At the Tama County Board of Supervisors meeting Monday morning, July 23, action was taken to declare Tama County a local disaster area.
Tama County has suffered from a drought which occurred from a period starting the end of May, 2012, and is ongoing. "This has caused severe damage to public and private property and endangerment of wellbeing, health and safety of the citizens of Tama County and the cities of Chelsea, Clutier, Dysart, Elberon, Garwin, Gladbrook, Lincoln, Montour, Tama, Toledo, Traer, and Vining," it was pointed out in the action.
The County Board of Supervisors declared a state of emergency authorized under a State of Iowa statute and will execute the expenditure of emergency funds from all available sources, the invoking of mutual aid agreements and will apply to the State of Iowa for Assistance.
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As a result Tama County is requesting a disaster declaration and a request for federal assistance from the USDA and FEMA, and would ask that Governor Branstad declare the state of Iowa an Agricultural Disaster due to the drought conditions.
Tama County is requesting that the following FSA programs be opened up to Tama County farmers and residents:
Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payment program
Livestock Forage Disaster Program
Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and farm raised fish program
Livestock Indemnity Program
Tree Assistance program
Non-insured crop disaster assistance program
Emergency Conservation program
Emergency loan program
Disaster set-aside
Haying and grazing of conservation reserve program area.
In addition, county officials are seeking information on any additional drought assistance programs that may be available to Tama County residents and farmers.
Burn bans are in place for 19 Iowa counties, including Tama.
In other business:
the City of Chelsea was granted permission for the Chelsea Fire Department to have a temporary closure of Highway V18 south of the Railroad tracks. The Chelsea Fire Department will be hosting a benefit including a car show and street dance on July 28, 2012. The city of Chelsea will provide a detour route through Chelsea. Tama County passed a resolution allowing Highway V18 between 1st Street and Iowans Street be closed on July 28 from 7 a.m. - 2 p.m.
a permit was approved for Windstream to do work at 1007 190th Street in Spring Creek Township.
the Treasurer's annual report was approved, showing the ending fund balance as of June 30, 2012 at $13,864,796.
claims for the past week were approved totaling $150,606.