Middle School Students S-p-e-l-l W-e-l-l

   The school day started a little late for the students at AOMV Middle School on Friday. The annual spelling bee was held, and 39 kids in grades 5-9 took to the stage to s-p-e-l-l in front of their peers. One by one the kids spelled their chosen words, some that they had never heard before (do you know what prattle is?). One by one the kids were eliminated from the bee until the final four were left. Halie Edgington, Logan Buth, Jessie Sturgeon, and Nicole Boysen were found left remaining. The top three would advance to the regional bee in Sioux City on January 30th. Want to know who those three are? Click Here!
   Kevin Bruning blossoms as he spells begonia.

City Hall Hours Changing

Council Discusses School, Land

   If you have business which requires stopping in at city hall or talking to City Clerk Sonya Sherrill, you have an hour less to do it each day. Beginning February 1st, city hall hours will reduce to 7:30 -11:30. This allows 5 hours per week that Sherrill can use for extra clerk duties (meetings, required city trips to Sioux City, etc.) which require her time outside of the regular hours, or she can use the time to catch up on other work without worrying about the phone ringing.
   Speaking of city hall hours, if you have a complaint which you feel requires talking to the clerk, mayor, or a councilperson, you need to visit Sonya at city hall and fill out a complaint form; you will be allowed to take the form home and then return it at your convenience (if it’s after hours, drop it in the drop box). This will ensure your complaint receives the attention it needs, whether it’s something that needs to be addressed by the clerk, mayor, or council. The form will also ask you what you think a solution to the problem would be. Phone calls to city staff at their homes, or complaints to councilpersons at their place of employment will not be honored as official complaints. Please go through the proper channels.
   Danbury's City Attorney has changed effective immediately. Former City Attorney Tom Mohrhauser told new Mayor Tom McBride that he had no ill feelings if the council chose a new attorney. Because of his office in Danbury, the council chose Joe Heidenreich as their new city attorney. Heidenreich, located out of Odebolt, holds hours in his Danbury office each Wednesday.
   There was much discussion of the sale of the public school building. Councilman Dave Colbert suggested trying to lease the top two floors through a Sioux City realtor. This would give the council more control as to who would be using the space. He stated that it currently costs $7,000-8,000 to heat the main floor which is used as the rec center. The cost to put in a new heating system would be $15,000, but it would cut the actual heating cost by 1/3. A roof replacement over the gym is also required, costing around $25,000. With these figures looming through their heads, the council decided to table further action and to have City Clerk Sonya Sherrill contact some realtors to feel out the need for space such as is available at the school.
   Sherrill stated there was a small glitch of a huge factor in the sale of the lots of West Park Subdivision to Wireless Network Management who planned to erect a cell phone tower in town. It was learned that a small section, approximately 120’ in length, was not owned by the city had not been dedicated as a street; therefore, this space could not be mapped. The Woodbury County Recorder’s Office stated that this needs to be dedicated so that it can be GIS mapped and receive a fire address. Mayor Tom McBride and Councilman Mike Barry will contact the owner of the land to discuss the situation. Until the dedication could be done, the sale of the land to Wireless Network Management is on hold.

State Investigates Monona County Engineer

   Auditor of State David A. Vaudt released a repot on a special investigation of the Monona County Engineer’s Office for the period January 1, 2004 through April 20, 2007. The special investigation was requested by the Monona County Attorney as a result of concerns regarding certain payments authorized by the county engineer for printer cartridges from a vendor in California. The investigation identified 10 improper invoices totaling $17,568.20. All 10 invoices were for printer cartridges from Master Image Supply, Inc. and Quality Office and Printing Supply, Inc. (QOPS) which are both located in California. Of the 10 invoices, 5 totaling $4,330.05 were paid by the county.
   In December 2006, the Monona County Board of Supervisors approved a $1,338.13 invoice for printer cartridges from Master Image Supply, Inc (MIS). The invoice had been authorized by Engineer Jon Singlestad in December 2006; however, it was dated May 31, 2006. During February 2007, five additional invoices from MIS for printer cartridges were submitted totaling $13,238.15. These invoices, all authorized by Singlestad, were dated between October 9, 2006, and November 6, 2006. Singlestad presented a memo to the board which said the purchases were for 480 printer cartridges and the purchased cartridges provided a 2 year supply which resulted in a $10,764.45 savings. The board tabled approval of the payment and sought guidance from the county attorney who requested the state auditor conduct an investigation.
   During their investigation, the state identivied 10 improper invoices totaling $17,568.20 which had been authorized for payment by Singlestad. All 10 were for printer cartridges from MIS and QOPS. In addition to these cartridge purchases, another $150.77 was spent on ink cartridges through Quill. Of the five invoices that were submitted in early 2007, they were sequentially numbered even though the 5 order dates are 7 days apart from each other. Also, the cost for black printer cartridges was higher than for the same size unit of color cartridges. Typically, the cost for black cartridges is lower than color. Each invoice included shipping charges, but Singlestad said the cartridges were deliverd in two shipments. Further investigation showed that the county paid over $1,000 more for 480 printer cartridges through the California businesses than had they been purchased locally.
   The investigation also included an inventory of the ink cartridges which were shipped. During the time period in question, the authorized payments totalled 611. Only 75 cartridges were found in the county engineer’s office and the district offices. The auditor’s office was also informed through Hewlett Packard (HP), the maker of the 2 printers used by the engineer’s office, the shelf life of a cartridge is typically 1 year. Also, the particular printers used would have had to print approximately 775 pages per day for 22 months to use the number of cartridges calculated as used. This number might have to be reduced as the cartridges were a generic brand which might hold less ink or a lower grade ink which causes them to print fewer pages. According to HP, the printers have a monthly printing volume of 5,000 pages each, well below the number calculated needed to use the 480 cartridges which had been purchased.
   To put this all in perspective, the Office of Auditor of State has 22 printers which use the same ink cartridge as the Monona County Engineer’s Office uses which has 2 printers. The state office purchased 180 black cartridges and 35 color cartridges during July 1, 2005, and June 30, 2006. The bill for these 315 ink cartridges cost $3,138.76.
   In addition to the questionable invoices and excessive purchases, the DCI agent learned that Singlestad had received 2 postal money orders totaling $1,250.00 from an MIS representative and deposited them in his personal bank account. The state auditor’s office concluded that Singlestad “received a kickback from the vendor.” A review of activity of Singlestad’s personal bank account did reflect the money order deposits, but no other deposits from MIS or large unusual deposits were noticed in that particular account.
   Copies of the state report have been filed with the Monona County Attorney’s Office, the Monona County Sheriff’s Office, the Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Attorney General’s Office. A copy of the report is available for review in the Office of Auditor of State and onthe Auditor State’s web site at http://auditor.iowa.gov/specials/specials.htm.