Economic analysts agree it’s too early to judge Gov. Terry Branstad on attaining the economic goals he set forth during his campaign, but at least one says it’s a safe bet they won’t be reached.

Iowa State University economist David Swenson said Branstad’s goals to create 200,000 new jobs and increase family incomes by 25 percent over the next five years are lofty at best.

David Swenson

Swenson said there’s never been a time in the last 30 years when job creation in the state has come near to the levels it would take to create 200,000 jobs over five years. The only time it has happened is from the depth of a recession to the peak of a recovery.

“That’s bogus because 90 percent of the recovery that occurs in the economy that cycles through a recession has nothing to do with anything that a governor or business leaders did,” Swenson said. “That was just the national economy recovering, and to take credit for going from a trough to a peak is analogous to standing on a shoreline and saying you made the tide go out.”

Mike Owen, assistant director of the Iowa Policy Project, also noted that kind of growth has not been seen in recent years.

The state would need to post a net gain of between 3,300 and 3,400 jobs a month, Owen said, to reach 200,000 jobs in five years. Through the first seven months of 2011 the average net gain was 2,700 per month, and Iowa has not produced 3,000 jobs a month for a whole year since 1994.

“The numbers show that it would be out of the ordinary for recent years to produce those kinds of numbers,” Owen said. “But without knowing more about what’s going to pass in Congress and what’s going to pass in the Legislature in the next couple years it’s kind of hard to predict.”

August 2011 unemployment data shows 101,900 Iowans unemployed, a rate of 6.1 percent. August 2010 data showed 103,500 Iowans unemployed, a rate of 6.2 percent.

Swenson also said household incomes continue to go down, while family incomes have done a little better. But that’s typically due to family members working another job or more hours to make ends meet, he said.

“To take credit for gains by people in households working harder is also disingenuous,” Swenson said.

A summary of U.S. Census data released this month shows real median household income declined between 2009 and 2010. It also found the poverty rate increased, as well as the number of people without health insurance.

Mike Owen

“One thing we’ve said is there’s way too much reliance on the idea you can tax cut your way to prosperity or budget cut your way to prosperity,” he said. “And that’s what history shows us.”

But Jimmy Centers, deputy communications director for the governor’s office, said Branstad’s goals are attainable. He noted the Legislature passed a biennial budget this year and ended the use of one-time money for ongoing expenses.

“This sends a clear signal to business that Iowa has the stability and predictability Iowans and businesses need from their government,” Centers said.

He also noted Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds led a trade delegation to Asia earlier this summer, and Branstad will lead a similar mission later this month.

And Centers said if commercial property taxes are cut and the federal government acts on pending free trade agreements with Columbia, South Korea and Panama, that could mean more Iowans working as well.

“These agreements would likely produce hundreds of agriculture-related jobs and increase Iowa exports by millions annually,” he said.

But Owen said reaching those job and income goals will take a balanced approach that seems lacking in the current discourse.

“How we get those new job numbers, how we get those income numbers, are going to have to come from different proposals than seem to be common on the political stage those days,” he said.

On Thursday, Branstad announced approximately 300 new jobs at Alcoa, an aluminum fabricator based in the Quad Cities. The same day, however, Lennox Industries announced that a portion of its operations at a Marshalltown air conditioner plant will be relocated to South Carolina in early 2012, which could impact up to 80 Iowa workers.

The administrator of the Division of Tobacco Use Prevention and Control was terminated from her position last week by the Iowa Department of Public Health Director, an Ames Democrat who sits on the Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Commission as an ex-officio member.

In a letter to media editors in Iowa, Sen. Herman Quirmbach expressed discontent with the firing of Bonnie Mapes by Mariannette Miller-Meeks, and shared concerns about the future of the division with other anti-smoking lobbying groups.

Quirmbach’s letter is reproduced below:

Last week while Lance Armstrong and other anti-cancer advocates were in Carroll, Iowa, promoting tobacco cessation and other wellness initiatives, the Branstad administration was hard at work undercutting their efforts.

I was dismayed to learn that last week Iowa Department of Public Health Director Mariannette Miller-Meeks quietly fired Bonnie Mapes, administrator of the Division of Tobacco Use Prevention and Control.  Miller-Meeks has told some members of the Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Commission that she intends to seek legislation to disband the Division entirely and that she has little interest in developing effective tobacco control policy, despite a statutory responsibility to do so.

Iowa’s Division of Tobacco Use Prevention and Control is a national model for cancer prevention. According to the American Cancer Society, Iowa’s anti-smoking efforts have resulted in a 24 percent drop in coronary heart disease, an 8 percent drop in heart attacks and a 5 percent drop in strokes. Iowa is now number two in the nation for the lowest adult smoking rate, and youth smoking rates dropped 13 percentage points from 2000-2008. Despite these remarkable successes, smoking remains the number one cause of death in our state, killing 4,400 Iowans each year.

Studies show that every dollar spent on tobacco cessation leads to $3 in health care savings. Yet during the legislative session, Republicans tried to completely eliminate funding for tobacco prevention and cessation. We persuaded them to keep $2.8 million in the budget, but that still represents a significant cut.

If Iowa is serious about fighting cancer, we can’t afford to undermine prevention efforts. If you’re among the 68 percent of Iowans who believe the state should support tobacco cessation efforts, I encourage you to make your voice heard before it’s too late.”

The Governor’s Office referred questions from the Iowa Independent to Miller-Meeks. A message left at her office was not immediately returned Monday.

The Division of Tobacco Use Prevention and Control, which faced significant budget cuts this past session, undertakes anti-smoking operatives throughout the state, from counseling to advertisements.

(Editor’s Note: Miller-Meeks later responded to Quirmbach’s letter, saying that Mapes opted for early retirement in the wake of steady funding cuts for the cessation program. Miller-Meeks also said that IDPH’s intention is not to stop the program.)

DES MOINES — Lt. Gov Kim Reynolds defended Gov. Terry Branstad‘s recent decision to slash the salary of a commissioner Reynolds voted to appoint two years ago while in the state Senate. The situation is one Iowa Rep. Chuck Isenhart, ranking member of the House Rules and Administration Commission labeled as troubling.

Kim Reynolds

However, Reynolds said Monday that Branstad is “operating within the limits of the Iowa Code,” and is justified in his actions, as the cost and objectives between administrations have changed. Godfrey was appointed by former Gov. Tom Vilsack five years ago.

“I believe the Governor has the right to make sure that he has the confidence in the leadership that he has put in place,” she said on Branstad’s behalf, as the Governor attended the funeral of Cedar Rapids fallen soldier Sgt. First Class Terryl Pasker.

“[Branstad] ran to change the direction of government and doing that, we need to make sure you have the confidence in the leadership to obtain the goals you set forth,” Reynolds continued. “He has the parameters in which to set the salary [of the commissioner].”

Chuck Isenhart

“Six the commissioner has a fixed term of six years set in the law, that proposition is highly doubtful, from the Legislature’s point of view,” Isenhart wrote in a Facebook note published late Monday.

“As ranking member of the House Rules and Administration Committee, I am troubled by the governor crossing the line and trying to monopolize a power that belongs equally to the General Assembly and that affects the lives of thousands of Iowans. The provision of health care to workers injured on the job is not a political question that gets re-opened with every election.”

In 2009, Reynolds was still a state Senator from Osceola. That year, she voted to reaffirm Godfrey’s position.

“I believe it was an unanimous vote, if I remember right,” she said. “At that point, I didn’t have any outstanding issues. There was no reason why I would have voted against him. [Now] it’s a different day, and we’re dealing with different circumstances.”

Isenhart, who served as vice-chairman of the joint Economic Development Appropriations subcommittee on which Reynolds sat and to which Godfrey reported, said any concerns or questions Reynolds had about the effectiveness of the program or the performance of the commission should have been mentioned.

“I also wonder why no one — the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, anyone on his staff or the [Iowa] Workforce Development director in whose department the program is housed — no one approached our committee at any time during the long session we just completed to raise questions about the commissioner,” he said. “Lobbyists are not shy. Any of the businesses that apparently encouraged the Governor to make this move also could have approached us. We try to be helpful. That’s our job. But we need to address legitimate concerns in an open and transparent way.”

Isenhart says he remains “highly skeptical” that the salary reduction ordered by the Branstad administration is justified from a performance standpoint.

“Through this strongarm tactic the Governor is staking claim to a political outcome which he has no right to command,” Isenhart said.

“I have encouraged the chairs of the House Oversight Committee to join with the Senate to bring clarity to this matter. Given the vague charges that have been made, this is now a matter of justice for Commissioner Godfrey. In the meantime, I have contacted Rep. [Jason] Schultz, chair of my budget subcommittee [and a Schleswig Republican], asking him to be ready to address this situation during the 2012 legislative session if the Oversight Committee does not address it before then.”

(Reporter Lynda Waddington contributed to this report.)

TERRY BRANSTAD RELEASE — This updated provided by the Joint Information Center at the State Emergency Operations Center.

NEW – Please Note: For updates and information on the July 10-11 severe storms in Benton, Marshall, Story and Tama counties, visit www.iowahomelandsecurity.org and select the 2011 Storms link.

NEWS AND UPDATES

NEW – Dangerous Prolonged Heat Possible Beginning this Weekend

Prolonged heat and humidity is forecasted to extend through early next week. It is especially important for Iowans dealing with the impacts of recent disasters to take precautions to stay safe. The National Weather Service Des Moines has issued information on heat warnings and advisories, and also on heat safety. Learn more at http://www.crh.noaa.gov/dmx/.

For a list of ways to protect your health in high temperatures and humidity, view the Iowa Department of Public Health’s press release at http://www.idph.state.ia.us/IdphNews/Reader.aspx?id=3024FDD6-D9F3-4751-853C-05A42EA8D457.

For locations of cooling stations in your area, contact local officials.

Disaster Assistance Available for Small Businesses

Small, non-farm businesses in 14 Iowa counties are now eligible to apply for low interest disaster loans from the U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Eligible primary counties are Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona, Pottawattamie and Woodbury; eligible neighboring counties are Cass, Cherokee, Crawford, Ida, Montgomery, Page, Plymouth and Shelby.

SBA eligibility covers both the flood-related economic impacts on businesses dependent on farmers and ranchers businesses directly impacted by the disaster. Non-farm businesses, agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private, non-profit organizations may qualify for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs). Businesses primarily engaged in farming or ranching are not eligible for SBA disaster assistance. These enterprises should contact the Farm Services Agency (FSA) about the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) assistance made available by the Secretary’s declaration.

The deadline to apply for these loans is March 8, 2012. Applicants may apply online via SBA’s secure website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela. Disaster loan information and application forms are also available from SBA’s Customer Service Center by calling SBA toll-free at 800-659-2955, e-mailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov, or visiting SBA’s Web site at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance. Hearing impaired individuals may call 800-877-8339.

Bleach in Basements

The Iowa Department of Public Health has received questions about leaving bleach in basements that may flood. Current rumors incorrectly assume that by leaving open containers of bleach or bleach tablets used in swimming pools in their basements, the chemicals will mix with flood water and prevent mold. This is not true.

Although bleach can be effective in cleaning and sanitizing basements after flood waters recede, there is no research to show that leaving open containers or tablets of bleach in basements prior to flooding is effective in preventing mold growth. In fact, leaving bleach out in the open, especially in large quantities, could negatively affect the health of you and your family. To learn more, visit http://www.idph.state.ia.us/EmergencyResponse/Flooding.aspx.

Foreclosure prevention

Disaster-impacted homeowners that feel they may begin to struggle with their mortgage payment are encouraged to call Iowa Mortgage Help. Iowa Mortgage Help is a free, confidential mortgage counseling service for Iowa homeowners. Iowa Mortgage Help does not offer direct financial assistance. For more information, call 877-622-4866 (if calling from Iowa) or 515-331-8081 (if calling from outside of Iowa), or visit the website at www.IowaMortgageHelp.com.

SHELTER SUMMARY – IOWA SHELTERS

NEW – The shelter at the Iowa School for the Deaf in Council Bluffs reported five residents overnight. Numerous shelters remain on standby and are ready to receive residents if needed.

STATE RESPONSE SUMMARY

• Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division (HSEMD)

o   HSEMD, along with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Small Business Administration (SBA) and county officials conducted preliminary damage assessments on July 6 in Woodbury, Monona, Harrison, Pottawattamie, Mills and Fremont counties. Information collected during the assessments is being evaluated and will be used to determine if damages that have occurred thus far are sufficient to warrant a request for federal Individual Assistance Program funding.

o   HSEMD Operations staff visited in Fremont, Mills and Pottawattamie counties with the emergency management coordinators, local officials and impacted citizens. Visits to Harrison, Monona and Woodbury counties will be planned.

o   HSEMD continues to work closely with personnel from various local, state, federal, voluntary and faith-based organizations as well as private partners in response to flooding along the Missouri River in western Iowa. HSEMD staff continues to field calls and provide assistance on a 24-hour basis to local emergency management officials.

o   The State Emergency Operations Center will be staffed as warranted to respond to requests from impacted counties.

o HSEMD has requested technical assistance from the Army Corps of Engineers for all counties along the Missouri River from Woodbury County south.

• Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service

o   Ongoing support of missions assigned, including access to volunteer and AmeriCorps resources.

• Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS)

o   The DHS Disaster Behavioral Health Response Team (DBHRT) attended town meetings in Missouri Valley and Hamburg.

o   The DBHRT continues to provide assistance in declared counties as requested. For additional information on resources provided by the DBHRT, visit http://www.iowadbhrt.org/.

• Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR)

o   DNR is coordinating technical assistance through the Environmental Protection Agency to work with all six counties in establishing collection sites for household hazardous waste.

o   People who have been evacuated because of flooding along the Missouri River will be able to camp in certain areas of Iowa State Parks without having to pay a camping fee or having to move after 14 consecutive days. Evacuees may call the DNR at 515-281-8004 to check on availability of campsites for long-term use.

o   DNR is providing technical assistance to waste water facilities, water supplies, industry, fuel stations, etc.

o   Weather-related park closure information is available at http://www.iowadnr.gov/parks/construction/weather.html

• Iowa Department of Corrections (DOC)

o   Ongoing support of missions assigned. Continued coordination of inmate crews to assist with sandbagging operations as requested. Currently all missions have been fulfilled.

• Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT)

o  The DOT has made numerous road closures. For complete information on road closures, visit www.iowadot.gov/floods/index.html or www.511ia.org, or call 5-1-1 or 1-800-288-1047.

• Iowa Department of Public Safety (DPS)

o   The DPS continues to provide aerial photography of impacts to affected counties. Areas of focus include surveys of Highway 175 Bridge and anhydrous tanks in support of DOT and IDALS.

o   The DPS continues to monitor roads, road closures and other public safety issues.

• Iowa National Guard (NG)

o  National Guard is performing levee patrol duties in Mills and Pottawattamie counties.

o  National Guard liaisons are in place in county EOCs.

o  Providing support through Guard Emergency Situational Awareness Contacts in impacted counties.

• Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS)

o   Continual monitoring of impacts to agriculture sector.

• Iowa Department of Public Health (DPH)

o   Continued support in responding to public health concerns that have been raised in impacted counties.

o   Continual monitoring of the situation with this week’s added issue of high heat indices.

o   Responding to an inquiry from Pottawattamie County on the need for vaccinations.

o   Working with FEMA on vector monitoring and control issues.

o   The Iowa Department of Public Health has posted flood-related health information at: www.idph.state.ia.us/EmergencyResponse/Flooding.aspx.

• Iowa Finance Authority (IFA)

o  Foreclosure prevention counseling: Disaster-impacted homeowners that feel they may begin to struggle with their mortgage payment are encouraged to call Iowa Mortgage Help for free, confidential mortgage counseling. Iowa Mortgage Help does not offer direct financial assistance. For more information, call 877-622-4866 (if calling from Iowa) or 515-331-8081 (if calling from outside of Iowa), or visit the website at www.IowaMortgageHelp.com.

o  IFA has developed a rental housing resource guide for individuals who are seeking long term housing due to flooding. Access the guide at: www.iowahomelandsecurity.org/disasters/disaster2011.html and select “Housing Resources.”

• Iowa State University Extension

o   ISU Extension has compiled a list of resources on dealing with stress, flood clean up, financial concerns, tips for businesses, crops, and livestock to help Iowans prepare for and recover from floods. Access these resources at: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/topic/recovering-disasters.

o   County Extension personnel in flood-impacted counties are responding to concerns.

o   ISU Extension has the Iowa Concern Hotline, 800-447-1985, that Iowans can call for help and referrals for dealing with stress, crisis and loss in times of disaster.

COUNTY UPDATES

• Fremont

o   Water has stabilized at the breach near Percival. Current elevation is 912’.

o   AmeriCorps volunteers continue to provide levee monitoring in Hamburg.

o   http://www.co.fremont.ia.us/fremontcoemergencymanagement.htm

o   http://www.facebook.com/pages/2011-Fremont-County-IA-Flood-Support/232438310105233

• Harrison
  • Monitoring situation and responding to any identified concerns. http://www.harrisoncountyia.org/

• Mills

o   Inmate assistance for sandbagging to continue through the weekend.

o   http://www.millscoia.us/flood2011.htm

• Monona

o   Monitoring situation and responding to any identified concerns.

o   http://www.mononacountypublichealth.org/

• Pottawattamie
  • There was a final walkthrough of ACOE work on the Council Bluffs levees on July 13.
  • Ongoing monitoring and mitigation of identified issues.
  • http://www.pottcounty.com/departments-services/emergency-management/flooding.php

• Woodbury
  • Levee patrol duties are being performed by the Sioux City Public Works Department and the Sioux City Police Department.
  • The Army Corps of Engineers continues to provide technical assistance as requested.
  • http://www.woodburyiowa.com/

DONATIONS AND VOLUNTEERING

• Donations of items such as clothing, food, furniture, etc, are NOT needed at this time. Unsolicited donations cause additional staffing and storage problems that local officials do not have the resources to manage.
• If you want to help, cash is best. It doesn’t need to be sorted, stored or distributed, and cash allows the receiving voluntary agency to direct the donation to the most urgent needs. To donate cash, visit www.aidmatrixnetwork.org/CashDonations/Default2.aspx?ST=Iowa.
• If you wish to make a donation to a local organization, information on these funds can be found on the websites listed in the “County Updates” section of this release.
• Those wishing to volunteer in a disaster-related capacity may sign up to do so at www.volunteeriowa.org.

SCAMS
Iowans along the Missouri River should be aware of the potential for disaster-related scams and price gouging. For information, visit the Iowa Attorney General’s website at: www.IowaAttorneyGeneral.gov.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

• For more information, please visit www.iowahomelandsecurity.org.
• https://governor.iowa.gov/news/missouri-river-flooding.

(Editor’s note: This release is being reprinted as a courtesy to our readers.)

Iowa’s two largest print outlets spent some ink this week to call attention to Gov. Terry Branstad‘s push to replace certain state leaders. The attention wasn’t of the positive variety.

It was recently unearthed that Branstad urged at least three independent state leaders to step away from their posts. Two men, one Republican and one Democrat, announced they would be stepping away from leadership roles on the Iowa Board of Regents. A third man serving as Iowa Workers’ Compensation Commissioner refused and the Branstad administration showed its displeasure by docking more than $30,000 per year from his salary.

While many in state government leadership roles serve at the pleasure of the Governor’s Office, these three had been selected independently to a predetermined term of service that had not yet expired.

“The fact is the governor sought the resignation of department and agency heads in November, and Mr. [Chris] Godfrey[, Iowa Workers' Compensation Commissioner,] refused this request,” Branstad spokesman Tim Albrecht explained to reporter Jason Clayworth. “Because he does not have the full faith and confidence of the governor, his pay was lowered to reflect his performance.”

On Thursday, the editorial board of The Gazette summarized their views in an opinion piece entitled, “Gov. Branstad crossed the line.”

… Branstad wrongly meddled in the long-established independence of the [Regents] to select its own leadership. …

Godfrey’s position is among several that long have been intended to be protected from political influence and carry through multiple administrations to ensure continuity. …

Use your power, Gov. Branstad, but respect the limits designed to prevent any one office of government from becoming too powerful.

The editorial board at The Des Moines Register chimed in on Friday, and called for lawmakers to investigate the actions of the Governor’s Office.

… The Legislature should do what Sen. Bill Dotzler, D-Waterloo, suggested this week: Bring the governor, his staff and “their political allies” before the Legislature’s Government Oversight Committee to get some answers. The people of Iowa should know what — and who — is behind trying to run Godfrey out of office. …

Despite the cut in pay, Godfrey has said his intention is to remain in his current position.

Members of the Board of Regents selected new leadership following the resignation of David Miles and Jack Evans. They named Craig Lang, one of only two members to object (along with state Republican lawmakers) to naming an Iowa State University policy institute after U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), as their new president and Bruce Rastetter, the largest donor to Branstad’s gubernatorial campaign, as vice president.

If people were hoping to hear former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announce her decision about 2012 in Pella, they’ll have to keep guessing.

Palin came to Pella Tuesday for the premiere of “The Undefeated,” a positively slanted documentary detailing her political career and record as Governor of Alaska and the 2008 Republican nominee for Vice President.

Though Palin’s oldest daughter, Bristol Palin, hinted on Fox News this week that her mother has made a decision about the presidential race, Palin reportedly dismissed the idea Tuesday, telling supporters and media that she’s “still contemplating.”

Media reports estimated 300 people attended the premiere in Pella.

Palin has flirted with the idea of a 2012 run for several weeks, including a discontinued bus tour through northeastern America which fueled speculation of “will-she-or-won’t-she?”

Her timing in Iowa Tuesday also coincided with a visit of President Barack Obama, of whom Palin has typically been a high-profile critic. Tuesday was the President’s first visit to Iowa in several months; he was in the Quad Cities to tour a metal manufacturing plant and talk about the economy and job creation.

Iowa Tea Party chairman, Ryan Rhodes, told The Iowa Independent previously that Palin has been extended an invitation to meet the bus tour at a stop.

Rhodes said Palin “is greatly encouraged to come here.”

State Republican leaders, at least, did not expect any major announcements or politicking would happen in Pella, a town proud of its Dutch heritage.

Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Matt Strawn said Tuesday he thought her visit brought more enthusiasm for the August straw poll and February Iowa Caucuses, but also that he did not plan on meeting with Palin and did not have knowledge any private meetings with party leaders and lawmakers.

Iowa Senate Democrats say their proposed commercial property tax relief fund program will not affect municipal governments or school districts by making up revenue, as opposed to a plan proposed by Gov. Terry Branstad.

“This bill proves the larger point (Democrats) have tried to make this session,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (D-Des Moines) said Thursday. “The point being there can be a tax cut while keeping (universal) preschool and permitting allowable growth (to school district budgets).”

The permanent Business Property Tax Relief Fund, targeted at “Main Street”-type businesses, will reduce taxes by $50 million annually starting in July 2012, and the appropriation to that fund would grow by the same amount each year that state revenues see a four percent increase, until $200 million is reached, Sen. Joseph Bolkcom (D-Iowa City) explained in a press release.

“The genius of this plan, if I may call it that, is that the fund will increase when state revenue is healthy enough to support it,” Bolkcom said Thursday while meeting with reporters.

The plan is outlined to give a $600 tax reduction on the first $30,000 of a property’s assessed value in the first year. Subsequent tax credits can range from $600 to $5,300, depending on the structural assessed value.

“(Local business leaders) told us that reducing Iowa’s high commercial property tax rates is essential,” Bolkcom said. “We’ve responded with a proposal to provide $200 million in desperately needed business and commercial property tax relief, and we do it without hurting local government of local schools.”

The Senate Democrats’ Business Property Tax Relief Fund pits itself against Branstad’s proposal, which cuts commercial property taxes by 40 percent, with municipal governments standing to lose $500 million in revenue. Branstad has said half of the revenue would be made up by the state, which has been met with criticism from Democrats and some municipal governments.

However, Branstad did not criticize the Senate Democrats’ proposed tax relief fund. In a statement released by the Governor’s office, Branstad said he was “encouraged that legislative Democrats recognize the critical need for reforming and reducing commercial property taxes.”

Branstad said he intends to continue working with lawmakers to “produce a commercial property tax plan that dramatically increases our economic competitiveness.”

But the Business Property Tax Relief Fund may not be the way to do it, some Republican leaders believe.

“When businesses are looking for a place to either relocate or locate, a $600 property tax reduction isn’t going to matter,” Senate Minority Leader Paul McKinley (R-Chariton) said.

Speaker of the Iowa House Kraig Paulsen (R-Hiawatha) said Thursday morning he had not looked at the Democrats’ proposal in detail, but was “excited that we’re starting to talk about things. We all want to handle property tax relief and talk about it.”

He said House Republicans remain in support of Branstad’s proposed plan.

In response to McCarthy’s comment about the Business Property Tax Relief Fund being a measure to keep preschool, funding Paulsen would only say it is “a conversation that I assume is between the Senate and the Governor.”

Senate Democrats vowed Monday to pass a one-year budget, despite a promise from Gov. Terry Branstad to veto it if they do.

“I’ve said it very loud and clear that I intend to enforce a biennial budget, a budget where we spend less than we take in each year with a five-year projection in terms of revenue and keeping the expenses below that so what we have is sustainable for the long term,” Branstad told reporters Monday.

The statement comes after an appearance at a Republican Party of Iowa fundraiser over the weekend where Branstad declared in regard to a one-year budget: “I’ll veto it and I’ll veto it and I’ll veto it until we get a two-year budget.”

State Sen. Robert Dvorsky (D-Coralville) told The Des Moines Register that Iowa hasn’t passed a two-year budget since 1983, and the Senate wouldn’t do so this year.

Research on various state budgeting practices shows there are no clear benefits to designing a two-year budget over a one-year budget. In fact, a biennial budget would require officials to predict state revenues and expenditures as far as 30 months in the future, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. If the economy turns sour again, for instance, the state would find itself with fewer tax dollars than anticipated, making a biennial budget obsolete.

Cedar Rapids Gazette columnist Todd Dorman points out that predicting the state’s future revenue is hard enough to do months in advance, “let alone years.” Ultimately, he says, the move puts much more power in the hands of the governor, who has broad transfer authority and “can move money around in the budget while the legislature sits on the sidelines.”

“Even if Branstad says he won’t overuse transfer authority, the authority remains, and his promise won’t stop future executives,” Dorman said. “Handing the governor a two-year budget would also leave the Legislature in a much weaker bargaining position on other issues.”

A report released Wednesday by the Iowa Public Interest Research Group gave Iowa a failing grade when it comes to openness about government spending.

According to “Following the Money 2011: How the States Rank on Providing Online Access to Government Spending Data,” Iowa received a failing grade because it lacks a website with “checkbook-level” detail. However, lawmakers passed a bill this session that requires the state’s department of management to create a database and make it available to the public by January 2013.

“The good news is that since last year’s report, state governments across the country have become far more transparent about where the money goes. The bad news is Iowa has fallen far behind the rest of the country, and has yet again failed to shine sunlight on the public purse,” said Sonia Ashe, advocate at Iowa PIRG.

“Especially as Iowa debates steep budget cuts, Iowans need the ability to watchdog our government and ensure their tax dollars are spent effectively.”

Included with the report is an interactive online tool that allows users to view what Iowa is doing best and worst compared to other states’ transparency practices.

Leading states with the most open spending provided online tools that were searchable, engaged citizens and included detailed information about government contracts, tax expenditures, tax subsidies and economic development incentives, according to Ashe. Leading the way in this report were Kentucky, Texas, Indiana, Arizona, Louisiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Ohio and Oregon.

Even with the mandate put in place by the legislature, however, open government advocates worries that what is developed won’t provide enough information to taxpayers.

“Any searchable database must include easily accessible and complete information on tax credits and exemptions as well as information on other state spending,” said Victor Elias of the Coalition for a Better Iowa.

Other advocates speculate that the step forward created by the mandate will be coupled with a step backward, given the proposed shift of power to the quasi-public Iowa Partnership for Economic Progress that would allow private donations for economic development projects to be kept in the dark.

“If our government officials are truly motivated to make Iowa a fully transparent state, then any spending through the private sector of the IPEP would be made available for public scrutiny,” said Ashe. “With the track record of corruption in other states from quasi-public development agencies, the spending of private funds should be held to the same standards of transparency as other spending in order to build public confidence.”

Ashe points out that there is reason to be hopeful that the new version of the Iowa Department of Economic Development will overcome transparency obstacles. She notes that even Indiana, a state Gov. Terry Branstad highlighted on the campaign trail as a case study for the Iowa switch, has worked through past transparency troubles and has emerged as one of the leading states in this area.

“This report shows that many states are getting impressive results from making contracts and subsidies more transparent,” said Ashe. “Iowa shouldn’t just catch up with other states in transparency, we should work to get in the lead.”

Following the Money 2011

“This year marks the 90th anniversary of woman suffrage, and yet women make up only 23 percent of the Iowa Legislature,” said Monica Vernon, a Cedar Rapids City Councilwoman and board member of the new group 50/50 in 2020. “Iowans have never elected a woman to the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Senate, nor to the office of governor.

Monica Vernon (Photo: Lynda Waddington/The Iowa Independent)

“In this next decade, leading up to the 100th anniversary of woman suffrage, we want to remedy this situation.”

The women who have formed 50/50 in 2020 believe that “one century is long enough to wait for equity.” The group plans to achieve political equity for Iowa women by recruiting, training and mentoring women in sufficient numbers.

The bipartisan group was co-founded by two former Iowa legislators — Quad City Republican Maggie Tinsman and Iowa City Democrat Jean Lloyd-Jones — and boasts a 14-member board of directors comprised of women from across the state.

The group is not focused on specific issues, and does not wish for or push for female candidates to hold certain policy beliefs. It simply wants to give more women to be recruited for and to run for all levels of elected office in Iowa.

“We will conduct a three-day advanced training for women — the ‘Blueprint for Winning Academy’ — in 2012, complementing the efforts now being made by the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics at Iowa State University and the Iowa N.E.W. Leadership Program of the Women’s Resource and Action Center at the University of Iowa.”

The training session, which will follow reapportionment and redistricting, will be intense and predominantly for candidates that are seeking seats at the state level or above. Preliminary workshop topics include “assessing your network,” forming a campaign committee, communications, budgeting, public speaking, and debate preparation. In addition, women attending the training session will have an opportunity to meet with leaders from their own political party to discuss funding specifics and strategy.

Women who decide to become candidates will be matched with a woman office-holder to shadow in Des Moines or Washington, and will be connected with a mentor from within their own party for ongoing campaign advice.

“Ultimately, this is about more than just numbers,” said Vernon, who is currently the only woman on the nine-member Cedar Rapids City Council.

“Women bring a wealth of experience, education, common sense and hard work to public office. We see issues through a different lens, tend to include more citizens in the process, favor transparency in government and are natural consensus-builders.”

She added that women are “pragmatic” when balancing budgets and are more likely to serve as whistleblowers.

Although women make up 53 percent of registered voters in Iowa, are are historically more likely to cast their vote during elections, they continue to be under-represented at all levels of government. Recent changes, like the legislative call for gender equity on local boards and commissions, will help, but ultimately women simply need to run for office.

“It isn’t that Iowa doesn’t elect women to office — they just don’t run,” Vernon said.