:12 PM
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