Report on the Special Investigation of the City of Mt. Vernon Fire Department, For the Period January 1, 2003 through March 31, 2005

Other Audit Reports - Special Investigation

The Lincoln Highway Association’s “Object Lesson:” The Seedling Mile in Linn County Iowa,

The Seedling Mile in Linn County, Iowa, was part of the Lincoln Highway Association’s so-called “object lesson” program that sought to graphically demonstrate, in the paving of selected one-mile demonstration sections, the benefits of concrete paving to improving road travel across the nation. Constructed in 1918-19, this Seedling Mile became much more than an object lesson and served as something of a battleground between two municipalities—Marion and Cedar Rapids—in their struggle over the county seat and their place on the Lincoln Highway. The Seedling Mile eventually became part of a continuously paved section of the Lincoln Highway between Chicago and Cedar Rapids, with the whole of the Lincoln Highway in Iowa paved in some fashion by the 1930s. In 2002, Linn County reconstructed Mt. Vernon Road from the City of Mt. Vernon to the west end of the Seedling Mile impacting the historic road section. An agreement between concerned government agencies resulted in this publication in partial mitigation of the impact to this historic road section under the guidelines of the National Historic Preservation Act.

Iowa Budget Report, Building on our Progress: Protecting our Priorities, 2009

*********** Some files are large and will take time to load. *********** Seven Files: 1)Report Cover, 2)Table of Contents, 3)Statewide Financial Summaries, 4)Department Budgets, 5)Capitol Projects, 6)Associated Financial Documents, 7)Budget Report. To Members of the 82nd General Assembly, As we begin the second year of our Administration, we are pleased to submit the Fiscal Year 2009 budget for the State of Iowa pursuant to Iowa Code Section 8.21 and our constitutional authority. This budget recognizes the progress that we began last year with improvements in education, economic development, energy independence, and health care; provides funding for new policy initiatives in these areas; and is based on fiscally sound budget practices. Building on last year’s accomplishments, our Fiscal Year 2009 General Fund budget proposes an additional $75 million for increasing teachers’ salaries as part of our goal to move Iowa closer to the national average. We lay the foundation for student achievement by recommending $32.1 million for pre-school education, and we also propose $177.5 million in total for community colleges and $726.2 million in total for Regents universities. To make our State more energy independent, our General Fund budget appropriates the second-year funding of $25 million for the new Iowa Power Fund. The newly established Office of Energy Independence will soon start making awards from the Power Fund. Apart from the budget, we will be making several proposals to implement the new State energy plan. We have pledged to expand the number of Iowans who have health-care coverage. As a result, we are recommending additional funding for enrollment growth in the State Children Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). These additional funds will help the State provide coverage for another 25 percent of children who are eligible but not yet enrolled in hawk-i and the Iowa Medicaid Program. To protect the safety of Iowans, we are recommending issuance of revenue bonds for approximately $260 million in net proceeds to build a new state penitentiary in Ft. Madison, renovate and expand the Women’s Correctional Institution at Mitchellville, upgrade kitchen facilities at the Rockwell City and Mt. Pleasant Correctional Institutions, and expand Community-Based Correctional Facilities in Ottumwa, Sioux City, Waterloo, and Des Moines. Additionally, we are including funding for developing a prototype program for providing parolees and low-risk offenders with mental health and drug abuse treatment and educational services to help them make a crime-free re-entry into our communities. As part of this Capitals Budget, we also propose using $20 million for the State’s matching share for building new facilities at the Iowa Veterans Home. Iowa Budget Report iv Fiscal Year 2009 Importantly, our budget continues to fully fund our State’s Reserve Funds to help buffer Iowa from any future economic downturn. We recommend reimbursing $78.2 million to the Property Tax Credit Fund as part of our multi-year proposal to correct bad budgeting practices and eventually restore $160.0 million to this Fund. To provide more transparency, we are transferring operational expenditures in the Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund to the General Fund and expenditures from the Endowment for Healthy Iowans and Healthy Iowans Tobacco Trust Funds to the General Fund. We believe that Iowa has charted a new course of becoming energy independent, providing quality pre-school education, recognizing the importance of our teachers, and providing greater health coverage for children. Our Fiscal Year 2009 budget and policy priorities reflect our continuing faith in Iowa’s ability to be the best state in the nation. We look forward to working with you in a bi-partisan and all-inclusive manner to build on our progress and protect our priorities. Sincerely, Chester J. Culver Governor Patty Judge Lt. Governor

Education on Urban Corridor Issues Through Computer Animation, TR-419, 2003

This project was undertaken in coordination with the Environmental Assessment process on the Mt. Vernon Road Improvements project in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The goal of the research was to determine the cost effectiveness of combined photo-imaging and computer animation as a presentation tool describing public road improvements. The Public Hearing, in combination with the involvement of a Citizen's Resource Group, afforded an opportunity to have an evaluation of the processes by interested citizens who were not familiar with engineering drawings or the construction industry. After the initial viewing of a draft version of the video, the Resource Group made recommendations to the staff developing the video. Discussion of these recommendations led to the development of an animated composite section that showed a combination of situations typically encountered throughout the project corridor, as well as critical considerations. The composite section did not show specific locations and therefore, individuals were not distracted by looking for the details pertaining to their properties. Concentration on the concepts involved rather than specifics provided the opportunity for a more thorough understanding by the citizens. The development of the composite concept was the primary discovery of the research.