It took up until the small hours of the morning in the end of the 2008 Iowa legislative session, but a new state penitentiary at Fort Madison will become a reality. No doubt Gov. Chet Culver will sign the measure approved early Saturday: Culver has been pushing this fiscally sound decision for months.
The $130.7 million designated for Fort Madison is a big outlay of money on the state's part. But not rebuilding at Fort Madison would prove even more costly.
Parts of the Fort Madison prison predate Iowa's statehood. Because of its age, it lacks many of the security and efficiency features that equip more modern facilities. It costs about
$34 million per year to operate the prison, which opened during the Martin Van Buren presidency. It has plumbing problems and crumbling concrete. A newer, more efficient prison would offset the cost of building over time.
It costs $20 million per year to run the newer, medium-security Fort Dodge Correctional Facility. Built in 1998, the Fort Dodge facility houses 1,160 inmates and employs 372 staff members. Meanwhile, Fort Madison has 950 inmates and 510 employees. Add in some money for what it would cost to include maximum-security features, you still have a drastic difference in operational costs.
Iowa lawmakers did right by approving funding for a new prison at Fort Madison. It's time the state stop throwing good money after bad.
Iowa lawmakers found a good compromise and finally fixed a fee that has been out of whack for 20 years.
An archaic law has categorized pickup trucks as farm vehicles, holding registration costs to a flat $65 annually for a three-ton pickup. Meanwhile cars, minivans and SUVs were charged hundreds of dollars more per year. The state has been missing out on millions of dollars in revenue from truck owners -- many of whom never go near a farm.
Culver signed into law the change in vehicle registration fees, bringing trucks in line with other vehicles while assessing a lower fee to trucks legitimately used in farming. The increased revenue will go directly toward the state's sorely needed overhaul of roads and infrastructure.
The jury is still out on what the Iowa governor will do with the collective bargaining bill sent to him to sign. Culver shouldn't cave to union and party pressure. The fact that he hasn't signed on yet is an indication he sees the problems with the bill.
The measure would expand collective bargaining rights for teachers and other public workers over an array of issues from class size to compensation for accumulated leave. Under the legislation, the teachers union could negotiate scheduling and early retirement, among other things. It would make it even tougher to fire poor-performing teachers. Pulling these decisions into the collective bargaining arena takes away power from local school boards. Citizens elect school board members to make decisions in the best interest of students and to make best use of taxpayer money. Unions have no official obligation toward those interests.
The measure would put issues like staffing levels, health insurance and cash compensation on the table for discussion. Disagreement could end in arbitration, leaving elected representatives totally out of the mix in deciding how taxpayers' dollars are spent.
Culver was right to wait on signing this. He should stand up to unions and put the measure on the shelf.
Editorials reflect the consensus of the Telegraph Herald Editorial Board: Jim Normandin (publisher), Brian Cooper, Ken Brown, Monty Gilles and Amy Gilligan.
