Government Affairs

A well-executed economic development program promotes job creation, enhances the tax base over the duration of the program, and allows local governments to incur debt in a sustainable manner. The Mount Pleasant Area Chamber Alliance supports:

• Economic development programs that attract quality jobs, foster innovation and entrepreneurship, and existing business expansions.
• Local control over TIF districts for continued utilization of dollars for both horizontal and vertical infrastructure development and its use as an incentive tool for job creation.
• Continued support for the department of corrections including additional security personnel, technology and data support and treatment capacity.

Iowa’s businesses are challenged to find qualified candidates with the appropriate skills who are ready to work. Efforts to attract applicants and to educate our future workforce about job opportunities is critical to our future success. The Mount Pleasant Area Chamber Alliance supports:

• Fully funding the Future Ready Iowa Initiative.
• Programs and incentives for communities that are marketing and recruiting outside of Iowa.
• Strategies that leverage a variety of state and local resources to increase the number and variety of homes available in the region.
• Iowa Jobs Training Programs (260E and 260F) that are administered by one of Iowa’s 15 community colleges which expand Iowa’s workforce through new employee training, increasing the employees’ skill set and improving productivity of employers.

Iowa must have an educational system that prepares students to succeed in a very competitive economy. With the cost of education increasing and standards decreasing it is important that Iowa’s educational system have a strong core curriculum to ensure that students are prepared for higher education and/or the workplace. The Mount Pleasant Area Chamber Alliance supports:

• Action that will incentivize communities to address the need for quality and affordable early childcare.
• K-12 funding that allows schools to certify budgets on time, is equitable across the range of Iowa’s diverse school districts and is at a level that is both appropriate and sustainable.
• Policies to aid rural areas that are faced with high transportation costs for busing children to and from school.
• Continued emphasis on STEM fields and Career and Technical Education.
• Funding for the Iowa Tuition Grant and PSEO.
• Resources to address the increasing instances of mental health among students at all levels of learning.

The health of our community is one of our greatest concerns, especially in the trying times that we are facing. Access to health care for everyone through public and private options is critical. The Mount Pleasant Area Chamber Alliance supports:

• Efforts to consider Emergency Management Services (EMS) an essential service.
• Continued funding of the cost adjustment factor for Critical Access Hospitals approved by the state legislature.
• The passage of payment parity for providers for telehealth services.

An established transportation system that connects Southeast Iowa within the region and beyond is vitally important to our state. Addressing transportation and infrastructure concerns is necessary to continue everyday business and attract both companies and future employees. The Mount Pleasant Area Chamber Alliance supports:

• Significant infrastructure investments to improve broadband connectivity statewide, especially in Iowa’s most rural areas.

• Funding at the Iowa Department of Transportation for rail service into industrial parks and sites appropriate for rail projects.
• Address a long-term, equitable solution to Iowa’s water quality challenge.

Iowa’s tax code should encourage business growth, limit the size and costs of government, and reflect the principles of equity, neutrality, simplicity, and predictability. Continued exploration of tax reform and finding ways to alleviate the tax burden on Iowa employers it necessary. The Mount Pleasant Area Chamber Alliance supports:

• Efforts to simplify and reduce corporate income taxes.
• Allowing states to collect sales tax from out-of-state establishments on internet purchases.
• Oversight of tax credits and programs that have a documented Return on Investment with clear objectives for growing the economy.
• Fully funding existing budget obligations including tax credits and promised “backfill” to local government.

Iowa must create attractive places for people to live and work by developing quality of life projects that leverage community assets. Community placemaking projects and recreational opportunities are vital components of Iowa’s workforce attraction and retention strategies. The Mount Pleasant Area Chamber Alliance supports:

• New initiatives that center on rural business development such as entertainment amenities, restaurants, and retail.

• Support funding for quality-of-life projects that directly correlate to business and employee recruitment and retention.
• Funding for existing programs and consideration of new resources that promote “placemaking” including quality of life and the arts.

State Representative Joe Mitchell (R), District 84
joe.mitchell@legis.iowa.gov, (319) 461-9620

State Senator Jeff Reichman (R), District 42
jeff.reichman@legis.iowa.gov, (319) 520-8157