SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
March 20, 2024
Sullivan’s Salvos 3/21/24
In this edition:
*Literary Giants for Shelter House
*Shelter House Book Sale
*Free Tax Help
*Speaking of Income Taxes…
*Cost of Living in Iowa
*You Did Nothing to Help Me
*Road Embargoes
*Yard Signs
*Did You Know?
*Literary Giants for Shelter House
Literary Giants will take place Friday, March 22 from 6:30 pm to 8 pm at 860 Quarry Road in Coralville. Ticket sales close March 20; however, we recommend that you reserve your spot early, as ticket availability is limited to allow for plenty of mingling space.
We want all book-loving Shelter House supporters to be able to attend, so tickets for Literary Giants are available on a choose-your-price basis. Ticket prices begin at $15 and scale up to $50. Pay what you can and join us for a wonderful evening in support of Shelter House's life-saving work in our community.
Learn more about Literary Giants at www.shelterhouseiowa.org/literary-giants and follow event details on our social media.
*Shelter House Book Sale
March 23 @ 10:30 am - 4:00 pm
Each year, Shelter House creates a wonderland of adventure, mystery, and curiosity at the annual Book Sale. Tens of thousands of used books are generously donated by members of the community and sold at low prices to support Shelter Houser’s critical work. This is truly a community fundraiser: many community members donate books, volunteer for, and shop at the Book Sale.
Admission is FREE! Consider an Early Entry pass for $10 to have access to the sale 30 minutes before the general admission on Saturday, March 23.
For those interested in donating:
Books, CDs, DVDs, Vinyl Records, and Puzzles can be dropped off at 860 Quarry Rd, Coralville starting February 18th until March 20th.
Donation drop-off will continue every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday from 10am – 2pm, and Sundays from 2pm – 4pm.
*We are unable to accept contributions of magazines, encyclopedias, textbooks, Reader’s Digest, books with no covers or water damage, musty books, cassette or VHS tapes.
For those interested in volunteering: Sign up to volunteer at: bit.ly/booksale2024 or contact volunteer@shelterhouseiowa.org.
*Free Tax Help
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. For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit www.johnsoncountyiowa.gov/vita.
*Speaking of Income Taxes…
There are lots of things that divide the American people. There is one issue that unites 98% of all Americans, and I wish we would come together over it. That issue is income taxes. 66% of all Americans believe we should raise taxes on the wealthiest 2% of the population.
The top 2% of incomes in America includes everyone earning over $400,000 per year. The bottom half of all incomes in the US hold about 2% of the wealth; the top 2% holds over 33%. Think about this for a moment. We should ALL be united in pushing for the wealthiest 2% to pay more taxes. We could not only have more and better services, but the rest of us could pay so much less in taxes. We could all do better if we just stuck together.
Obviously, the Republican Party has always opposed taxing the rich. They exist to serve the rich. Unfortunately, too many Democrats also protect those in the top 2%. (Nancy Pelosi is one of the most egregious violators.) We should ALL be actively working to see the rich pay more!
*Cost of Living in Iowa
“When 1 in 6 Iowa families cannot make a basic-needs budget even with a full-time worker in the home, our state has work to do.”
Common Good Iowa today released the latest edition of The Cost of Living in Iowa, which finds that nearly 18% of Iowa working households do not earn enough to meet household needs. That group includes well over half of working households headed by single parents and one-third of Black and Latino working households.
The report’s findings reflect the degree to which public policy choices over decades have eroded the earning power of workers and funneled financial success to the wealthiest Iowans.
“No single policy solution will turn the ship and make life better for working families, but we must start today,” said Sean Finn, CGI policy analyst and lead author of the report. "We know what it takes to fill the gap between low wages and what it takes to meet basic needs and to boost wages themselves."
CGI Executive Director Anne Discher noted the stark contrast between the needs of working Iowans highlighted in the report’s findings and the focus of the Legislature and Governor Reynolds on cutting taxes for the wealthy.
"While majority lawmakers push proposals that would put tens of thousands a dollars a year in tax cuts in the hands of the wealthiest Iowans, too many working Iowans — who would see little from income-tax cuts — are struggling to get by," she said. “There are so policy solutions for lawmakers to take up. Big tax cuts for the wealthy don't even make the list."
*You Did Nothing to Help Me
Tara McGovern spoke at a recent meeting of the Board of Supervisors. They addressed me, and said, “You did nothing to help me.”
Let me be clear - I have never used my role as a Supervisor to help ANY criminal defendant. Nor have I ever used my role as a Supervisor to harm any criminal defendant. And that is as it should be! Donald Trump shouldn’t do it at the federal level, and Supervisors should not do it here.
*Road Embargoes
One of the sure “signs of spring” in Iowa is the list of embargoed roads! Winter weather – primarily cycles of freezing and thawing – can do tremendous damage to roads. In order to allow counties to protect the taxpayer investment in these roads, State law allows County Boards of Supervisors to impose weight restrictions.
The chip seal/oil road systems are most susceptible to damage and are most likely to be subjected to embargoes. Although embargoes typically start and end with chip seal roads, we have put embargoes on gravel roads. Even paved roads may be embargoed. Late February through early May is a very common time for the county to post weight restrictions on county roadways. Once posted, the restrictions may be in effect for a period of ninety days. In the past, posted roadways have been limited to any vehicle less than 8 gross tons. Please check the county website for additional information regarding Board approval and weight restrictions for the 2022 embargo season.
The County Engineer may issue a special permit to individuals who demonstrate a need to move market farm produce of the type subject to rapid spoilage or loss of value, or the need to move farm feeds or fuel for home heating purposes. The issuance of a permit may allow certain vehicles exceeding the weight limit to operate on embargoed roadways.
We get asked for exceptions all the time, but please note - permits will not be issued for any other reason - including transporting construction materials or equipment that exceeds the posted weight limit. Operation of over-weight vehicles on restricted roads without a permit will be at the risk of prosecution. Using alternate routes where possible and breaking down loads into smaller units are methods encouraged to minimize damage to these roads.
Permits for qualified participants will be issued at the Johnson County Secondary Road Department at 4810 Melrose Avenue in Iowa City. The following information will be needed to complete the permit: vehicle license plate number(s), driver’s name(s), type of material being transported, and planned route or roads you plan to travel.
Again, for a list of embargoed roads, see the Secondary Roads page on the Johnson County website: https://www.johnsoncountyiowa.gov.
*Yard Signs
I have campaign yard signs. If you want one, just email or call and I’ll get one out to you.
*DID YOU KNOW? Johnson County has over 900 miles of roads in the County system.
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.
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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 @ 7:50 AM
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