Gas tax, mental health dominate legislative coffee

Feb. 09--A 23-year statehouse veteran and a newly-elected state senator fielded a variety of questions from area constituents at the first legislative coffee at the restored depot Saturday morning in Creston.

Dominating the conversation with Iowa Rep. Jack Drake, R-Griswold, and Iowa Senator Tom Shipley, R-Nodaway, was the possibility of a gas tax to maintain Iowa's infrastructure and the future of mental health care.

"The gas tax is constitutionally protected," Drake said. "It has to be used for the roads, it can't be used elsewhere."

Shipley said he has received a lot of support for an increase in the gas tax. One option he did not support was an increase of one-time money in the general fund that could be used for road maintenance.

"We can put more money in the pot, the general fund, but once it is there you might end up building a swimming pool in Waterloo out of it even though that's not what it was intended for," Shipley said. "Once it is there, people find creative ways to get that out to do something else."

Another option would be adding to the sales tax percentage on fuel. However, those dollars can be split to go toward parks and trails along with infrastructure.

Drake added there has been discussion of a registration fee or a meter to track how much electric cars use the roads.

One concern Shipley and Drake shared was the possibility of a federal fuel tax and what earmarks those dollars would include.

"Some of that federal money comes down with so many strings attached to it," Shipley said. "If we could get the strings taken off that and be able to spend it the way we want to, that would help."

Mental heath

Nancy James, a nurse and instructor at Southwestern Community College, voiced her concern on the future of mental health in southern Iowa.

"I think that closing that center (Clarinda) and maybe Mount Pleasant as well, is going to create hardships for people who have mental hardships in southern Iowa," James said. "We need to have some hospital or some institution and take a look at acute care."

The issue hits close to home for Shipley, who has been closely following the future of the Clarinda mental health institution. The Clarinda hospital now has 15 beds for adults with acute psychiatric illnesses, plus 20 beds for elderly psychiatric patients. It has 76 employees and an $8.5 million budget.

"I share the concerns about where these people are going to go (for services)," Shipley said. "It doesn't sound very promising."

While state legislators work on a budget plan to fund mental health and establish regional care, the financial burden is put onto the counties.

"I have heard a lot from the counties about having to transport patients," Drake said. "It has been quite and expense for the counties and it looks like it is going to get worse for our southern counties."

James said she opposes the proposal of using nursing homes for mental health patients because it is "inappropriate and unfair" to the patients in need of care and the residents in the nursing homes.

The next legislative coffee is scheduled for 8 a.m.March 7 at the restored depot in Creston.

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