SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
February 7, 2024
Sullivan’s Salvos 2/8/24
In this edition:
*Happy Valentine’s Day!
*Happy Mardis Gras!
*Pitchers and Catchers Report!
*Bowl For Kids Sake
*Dane’s Dairy
*Free Tax Help!
*LEED Silver!
*Local Solutions to Big Problems
*Did You Know?
*Happy Valentine’s Day!
For some folks out there, Valentine’s Day will result in flowers, a nice meal, or some other show of affection. I also recognize that for many folks, Valentine’s Day is a very difficult day.
Go ahead and dote on a loved one – they deserve it! But please use this day to also check in with someone who needs some company.
*Happy Mardis Gras!
Tuesday, February 13th is Fat Tuesday, the 14th is Ash Wednesday, and Easter is 40 days after that. Sounds like a reason to celebrate! Laissez les bons temps rouler!
*Pitchers and Catchers Report!
That’s right! A sure sign of spring! Pitchers and catchers report on February 14! Opening Day 2024 is only a few weeks away!
*Bowl For Kids Sake
The Sullivan for Supervisor team is once again raising money for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Johnson County by Bowling For Kids’ Sake.
BBBS is REALLY important! Statistics show that having a trusted adult mentor makes an unbelievable difference in the life of a child. Kids with BBBS matches do better academically, are less likely to abuse drugs and alcohol, and are less likely to be involved in the criminal justice system. This simple idea WORKS.
Please contribute to the Sullivan for Supervisor team at:
https://bbbsjc.bbbsfundraise.org/bfks2023/myhq
*Dane’s Dairy
After 64 years, Dane’s Dairy is under new ownership. The name will remain, as will the staff, but new owners are in place. Thank you, Dane family, for 64 years of summer sweets!
*Free Tax Help!
Tax time just got a little less stressful. Thanks to the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, qualifying low-to-moderate income households in Johnson County can receive free tax preparation assistance from trained volunteers from the Johnson County Social Services Department. VITA services are available through April 13.
This year the VITA Program will offer two options for tax preparation assistance. Taxpayers who earned less than $64,000 in 2023 can have their returns completed and filed by an IRS-certified tax preparer at no cost. Appointments are required and can be made at www.johnsoncountyiowa.gov/vita. Taxpayers also have the option to prepare their returns. Households who earned less than $79,000 in 2023 can file taxes for FREE. Email, fileforfree@johnsoncountyiowa.gov for information on how to access and file your taxes at no cost. For those completing their returns, tax assistance and dedicated computer stations are available from February 10 to April 13, 2024, at the Iowa City Public Library on Mondays from 2 to 8 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) estimates that 20 percent of American workers do not claim the refundable tax credits for which they are eligible, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). EITC is a special benefit for working people with an annual household income of less than $64,000. Workers who qualify for the EITC and file a federal tax return may be eligible for a portion or all of the federal income tax taken out of their pay during the year. They may also receive additional cash back from the IRS. Even workers whose earnings were too small to owe income tax may be eligible for the EITC.
Trained volunteer tax preparers help ensure that eligible taxpayers receive the EITC and any other qualifying tax credits.
Electronic filing is provided so that taxpayers can receive their tax refunds quickly. Taxpayers using VITA volunteers, or the free file software, to help file taxes do not pay to have returns prepared and do not pay to get refunds.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit www.johnsoncountyiowa.gov/vita. Translation services can be made in advance by calling Johnson County Social Services at 319-356-6090.
VITA is a partnership between Johnson County Social Services, the Iowa City Public Library, and the Iowa Center for Economic Success.
*LEED Silver!
Johnson County has been awarded LEED Silver certification for the GuideLink Center, which provides a crucial community resource for urgent adult mental health and substance use. The 23,500-square-foot facility was constructed and is operated sustainably. The center opened in 2021 in Iowa City and serves clients 24 hours a day.
LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the most widely used green building rating system in the world and an international symbol of excellence. Created by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the LEED program recognizes design, construction and operations practices that go beyond the norm to improve environmental and human health.
The LEED Silver certification recognizes the facility’s design for 45% indoor water use reduction and 42% energy use reduction, compared to similar buildings. A biocell and landscaping provide stormwater management. Down-cast lighting reduces light pollution, while roofing and parking lot surfaces reduce the heat island effect, which means lessening how much heat radiates from the site. The site provides access to the outdoors for clients and staff. A roof-top solar array adds an additional sustainability feature.
The center was designed by Neumann Monson Architects with engineering services provided by MODUS Engineering and Hart-Frederick, commissioning by SystemWorks LLC and additional energy modeling by Willdan. Neumann Monson Architects led the LEED documentation effort with assistance from the engineering and commissioning contractors, the County’s Planning, Development and Sustainability Department, and Matt Miller, who was contracted by the County as the owner’s project lead. The facility’s general contractor was Merit Construction.
The GuideLink Center is the County’s fifth LEED-certified building. Previously certified buildings are the Health and Human Services Building (Silver), Conservation Headquarters (Gold), Conservation Maintenance Facility (Gold), and the Ambulance and Medical Examiner Facility (Gold).
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is committed to a healthy, resilient and equitable future for all through the development of green buildings, cities and communities. For more than 20 years, USGBC has been advancing green building practices through the development of LEED, the world’s most widely used green building program. For more information, visit usgbc.org.
*Local Solutions to Big Problems
Republicans at the federal and state levels do not want the government to help anyone but the rich. So they refuse to do basic things that would make life much better for millions of people. This happens a lot. And every time it happens, people in need turn to local governments for help.
And local governments want to help. The problem is one of scale. For example, we are often asked to help fix the mess that is healthcare in the US. And we do spend some money in this arena. We fund the Free Medical Clinic, and we have hired Social Services Navigators – a big part of their jobs is getting people eligible for Medicaid. But bottom line? We can’t afford to do much. We are but a drop of water in a desert. Health care is too big, too complicated, and too expensive to be fixed anywhere other than the federal level. (States can certainly help!)
Again, this does not mean we do nothing. But we have to be very careful how we allocate limited resources. Childcare is a similar issue. Johnson County does a lot of innovative things in this space. We spend a lot of money. But our spending simply cannot even make a dent in the childcare crisis we face.
Let’s say there are 8,000 children aged 0-4 in Johnson County. (I’m rounding, but that is probably close.) Say childcare averages $1000/month. That is $12,000 per year, times 8,000 children. That is $96 million annually in childcare spending. Even helping one fiftieth of those children would be far more than the County budget could handle. And that doesn’t even address the fact that childcare workers are underpaid!
Affordable housing? Same story. Food insecurity? Same story. Mental health care? Same story. Affordable transportation? Same story. We spend in all of these areas, plus many more. But we simply do not have the resources to fix the problems. That can only truly be done at the federal and state levels.
This is why elections are so critical. The feds tried to give Iowa food money for every poor kid this summer. Iowa turned it down. We not only need Democrats elected at the federal level, but the state level, too.
Johnson County is a caring, giving county. We are likely to help those in need however we can. But we can only do so much.
*DID YOU KNOW? Prior to Valentine’s Day there was a Roman festival called Lupercalia which was in the middle of February. During this festival, the boys would select a girl’s name out of a box. They would stay with whoever they picked during the festival. Sometimes they would even get married. Later on, it was decided by the church that they wanted to change this festival into a Christian celebration. This was the start of Valentine’s Day.
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-
"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.
These messages come solely from Rod Sullivan, and neither represents the viewpoints of the whole Board of Supervisors nor those of groups or individuals otherwise mentioned.
If you do NOT want the weekly E-mail, simply reply to this message, and type "unsubscribe" in the subject line.
If you know anyone else who might be interested, just forward this message. They can E-mail me at rodsullivan29@gmail.com with "subscribe" in the subject line.
As always, feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan29@gmail.com. I look forward to serving you!
---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 7:44 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home