Ottumwa, IA, May 4, 2016 – Sieda Community Action Behavioral Health and Treatment Services has received a three-year accreditation by CARF International; CARF’s highest level of accreditation available to a behavioral health program. With this, the Sieda Behavioral Health and Treatment services is one of a handful of programs in Southeast Iowa accredited to serve adults, adolescents, and children who struggle with alcohol and drug abuse and dependency as well as other mental health issues.

CARF accreditation is awarded to agencies who exemplify their commitment to improving the quality of lives of the persons served. Sieda Behavioral Health and Treatment Services demonstrated a pattern of practice excellence in the services they provide, personnel they employ, and clinical documentation.  Brian Dunn, Executive Director of Sieda Community Action, was very pleased with the announcement of their accreditation.

“To be accredited by CARF for another three years is fantastic. Our Behavioral Health and Treatment Services team works very hard to ensure that the people we assist receive the best possible services each time they meet with us. I was very proud in 2013 that we received the highest-possible accreditation on our first attempt, and I’m ever more proud of the work the team has done in the subsequent years.

Even with organizations receiving full, unqualified accreditation, CARF makes recommendations for improvement as part of their review process. In the overwhelming majority of the areas reviewed, Sieda Behavioral Health and Treatment Services received no recommendations for improvement. This is a great example of our commitment to our work and our clients; we continue to improve on our already high-quality programs.” – Brian Dunn

For more information on CARF and CARF accreditation, visit www.carf.org. For more information on Sieda Community Action’s behavioral health services and other Sieda programs, visit www.sieda.org.

Sieda Community Action, a private organization established in 1965 as a community action agency, implements a range of services to secure opportunities for people in need. Sieda utilizes a multifaceted approach to eliminating and ameliorating the effects of poverty fousing on the core components of education, economic supports, health and well-being, and social capital. Through our programs, individuals and families in Appanoose, Davis, Jefferson, Keokuk, Mahaska, Van Buren, and Wapello counties are more likely to become self-reliant and contribute positively to their families and communities.

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If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Kim Kelly at 641.682.8741 or email at kkelly@sieda.org.

The Oskaloosa City Council met for their regularly scheduled meeting Monday night, but a study session stole the headlines.

The study session involved a discussion on a proposed site plan for a 6,156 square foot addition for Fellowship Bible Church, located at 1000 A Avenue West.

The item came to a study session due to the church asking for relief from 9 of 11 points that the Planning and Zoning Commission gave to the church about the plan. These extra points would cost the church about $100,000 and would take their budget over its $1 million threshold.

The discussion began with thoughts from Council Members Tom Walling and Joe Caligiuri regarding city code. Caligiuri believes that the code needs to be looked at and changed, because the language does not seem to make sense for already-existing properties.

Walling stated that the church is trying to improve the city, and should be allowed an amount of time to complete each of the requirements, but unless the code is changed, the council should avoid setting a precedent by waiving the list of items.

The council initially agreed on giving the church five years from the issuance of the building permit prior to the regular meeting. When the study session resumed following the meeting, most of the council changed their mind to give only one year to complete the list. This notion was brought up by Council Member Steve Burnett, believing that it would be dangerous to waive city requirements because it would go over the project’s budget.

The council then agreed to add the item to the May 16^th agenda for a final vote on the project. The council will allow one year from the issuance of the building permit for all requirements to be met.

In the regular meeting, housekeeping was the main theme.

The council renewed employee life and health insurance programs for fiscal year 2017. There was a budget amendment that allowed for the city to save money by redeeming loan notes, which was also passed unanimously.

The council also passed resolutions approving abatement of city assessments on 115 5^th Avenue West and 612 5^th Avenue West, which the city claimed as abandoned property. The council also approved a resolution for the conditional abatement of city assessments on 703 A Avenue East, which is also a property that the city has filed to title as abandoned.

In the reports from the council, members Tom Jiminez, Tom Walling, and Joe Caligiuri reiterated the need for adjusting the city code. The council also commended the city staff for taking care of abandoned properties and clearing them out to make the city look nicer.

The next scheduled meeting of the Oskaloosa City Council will be held on Monday, May 16^th, in Council Chambers of City Hall. The meeting will be called to order at 6 PM.

Mahaska County went to the polls on Tuesday regarding a number of issues, but none more visible than the renewal of the Local Option Sales Tax (LOST).

The vote was a major topic of discussion at many city and county meetings from the ballot language to the process itself.

This renewal was necessary for the proposed $24.1 million Recreation and Early Childhood Education facility. The City of Oskaloosa was pledging 75 percent of its LOST money per year to the project, but the group leading the planning, One Mahaska, stated that the county needed to kick some money in as well to make the project a reality.

After months of debate, the Mahaska County Board of Supervisors approved ballot language for unincorporated areas that gave 40 percent to the facility, 40 percent to secondary roads, and 20 percent to the Environmental Learning Center.

On Tuesday, the county and city remained split on the issue, as Oskaloosa passed its ballot language, 885-562, and the unincorporated areas overwhelmingly voted against it, 308-1,498.

Although this ballot language failed, the Supervisors will have an opportunity to go through the process again and have a special election prior to the expiration of the current LOST on January 1, 2017.

The ballot language for the Oskaloosa LOST can be adjusted for “any legal purpose,” which means the money can be collected and used for additional funds for roads, infrastructure, or any items that the City Council deem necessary.

Fremont was the only other jurisdiction that failed to renew the LOST, 33-34. Fremont had dedicated 10 percent of their ballot language towards the recreation facility in Oskaloosa as well.

Barnes City, Beacon, Eddyville, Keomah Village, Leighton, New Sharon, Rose Hill, and University Park all passed their ballot language for the LOST.

In other votes on Tuesday:

• James Blomgren was running unopposed for County Attorney and received 2,833 votes. Only 56 votes were against for write-in candidates.
• Rose Hill voted Robert Wells to their vacant City Council position, defeating Rick Newcomb, 21-6.
• New Sharon voted Wesley White to their vacant City Council position. White ran unopposed, getting 131 votes against just 3 write-in votes.

(The scene at the Mahaska County Courthouse as the results started to come in for the Local Option Sales Tax)

We will have continuing coverage of the Local Option Sales Tax around the county on KBOE Radio and on kboeradio.com.