• AT&T Broadband has been collecting sales tax on its monthly connection fees despite the fact that Internet access charges have been exempt from state sales tax since 1999. AT&T Broadband, which sold its Iowa service to Mediacom last month, hasn't been cooperative with state officials in getting the issue resolved. The taxes amount to about $2 per month, and you can get your copy of the forms for a refund at (http://www.state.is.us/tax/forms/22009.pdf) or by calling (800)532-1531. You will need to send the completed forms along with a copy of each monthly billing statement for which a refund is requested. The refund will apply to the amount of the state sales tax as well as any local option tax that were billed for Internet access. A refund isn't allowed for the portion of the sales tax billed for modem rental fees.
• You can do your part to help correct the root cause of flooding: declining wetlands and faster runoff from rural and urban watersheds. Using simple "backyard" principles such as using native grasses with deep root systems and buffer strips along runoff areas, we can all help reduce flooding and flood levels. A free handbook will be available soon to show you how you can help "Retain the Rain" on your land and work with others to reduce runoff in your neighborhood, city, county, and state. Watch the River Action Web site at (http://www.riveraction.org) for more information.
• The Davenport mayoral race is getting more interesting every day, with a seventh candidate announcing last week. Luana Stoltenberg, best known as the spokeswoman for the Life & Family Coalition (an anti-abortion group that tried to block the construction of the Planned Parenthood Clinic in Bettendorf), filed nomination papers with the City of Davenport. She joins Bob Yapp, Denise Hollonbeck, Bill Sherwood, Pamela Davis, Charlie Brooke, and John Waddell on the ballot for mayor.
• Scott County has been awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada for Scott County's 2000 fiscal year Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. This makes the 14th year in a row that Scott County has received this highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting. Scott County is one of only four Iowa counties to hold the Certificate of Achievement. Only 40 of the 1,488 governmental units in the State of Iowa hold this honor.
• The Doris and Victor Day Foundation has announced approval of 48 grants totaling $628,847 in the summer 2001 granting process. An additional $281,800 previously granted will bring the distribution during the current fiscal year to $910,647. The larger grant commitments include a $50,000 three-year pledge to the Aldridge Child Development Center for construction of a new facility, a $100,000 five-year pledge to the Quad Cities YWCA for a capital-renovation project, $118,500 to continue the mentoring program titled GIFT through the Rock Island/Milan School District, and $75,000 to the Supplemental Emergency Assistance Program. Each year, the Foundation allocates more than 5 percent of its asset base for distribution. The directors of the foundation consider grants in an annual cycle, with applications available in January and due in the office by May 1. Announcement of grants is made each year prior to Labor Day. You can see more about the Foundation by pointing your Web browser to (http://www.dayfoundation.org).
• The Iowa State Patrol will no longer participate in the Drug Awareness Resistance Education (DARE) program because of budget cutbacks. Lawmakers want more troopers on the streets, so they cut $80,000 from the patrol's budget. The Iowa State Patrol will save about $185,000 annually by dropping DARE. Council Bluffs and Iowa City school districts ended their DARE involvement earlier this year.
• A traffic-signal project saving 2.1 million kilowatt hours and $20,000 per year for the City of Davenport has earned MidAmerican Energy the Pollution Prevention Environmental Excellence Award for Region VII of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. MidAmerican Services, an unregulated affiliate of MidAmerican Energy, replaced incandescent traffic lights with long-life, high-efficiency LED (light-emitting diode) signals at 170 intersections in Davenport in October 2000. Almost 100 percent of the emitted energy from an LED source is usable, visible light, as opposed to 2 percent of the energy from an incandescent source, from which the other 98 percent is wasted heat. LED signals use only about seven to 10 watts per signal (compared to 135 watts for incandescent bulbs), shine brighter, and last up to 12 years, resulting in both energy and cost savings. Because of the higher efficiency of these lights, the energy savings alone pay for the cost of the project.
• You might have read about this before in City Shorts, but it's time for an update. HB 1305, a bill slashing the federal tax on beer from $18 per barrel to $9 per barrel, is gaining momentum in the U.S. House of Representatives. If the tax is cut, it would save beer-drinkers between 16 to 32 cents per six-pack. This will only reduce the federal revenue by $1.7 billion per year. The bill already has 187 co-sponsors and looks like it could be given serious consideration after Congress comes back in for the fall session. You can see more about the bill and the economic justifications for rolling it back at (http://www.beertax.com). While this particular site is run by Anheuser-Busch Companies, it does appear to give the issue a fair shake.