Veterans Affairs setting goals for 2017

Jan. 18--Kurt Jackson of the Jasper County Department of Veterans Affairs spoke to the Jasper County Board of Supervisors Tuesday during his quarterly report to the county. He shared several figures detailing the funding the department is currently receiving and the activities it is participating in.

"We're in the top 20 counties in Iowa for veteran population and amount of money the veterans affairs government from federal level is putting into Jasper County alone is more than $15 million per year," Jackson said.

Jasper County, according to a 2015 assessment done by the VA Office of Actuary, has 3,023 veterans living in the county receiving $15,760,604 in government funding. Jasper County sits at number 20 in veteran populations in the state but is within about 300 of the top 15 and 1,400 of the top 10.

Of the 3,023 veterans in Jasper County, only about 1,200 have been recorded by the office.

"We are men of steel when we get out of the service, we don't think we need any assistance," Jackson said. "My job, I see, is to identify the 3,023 veterans in the county and get more of the federal money into the county, that is what I am working for."

Jackson also shared the number of rides veterans received by Jasper County RIDE Program. For October through December veterans in the county received 35 rides with more than half going to Des Moines.

In other business, the board discussed a proposal for a possible cooperative effort to pave a road that has been turned to gravel. Troy Knight of Diamond Trail Sales spoke with the board about the road used to get to his business located northwest of Monroe. When Knight purchased the property the road coming in was paved and ideal for his business. Since that time, it was turned into a gravel road and has become a source of frustration for the business owner.

"I bought the property with the intention of growing a business and had no idea the paved road going into it would be turned into gravel," Knight said. "I have pictures of a totally polished truck and the first guy that drives it goes down the muddy road and they come back with mud all over the back and I have to spend another two hours cleaning it after one test drive."

Another issue Knight has found is semis traveling on the road pick up rocks which hit the vehicles on the lot.

Knight would like to work with the county to fix this problem, possibly by paving the road at his own expense. The board heard what Knight proposed and said they would be willing to talk with him about potential work to the road.

In other business:

-- Nathan Squire was hired as a full-time jailer at a starting rate of $19.13 per house effective Tuesday.

-- Supervisor Joe Brock will serve on the Emergency Management Board with supervisor Doug Cupples as the alternate.

-- Brock will also serve on the CICS Mental Health Governing Board with Cupples and supervisor Denny Carpenter serving as alternates.

-- Carpenter will serve on the Aging Resources Board along with Max Worthington with Cupples serving as the alternate.

Contact Jamee A. Pierson at 641-792-3121 ext. 6534 or jpierson@newtondailynews.com

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