Delaware County Central Committee Minutes

April 3, 2023
Old 20 Auctions
6:30 Chili Dinner; 7:00 p.m. Meeting

Present: Roger Helmrichs, Jeff Madlom, Judy Eckmann, Wayne Birkenholz, Cindy Birkenholz, Jill
Miller, Cliff Bunting, Bruce Nieman, Teresa Griffith, Kevin Glanz, Clarence Slife, Travis Hemesath,
Merchon Andersen, Cher Delperdang, Scott Delperdang, Paula Robinson, Chelle Adkins (SCC), Delma
Hardin, David Marks, Doug Robbins, Terry Griffith, Jean Gross, Lynn Sheets. Also Gerald and LaDonna
Retzlaff from Jones County Central Committee were present.
Roger called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. after those present enjoyed a chili supper potluck.
The Pledge of Allegiance opened the meeting. A motion was made by Jeff, seconded by Clarence to
approve the minutes of the March meeting as given. Motion by Cliff, seconded by Jeff to approve the
Treasurer's Report as presented. . Motion by
Doug, seconded by Cher to pay the fair booth rent for the double booth plus a deposit to be
refunded after. Motion carried.
Legislative Reports: Bruce reported the Farm Bureau recently entertained the congressional staff
members with discussions and concerns of the local farming community. Jeff again talked about the
possible loss of our Local Option Sales Tax revenue and the impact it would have on Delaware County if it
is dropped in favor of a 1% increase in state sales tax. The tax bill is currently being debated in the
legislature and he urged us to send individual comments to our legislators. The Local Option Sales tax has
generated funds for Delaware County which have been put to good use. Travis spoke briefly on the
concerns of drug usage in Delaware County which law enforcement sees as a major issue especially with
fentanyl usage on the rise. Roger shared the latest on the carbon pipeline issue. The Senate is not taking any
action on Eminent Domain. New technologies are being looked at to use CO2+hydrogen to manufacture
green methanol. He also said Steve King will be at the Independence Pizza Ranch on April 5 from 11:30 to
1:00. Chelle shared the SCC is working on a list of conservative judges up for re-election so voters are
informed. The cost of NationBuilder has quadrupled so it was decided by the SCC to find another suitable
replacement. A New Code of Conduct was passed by the SCC that affects the SCC at the state and federal
levels. There is a need to stay neutral through the primary elections. The next Caucus is set for the first
Monday in February and ways are being looked at to avoid interference from opposing parties.
Our visitors from Jones County shared events they are hosting this month and invited anyone who
is interested to join them.
Finance/Funding: Cher shared a copy of the Century Club Letter which will be sent out to members. It is
similar to last year's. Cher is also in the process of repainting the elephants used in parades.
Scholarships: David reported there were a total of 19 scholarship applications and the committee chose
three to receive scholarships this year. One person of the two from last year has received their scholarship
money.
Parades: Doug reported the first parade will be the Civil War Days Parade in Hopkinton on June 3rd
starting at 11:30. Doug went through the storage shed and got rid of old campaign signs no longer needed.
New Central Committee members approved are: Scott for Manchester Ward I, Merchon for
Delhi/Delaware and Clarence for Manchester Ward 3. Judy shared that there are no new election changes
this legislative cycle. Delaware County has been chosen to try new upgraded software for elections. The
current voter breakdown for Delaware County is as follows: Democrats 2490, Libertarians 49, Republicans
4970 , No party 4465 and other 15.
Action Item: Motion was made by Kevin, seconded by Clarence to have our Fall Fundraiser on August 26
pending availability of Old 20 Auctions. Motion carried unanimously.
Our next meeting will be May 1 at Old 20 Auctions. Meeting adjourned at 8:15.
Respectfully submitted,
Jean Gross, Secretary